"Taketori monogatari" was probably written late in the ninth or early in the tenth century. It is the oldest surviving Japanese work of fiction; "The tale of Genji" (written about 1010) referred to it as the 'ancestor of all romances.' Today it is thought of mainly as a children's story, and Kaguya-hime, the heroine, looks in the illustrations as lovable as Snow-White or Cinderella; there is no suggestions [sic] of the heartlessness that is perhaps her most memorable feature"--Cf. Preface.
Japanese text and corresponding English translation on facing pages.
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