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On the first morning Taro woke very early. He was just as excited as Take was on the day of the Festival of Dolls. But Take didn't stay in bed on Taro's birthday. She flew out early, for she wanted to see all the fun, even if she wasn't in it. First she went to the Kura with Taro and their Father to get out the flags. The boys' birthday is called the Feast of Flags.
Then suddenly he saw a great brown eagle sailing towards it. He looked up and saw that a boy named Kanaya was directing the eagle kite towards his own, and that it was a challenge to a fight. Taro accepted at once, and the combat was joined. Kanaya brought his eagle swiftly over Taro's big square kite, brightly painted in bars of many colours, but Taro let out string and escaped.
Take and her Mother heard the splash. Then they heard something else. They heard screams! "Ow-ow-ow!" shrieked Taro. "Take me out! take me out! I'm boiled!" The Mother and Take ran as fast as they could to the tub. Taro's head just showed over the edge. His mouth was open, the tears were streaming down his cheeks, and the air was full of "ows." His Mother reached her arm down into the water.
The air is full of dragons and boxes and all sorts of queer shapes. Sometimes the dragons have a battle in the air! But one day I must tell you about, anyway, and that is Taro's birthday! It isn't only Taro's birthday, you know. All the boys celebrate together. The girls even if they are your very own twins don't have a thing to do with it. And it lasts five days!
So he just scrubbed away as hard as he could. Then he ran back to his room and dressed so quickly that he was all done and out in the garden before Take began to put on her little kimono! You see, all Taro's clothes opened in front, and there wasn't a single button to do up; so he could do it all himself all but the sash which tied round his waist and held everything together.
The drummer boy began, "rat-a-tat-tat," and the whole victorious army marched down the street and right into Taro's garden! As he passed his Father and Mother and Grannie and Bot'Chan, Taro saluted. His Father saluted Taro, and every one of the family Grannie and all cried "Banzai! Banzai!" That means the same as hurrah!
The cortége enters one of the gate-towers of the old city-walls, passes beneath the shade of its ponderous copper-clad portals, and soon arrives at the main entrance of the Yamashiro yashiki. Here they find the street in front and the stone walk covered with matting, and a friend of Taro's, in full dress, waiting to receive the cortége.
"Taro, you may give him the peas." Taro held out the plate. The little white pony put his nose in the plate and ate them all up! He sniffed up Taro's sleeve as if he wanted more. Take patted his back. "Who is Kwannon?" she asked. "Kwannon is a beautiful goddess who loves little children," said the Father. "Does she live here?" asked Taro.
Taro had seen ever so many, before he was five years old, and the Twins had both felt ever so many earthquakes. They were so used to them that they didn't mind them any more than you mind a thundershower. All of Taro's kites were kept in the Kura.
They began to crawl along, pulling the little carriages after them. Taro's beetle won the race. They played with the beetles and wagons a long time until Grannie said, "Let them go now, children. Dinner will soon be ready." The Twins were hungry. They unharnessed the beetles and carried them to the porch. They put them on the porch railing. "Fly away home!" they said.
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