Okina, a bamboo cutter, discovers a miniature girl inside a glowing bamboo shoot. Believing her to be a divine presence, he takes her home; he and his wife, Ona, decide to raise her as their own, calling her "Princess". The girl grows rapidly and conspicuously, marveling her parents and earning her the nickname "Little Bamboo" from the other children in the village. Sutemaru, the oldest among Kaguya's friends, develops a particularly close relationship with her.
Okina comes upon gold and fine cloth in the bamboo grove in the same way he found his daughter, taking these as proof of her divine royalty. He begins planning to make her a proper princess. Her life in the mountains ends abruptly as Okina and Ona relocate her to the capital. She finds herself in a mansion, replete with servants and fine clothes. She also finds herself saddled with a coach in femininity named Lady Sagami, who is tasked with taming her into a proper noblewoman. She struggles with the restraints of nobility, arguing that life should be full of laughter and struggle.
When she comes of age, a royal priest grants her the formal name of "Princess Kaguya" for the light and life that radiates from her. Okina holds a celebration in commemoration of Kaguya's naming, though overhearing partygoers' unkind conversations sends Kaguya into despair; she flees the capital and runs back to the mountains, seeking Sutemaru and her other friends, but finds that they have all moved away. Kaguya passes out in the snow, only to awaken suddenly back at the party, not missed at all.
Kaguya grows in beauty, attracting scores of would-be suitors. Okina is delighted by the mass of prospective husbands, but Ona is less enthusiastic and Kaguya entirely uninterested. Five men of noble standing court her, comparing her to mythical treasures. Sensing their insincerity, she turns them away by demanding these impossible treasures as gifts. When one of the would-be suitors is killed in his quest, Kaguya falls into depression. Eventually, theEmperor himself takes notice of her, visiting her in person. Taken with her beauty, he makes advances toward her, revolting her. Kaguya then demonstrates the uncanny ability to disappear at will, surprising the Emperor. Understanding that he has been too forward, the Emperor takes his leave, determined to still make Kaguya his.
Kaguya's melancholy worsens, worrying Okina and Ona. Okina sadly tells her that he hoped a life of nobility would make her happy, but she remains distraught. She finally reveals that she has learned that she originally came from the Moon. When the Emperor made his advances, she silently begged the Moon to help her and learned the truth: Once a resident of the Moon, she broke its laws, hoping to be exiled to Earth, so that she could truly experience life. Now having heard her prayer, the Moon will reclaim her on the fifteenth night of the lunar month, during the full moon. Kaguya confesses her attachment to Earth and her reluctance to leave.
Okina swears to protect her and begins assembling defensive forces. Ona returns with Kaguya to her hometown in the mountains once more. There, Kaguya finds Sutemaru and tells him she would have been happiest with him; Sutemaru vows to protect her, come what may, and they run away together through the mountains until they magically take to the air. However, when the Moon shines upon her, Kaguya begs Sutemaru to hold her tightly. Despite Sutemaru's best efforts, Kaguya is torn from his grasp out of the sky. He awakens alone in a field, and, convinced that it had been a dream, returns to his wife and child. Kaguya sadly returns home to the capital with Ona.
On the fateful night of the full moon, a celestial delegation descends from the Moon. Despite Okina's best efforts, the divine force is unstoppable as it sweeps in unperturbed, putting most everyone to sleep. A Buddha-like figure directs some sprites to ferry Kaguya to them; they entrance Kaguya, who glides away, much to Ona's horror. She rises to the Moon entourage, from which an attending apsara offers her a crown and a robe that will erase her memories of Earth. Kaguya puts on the crown, but is stayed from the robe by her parents' cries. She begs the attendant to grant her a last moment with Okina and Ona.
The apsara assures her that upon returning to the Moon, she will be free of Earth's impurities. Kaguya rebuffs her, saying that Earth is full of wonder and life, embracing her parents. The attendant then drapes the robe around her, and Kaguya's expression goes blank, forgetting about her life on Earth. She resumes her seat in the entourage and they ascend to the Moon, leaving Okina and Ona distraught.
Despite her apparent detachment from the Earth, Kaguya looks back one last time, with tears in her eyes, before the group disappears into the light of the Moon.
-WIKIPEDIA
Last edited by eddlisa_uyuk on 28-11-2014 01:19 AM
This story of the princess is really good to read, probably I have read that story more than once for sure though also topbritishessays.com have the same common stories also assignment work for the student where I have been taking care of stories like that.