Miyazaki derived the film's title from writer Genzaburou Yoshino's 1937 masterpiece of the same name. He added that this book is a story that has great meaning to the protagonist of his film. Yoshino's book centers around a man named Koperu and his uncle, and through Koperu's spiritual growth, it discusses how to live as human beings.

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After losing his leg as a newbie adventurer, he retired and returned to his hometown in the countryside. Doing things such as collecting medicinal herbs, exterminating magic beasts and wild beasts, and helping with the villagers' farm work, it's hard to decide whether to call our protagonist an adventurer or a handyman. And while doing these things his age quickly approached thirty. One day while searching the mountains for herbs, he discovered an abandoned child. Thinking that he couldn't just leave it, he took it home and raised it until his age approached forty. His now grown-up daughter had also wanted to become an adventurer, likely from growing up watching her father. Although her father had taught her the sword since she was young for self-defense, her talent at it was quite impressive. Thinking that it would be better for her not to be stuck out in the country for the rest of her life, our protagonist sent her to the adventurer's guild in the Capital. After another five years, the protagonist now in his forties is still acting as a pseudo-adventurer in the countryside, however, his daughter—now a distinguished S-Class adventurer—hasn't returned home even once yet...

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