The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter

"The Receding Princess" from The Japanese Fairy Book, 1908

The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter (Japanese: 竹取物語, Hepburn: Taketori Monogatari) is a monogatari (fictional prose narrative) containing elements of Japanese folklore. It was written by an unknown author during the Heian period. It is considered the oldest surviving work in the monogatari form.