Japan’s oldest surviving fairytale, Taketori monogatari, is a fantastic and miraculous tale of feminine beauty, noble intrigue, lust, greed, piety, and salvation. Written more than a thousand years ago, it tells the story of an old bamboo cutter who discovers a radiant child inside a glowing stalk of bamboo. As the girl grows into a woman of unearthly beauty, she attracts the attention of aristocratic suitors from across Japan. Sending each of the men on impossible missions to win her love, the princess buys time before finally revealing her true nature as an avatar of the moon, to which she must ultimately return. 

This first, fully annotated and unabridged English translation of the tale presents the original Classical Japanese text alongside the English prose, rendering it an attractive volume for scholars, students, and general readers alike. Bringing together careful scholarship and an appreciation for the tale’s dreamlike atmosphere, The Tale of Princess Kaguya is a definitive edition of one of the world’s great works of early literature.

Translated and annotated by Matthew Stavros, PhD
Jemima Rice, Matilda Loomes, Christopher Tran, and Nivritti Kumar

Anqi Teng, Managing Editor
Anqi Teng is the founding director of a Sydney-based English tutoring company dedicated to helping students find clarity, confidence, and joy in language. A former medical doctor and lifelong lover of literature, she has found a vocation in guiding others through the intricacies of reading and writing. This translation of The Tale of Princess Kaguya marks her editorial debut and first professional foray into the world of classical texts. The work was driven by a desire to make timeless stories accessible to modern readers.

Original illustrations by Reginald Jackson