23 April, 2013 — Waxing Gibbous Moon in Libra at 93% illumination.
This evening, I finally got to read “The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.” Here is what I learned: After the couple adopted Kaguya-hime, the cutter would always find gold nuggets inside the bamboo stalks he cut. Soon, the family grew wealthy and Kaguya-hime’s beauty was renowned. It was said that her hair was most unusual and glowed like the Moon!
Kaguya-hime was courted by dozens of men. Nobles would offer treasures to win her love but she would always challenge them to find some impossibly obscure item, such as Buddha’s stone begging bowl, and they would fail.
Even the Emperor could not win her hand and she sadly told him that she was not of this land and would soon return to her people on the Moon. (Indeed, the gold nuggets were the Moon people’s payments for the safety of their princess.)
Kaguya's Gift 