When he was gathering bamboo in the mountains one day, he came across a bamboo stalk that was shining very brightly.

Wondering what it was, the old man cut the bamboo, and found a cute little girl inside.

He thought it must have been a gift from the gods, and decided to take the little girl home.

He showed the girl to the old woman, and she instantly fell in love with her.

They named her Princess Kaguya.

They raised her with tender loving care, and she became a very beautiful lady.

Rumors about Princess Kaguya's beauty spread throughout the country, and soon, five great young men came to ask her for her hand in marriage.

Princess Kaguya just wanted to live a quiet life, so she came up with an idea.

She said, "I will marry the one who can find what I want."

Things she asked for were very difficult to find:

a stone pot of Buddha,

a cowry shell from the nest of a swallow,

leather clothes made from the skins of the legendary mice,

a branch from a jewel tree,

and the five-colored jewels from the dragon neck.

No man could find these things, and they all gave up.

As the day of the full moon approached, Princess Kaguya started crying as she looked at the moon.

"Why are you crying?" asked the old man and woman.

"I am not of this land. I am from the moon.

Escorts from the moon will come and take me back on the night of the full moon in August.

I must return where I am from," said Princess Kaguya, and told the old man and woman that she would miss them very much.

The old man and woman decided to protect Princess Kaguya from the moon escorts by placing warriors around the house.

However, the warriors couldn't move when they saw the escorts from the moon.

Due to a blinding light, the warriors could not drive them away.

Princess Kaguya thanked the old couple and returned to the moon.