MomoTarō-Shrine (1/2)
(Late 2000s)
MomoTarō-Shrine, located in Inuyama City, Aichi Prefecture, is a shrine named after the Japanese folk tale “MomoTarō”. The grounds of this shrine are dotted with concrete statues created by sculptor ASANO Shōun.
The Story of MomoTarō
Once upon a time there lived an old couple. One day, when the old woman went to the river to wash her clothes, a large peach came floating down the river. She took it home and cut the peach with a knife, and a baby boy came out from inside.
The old couple named the baby MomoTarō and raised him. (Momo means Peach)
At that time, demons were rampaging in the area where they lived, and the villagers were in trouble. MomoTarō grows up to be a strong boy with a sense of justice, and one day he decides to go on a journey to exterminate demons. MomoTarō met a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant on his journey, and decided to exterminate the demon with them.
And, they successfully exterminated the demons and peace came to the village.
Momotaro would be right at home in Peachland, British Columbia, which I recently visited.
Thank you for adding this fairy tale for those of us who missed it the first time. It looks like some of the statues were carved, do you know what wood was used?