Asian Movie Pulse has posted the first details on the next animated feature from Studio Ghibli. Since Hayao Miyazaki is currently recovering from creating Ponyo, its Ghibli’s co-head Isao Takahata turn ten years after My Neighbours the Yamadas.
The film is supposed to be an adaptation of Taketori Monogatari (The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter aka The Tale of Princess Kaguya), one of the oldest Japanese folktale told since the 10th century. Here’s the synopsis taken from Wikipedia:
One day, while walking in the bamboo forest, an old, childless bamboo cutter called Taketori no Okina came across a mysterious, shining stalk of bamboo. After cutting it open, he found inside it a baby the size of his thumb. He rejoiced to find such a beautiful girl and took her home. He and his wife raised her as their own child and named her Kaguya-hime (“radiant-night princess”). Thereafter, Taketori no Okina found that whenever he cut down a stalk of bamboo, inside he found a small nugget of gold. Soon he became rich, and Kaguya-hime grew from a small baby into a woman of ordinary size and extraordinary beauty. At first, Taketori no Okina tried to keep her away from outsiders, but over time the news of her beauty had spread.
Eventually, five princes came to Taketori no Okina’s residence to ask for Kaguya-hime’s hand in marriage. The princes eventually persuaded Taketori no Okina to tell a reluctant Kaguya-hime to choose one from among them. To this end, Kaguya-hime concocted impossible tasks for the princes to accomplish. She would agree to marry the prince who managed to bring her a specified item.
That night, Taketori no Okina told the five princes what each of them must bring. The first was told to bring her the stone begging bowl of the Buddha from India. The second was told to retrieve a jewelled branch from the island of Penglai. The third was told to seek the legendary robe of the fire-rat of China. The fourth must retrieve a colored jewel from a dragon’s neck. The final prince was told to find the seashell treasure of the swallows.
Realizing that it was an impossible task, the first prince returned with an expensive bowl, but after noticing that the bowl did not glow with holy light, Kaguya-hime saw through his deception. Likewise, two other princes attempted to deceive her with fakes, but also failed. The fourth gave up after encountering a storm, while the final prince lost his life in his attempt to retrieve the object.
After this, the Emperor of Japan, Mikado, came to see the strangely beautiful Kaguya-hime and, upon falling in love, asked her to marry him. Although he was not subjected to the impossible trials that thwarted the princes, Kaguya-hime rejected his request for marriage as well, telling him that she was not of his country and thus could not go to the palace with him. She stayed in contact with the Emperor, but continued to rebuff his requests.
That summer, whenever Kaguya-hime saw the full moon, her eyes filled with tears. SPOILER: Though her adoptive parents worried greatly and questioned her, she was unable to tell them what was wrong. Her behaviour became increasingly erratic until she revealed that she was not of this world and must return to her people on the Moon.
I’m pretty excited to see how much of the original story Isao Takahata will keep in his version. While this isn’t the first time Studio Ghibli’s directors have chosen to take motives from folktales (even Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo was heavily inspired by Hans Christian Andersen), I don’t thing they’ve ever chosen something as well known (in Japan that it) as Taketori Monogatari/Kaguya Hime no Monogatari.
Update: Looks like these details aren’t exactly new as they have been posted on GhibliWorld in mid-August. Thanks to CrystalFalls for mentioning this.
[via Asian Movie Pulse & GhibliWorld]
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