[[WMG: Kikuchiyo is a time-traveler.]]

When he rescues the baby from the mill and says that it's him, he's not speaking metaphorically.
----
** I noticed that too and was VERY confused....I like your theory! It makes sense!
[[WMG: Shichiroji lived up to the Momataro myth]]
Minus the coming back alive bearing gold and the severed heads of the island's most ferocious monsters.