Today, we look at the oldest Japanese prose narrative in existence: The Bamboo Cutter and the Moon Child. In this tale, a poor bamboo cutter finds a glowing child in a stalk of bamboo, and raises her as his own. She grows up to be the most beautiful girl in the land, and although she has many suitors, getting married is the last thing on her mind. This story will be in two parts, so make sure to check back next week for the second half!