Momotarō: Okayama and Kibitsu

Legend says the ogre Ura, said to be able to fly, made this mountaintop fortress his base. Kibitsuhiko, sent to subdue him, is the figure many link to Momotarō: some hold that the ogre-slaying legend is the tale's prototype. The real site is a hill fort on the 397-metre summit of Mount Kijo, built, excavations suggest, in the late 7th century. Its west gate, corner tower and earthen walls have been reconstructed, so you can walk the ramparts where the demon was said to live.

場所の精度: The legend ties the ogre to the fortress, but nothing proves who lived here; the pin marks the fortress itself.

訪問のヒント: Reconstructed west gate, corner tower and walls on Mount Kijo; allow time for the climb.

In the legend the prince set his headquarters where this shrine stands. After the ogre's defeat, Kibitsuhiko buried his bones deep beneath the hearth of the shrine's cauldron hall, yet the roaring did not stop for 13 years. Today the shrine is famous for its cauldron rite, divination by the sound of a cauldron, held every day except Friday. The main hall and worship hall are National Treasures.

訪問のヒント: The cauldron rite is held daily except Friday.

Shrine legend says this was the residence of Kibitsuhiko-no-Mikoto, the son of Emperor Kōrei, honoured here as conqueror of the Kingdom of Kibi. At the shrine's festival, locals dance to songs including the Bizen Ichinomiya Momotarō ondo, tying the prince of the legend to the peach boy. The shrine is a three-minute walk from Bizen-Ichinomiya Station on the JR West Kibi Line.

訪問のヒント: Three minutes on foot from Bizen-Ichinomiya Station (JR Kibi Line).

In the tale Momotarō and his animal friends sail to the demons' island, break into the fort and beat the ogres into surrender. The story names Onigashima but no real place, yet Megijima, an island in the Seto Inland Sea near Takamatsu, is sometimes linked to it because of its vast manmade caves. The caves at the top of Washigamine Summit are now a popular tourist spot.

場所の精度: The tale gives no real address for Onigashima; the pin marks Megijima, a traditional candidate.

訪問のヒント: The caves lie at the top of Washigamine Summit.

A Momotarō statue stands at the east exit of Okayama Station, and the Kibi Line running out from the station is nicknamed the Momotarō Line. The link is younger than the tale itself: the association with Okayama was only created in the modern era. The statue shows the hero of the story, whose animal companions agree to help him in exchange for a portion of his rations.

訪問のヒント: The statue stands at the east exit of Okayama Station.