Kaguyahime

Kaguyahime, also known as The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, is a classic piece of Japanese literature, believed to be the oldest extant work of prose in Japanese. Its origins are estimated to be around the 10th century. The story revolves around a mysterious girl named Kaguyahime, discovered as a tiny infant inside a luminous bamboo stalk by an old bamboo cutter. She grows rapidly into a beautiful young woman of unparalleled grace and loveliness.

Her adoptive parents, the old couple, are overjoyed but also concerned by her extraordinary beauty, which attracts many suitors, including several high-ranking nobles. Kaguyahime, however, is not interested in marrying any of them. She poses them impossible tasks, believing that if they can accomplish these, she might consider their proposals. The tasks, such as retrieving a specific jewel from a dragon or a branch from the sacred Mount Horai, are naturally unachievable, and the suitors return empty-handed, often facing ridicule or misfortune.

The Emperor himself becomes enchanted by Kaguyahime's beauty after hearing of her from one of the failed suitors. He visits her, but she also rejects his advances, though with more politeness. As Kaguyahime matures, she begins to grow melancholic, often gazing at the moon with a wistful expression. She eventually reveals to her adoptive parents that she is not human but a princess from the Moon, sent to Earth for protection. Her time on Earth has come to an end, and she must return.

Despite the desperate pleas of the old couple and the Emperor, Kaguyahime prepares for her departure. A celestial procession arrives to escort her back to the Moon. She leaves behind her earthly belongings, including a robe that instills immortality and an elixir of eternal life, which she gives to the Emperor. The Emperor, heartbroken, orders the elixir to be burned on the highest peak of Mount Fuji, so that its scent might reach the heavens. The name "Fuji" is said to derive from "fushi" (immortality) in this context.