Japanese Children’s Literature as Allegory of Empire in Iwaya Sazanami’s Momotarō (The Peach Boy)

During the half century from 1895 to 1945, Japanese children’s literature often served as an allegory of empire, educating youthful readers in particularly Japanese ideas of imperialism. This essay focuses on retellings of Japan’s most popular folktale, Momotarō (The Peach Boy). A close reading of an 1894 adaptation of the tale by Iwaya Sazanami, the father of children’s literature in Japan, reveals three tropes that were common throughout prewar adventure stories: the hero’s home is attacked first, the setting is the South Seas area, and victory is gained by virtue of ties to the imperial institution.