Long, long ago there was a poor bamboo cutter who lived in a beautiful village in the shadow of mount Fuji, with his kind and loving wife. They lived a quiet life in each other's company and worked hard to make their meager living.

The man would rise early in the morning and trek deep into the forest to cut bamboo while his wife would tend to their house and garden. The bamboo cutter would return at sunset with a sack full of bamboo and an empty stomach, which his wife would fill with the good food from their garden. Though the couple was grateful to have their secure existence, they longed for something more, a child. But they dreamed in vain. The poor woman could not bear children.
And so she began to pray. She traveled to the temple every day and prayed for a child. An entire year passed and still the woman continued her daily pilgrimage without fail. Her husband began to pray as well, not only for a child, but for his heart-broken wife.

One morning, while on his journey into the forest, the bamboo cutter noticed a beacon of silver light was shining through the trees with such brilliance that he was compelled to travel further into the forest than he ever had before. He walked in and in for what seemed like hours, when he laid eyes on the most beautiful bamboo plant he had ever come upon. It shone with all the sparkling brilliance of stardust and glowed silver, like the moon. The bamboo cutter fell to his knees and gazed upon the glittering spectacle with tears in his eyes. A voice spoke to him from the heavens gently urged him to cut the bamboo and take it's contents home for he and his wife.

The bamboo cutter retrieved his axe from his satchel and felled the luminous plant with one clean stroke. Inside the stump lay a tiny baby wrapped in silk. The bamboo cutter was overcome with joy and he reached out to stroke the beautiful child's cheek. As he did, she smiled and laughed with all the glorious music of soft ringing bells. He took up the child in his arms and rushed home with the heavenly gift for he and his wife. Now they had a child and their lives were complete and happy.

Since discovering the baby the bamboo cutter began to find large sums of gold in stalks of bamboo and soon became very rich. He bought a beautiful house and was able to keep many servants to accommodate himself, his wife, and his new child. With all the money he could ever want, the bamboo cutter bought beautiful clothing and lovely gifts for his wife and daughter. But he remained a kind and generous person despite his great wealth.

The couple named their child Kaguya-Hime, or Shining Princess, and she was lovely beyond compare. She was gentle and kind and her presence elicited joy to all who were near her. The village praised the couple and fawned over Kaguya. But she did not become spoiled or jaded. She maintained her pleasant demeanor and mild temperament as she grew. Kaguya was also incomparably beautiful. Her face was as pure and soft as porcelain and her lips were tiny and tinted deep vermilion. She had long dark hair that poured down her back in glossy rivulets of ebony. Her eyes shone with sparks of intelligence and wisdom far beyond her years. Now that the bamboo cutter was rich, he ensured the very best of everything for his daughter, including an extensive education. She became quite an accomplished poet and was well known for her wit and intellect.There is no question that the princess had many suitors, but she would have none of them. She wished to remain with her parents. Her father refused to force Kaguya into marriage, because she was not truly his daughter.

The bamboo cutter and his wife were growing old and they became increasingly worried about their daughter. Should something happen to them they wanted her taken care of. After seeing how distraught her parents had become, the princess's heart ached and she yearned to please them. She decided that she would marry on the condition that her suitor complete the difficult task which she would set for him. Only if he completed this task just as she asked would she become his bride. Five suitors remained : Princes Ishidukuri, Kuramochi, Abeu, Otomo, and Isonokami.

Ishidukuri was asked to retrieve a Buddhist begging bowl from India. But he became frightened of such a long trip and traveled only into the mountains to buy a bowl from a local temple, instead. Kaguya was surprised to see the prince return so quickly but inspected the bowl in spite of her suspicions. She was no fool and recognized that the bowl was not authentic. She sent Ishidukuri away empty handed.

Kuramochi was sent to the island of P'englai to retrieve a silver branch with golden leaves. He set off on his journey and returned two years later with branch in hand. The princess was stunned. Kuramochi regaled her with stories of rough seas and his harsh journey. Kaguya was close to admitting defeat when two craftsmen approached Kuramochi and demanded that he pay them for the branch and labor. Smugly, Kaguya paid the craftsmen and Kuramochi slunk away embarrassed.

Abeu's quest was to procure a coat made from the fur of the fire rat, who lived high atop a volcano. Their fur was nearly impenetrable by weapons and completely fireproof. As much of a coward as his predecessors, Abeu purchased such a coat from a traveling salesman for an exorbitant amount of money. When he presented the coat to Kaguya, she immediately insisted that it be tested. It burnt to a crisp, leaving nothing but ashes and a powerful stench.

