Topic Research

I'd like to create a storybook that reads like a biography as it follows the development of one main character. Furthermore, I'd like this character to be from Japanese mythology and folklore. Below I've put together three possible options:

1. Momotaro

Image Source. Momotaro bisque doll

Momotaro translates as "Peach Boy." He was literally born out of a peach, and was found by an old couple who was just about to eat him. The couple freaks out briefly, but then rejoices because they have always wanted a child. Years later, Momotaro leaves home to slay some demons on a nearby island, and he returns a hero. I am actually very familiar with this story, because I reenacted it as a skit for my Japanese language course in Spring 2020. My group retold the story with some fun twists of our own, the main one being that we changed the title to "Bananataro" or banana boy rather than peach boy. It might be fun to revisit this old parody, tell it in English (I wrote it in Japanese last year), and add a lot more detail for my storybook (it was a very short skit).

2. Yamato Takeru 

Image Source. Yamato Takeru Statue

Laura Gibbs gave me this great idea in response to my Topic Brainstorm post. Yamato Takeru, a legendary Japanese prince who is the focus of the Japanese Mythology unit in the UN-Textbook, is another potential subject for my storybook biography to revolve around. Several tales of Yamato are told, broken up into short stories mostly in part B of the unit. This gives me a very good starting point given that I want to write my storybook broken into different short tales like this. Compared to Momotaro, Yamato Takeru goes on a much wider variety of adventures; this may be beneficial when writing my storybook by giving me more possibilities and more inspiration.

3. Kintaro

Image Source. Kintaro
holding a carp and axe

The adventures of Kintaro, or "Golden Boy," are told in the UN-Textbook under the Japanese Fairy Tales unit. Kintaro was a hero from Japanese folklore with superhuman strength, based on a real warrior. He remains a popular figure today in Japan, with manga and anime series being written about him. His story has been told so many times that there are many different versions - this would be perfect for me to contribute my own to the literature!