In rural areas, there lived a man named Okina who worked as a bamboo cutter in a forest. One day while cutting down some bamboos, he found a small baby inside a glowing shoot. Assuming that she was sent from heaven as a divine blessing, he took her home and raised her with his wife Ouna. Kaguya grew up to be an energetic young girl who fit well into the village life. However, things changed when Okina discovered a large fortune of gold and treasure in the forest. Believing it to be another gift from heaven, he decided to turn his daughter into a real princess using the wealth he had just obtained. He relocated the family to a mansion in the capital, but as Kaguya left her friends behind to enter into an unwanted life of royalty, her origins and purpose slowly came to light.
Kaguya-hime no Monogatari is based on the 10th century Japanese folk tale of the same title. It was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 87th Academy Awards, the first such nomination for Takahata. The film received over 20 nominations worldwide from critics associations, film festivals, and academies, winning seven times.
Kazumi Nikaidou (二階堂和美)