For Otomo's challenge, the princess bid him to sail away and fetch the seven-colored jewel from the head of a dragon. Otomo began to recruit his men for the journey but they fled in fear. Irritated, he rounded up a makeshift crew and set out to find the dragon and the jewel. But the ocean was rough and they threatened mutiny after only a few days. Heartbroken, he gave up.

The last and final suitor, Isonokami, had accepted the challenge that he should bring Kaguya a swallow's cowry shell. Swallows are extremely fast so he would have no hope of capturing one on his own. But Isonokami was a smart man and built a catapult to hurl himself towards the birds in the hopes of catching one. He and his servants hunted all day and all night with no luck . On the last attempt, Isonokami managed to capture one tiny bird but he lost his balance, slipped, and fell to the ground, breaking several bones. The princess, though touched by his attempts, sent him only her condolences.

And so Kaguya had won her freedom. Her father pressed the matter no further.

Hearing many a tale of Kaguya Hime, the emperor himself was immediately compelled to meet this beautiful creature. He sent for her to visit him at the palace. Surely, she could not be as wonderful as the stories had portrayed her. But the princess refused to meet with him. Over and over, she turned down his invitations till the Emperor was so frustrated that he ventured out of the palace, himself, to track down the woman who rebuffed him.

When he arrived at the bamboo cutter's manor, he burst into the room where the princess had been sitting with her attendants and spied the most enchanting woman he had ever seen. The princess tried to escape the room but the emperor caught her and pleaded for her to become his wife. She refused, saying that if she were to leave her father's household that she would vanish, never to be seen again. Seeing how distraught he had made the object of his affection, the emperor released her and promised to leave her free. Kaguya thanked him for his understanding and bid him visit her whenever he wished.

The emperor was always happy to visit Kaguya, and He soon fell deeply in love with her. It may be that she felt the same for him, but Kaguya always refused the emperors many proposals and he eventually gave up. Nevertheless, their friendship never suffered and they were steadfast companions.

Some years later on a moonlit night, the bamboo cutter passed by his daughter's chambers and overheard her weeping quietly on her terrace. He peered through a gap in the screen and saw her gazing at the moon with tears sliding down her lovely face. Not wanting to interfere, he continued on his way, though he was troubled by his daughter's depression. Every night thereafter the bamboo cutter passed his daughters chambers, and every night she wept quietly to herself while gazing at the moon. When he could take it no more, the bamboo cutter walked out onto the terrace and asked his daughter what was troubling her. At first she was reluctant to tell him, but at last she divulged her secret. She told him that she was a child of the moon sent to earth as punishment for a misdeed she had committed. She told him that her attendants would come to take her back to the moon kingdom the very next day.

The old bamboo cutter could not bear the thought of loosing his beloved daughter. He spoke with the emperor and the two hatched a plan to guard his daughter so heavily that no man or otherwise could reach her. And so they waited. As night fell, the princess began to weep again. She went to her father giving him two vials filled with glowing white liquid and a letter. She explained that the vial contained an elixir used by her people on the moon to stay young forever but that if he and his wife should drink it they would become immortal. The second vial and the letter were gifts for the Emperor. The bamboo cutter became frightened that his plan may not work, but could do nothing but wait.

When the moon became full, the village grew silent. A thousand warriors guarded the bamboo cutter's mansion and archers waited on the roof to strike down any who should try to retrieve the shining princess. But they waited in vain, for as a luminous cloud descended from the heavens, they became unable to move or call out. Upon the cloud were several beings comparable in beauty to the stunning Kaguya Hime. They called out to the princess to come with them and though she longed to stay with her mother and father, she knew in her heart that she must go. All the armies of the world could not stop her. As she climbed onto her shimmering cloud, she bid farewell to the bamboo cutter and his wife one last time and pledged her undying love and devotion to them for eternity.

When the cloud had disappeared into the night sky the bamboo cutter sobbed in agony. His heart had shattered into more pieces that any could count. The bamboo cutter and his wife could not handle the loss of their only child and thus sent both vials of immortality to the Emperor along with the letter from the princess. They retreated into their house and were never seen again.

When the Emperor received Kaguya's kind words and proclamation of undying love, he climbed to the very top of mount Fuji in an effort to be as close to the heavens, as close to her as possible, and burned both the letter and elixir saying, “My eyes are parched and my soul is empty. What is the joy in immortality, if I must spend it without you?”