Konjaku Monogatarishū
The legend of the "Straw Millionaire" (わらしべ長者 Warashibe Chōja?), also known as "Daietsu" or the "Daikokumai", is a Japanese Buddhist folk tale about a poor man who becomes wealthy through a series of successive trades, starting with a single piece of straw.[1] The story was likely written during the Heian period and was later collected into Konjaku Monogatarishū and Uji Shūi Monogatari.[2][3] It became popular during the Muromachi period.[4] The legend has become a common anecdote in Japanese popular culture.
the goddess of mercy, to help him escape poverty. Kannon tells him to
take the first thing he touches on the ground with him and travel west.
He stumbles on his way out of the temple and grabs a piece of straw.
While traveling, he catches a horsefly
that was bothering him and ties it to the straw. In the next town, the
buzzing horsefly calms a crying baby and the thankful mother exchanges
it for three oranges. Taking the oranges, he continues on his journey
and encounters a dehydrated woman. He gives her the oranges and she
thanks him by giving him a rich silk cloth. The peasant meets a samurai
with a weak horse. The samurai demands the silk cloth in exchange for
his horse. The peasant nurses the horse back to health and continues
west. A millionaire is impressed by his horse and invites him to his
home. The millionaire's daughter turns out to be the same woman he saved
with his oranges. Seeing this as a sign, the millionaire insists that
the peasant marry his daughter, making him a millionaire.[5]
As part of oral tradition,
the details of the story have changed over time and there are several
competing accounts of the tale. Some versions portray the peasant as a
soldier who trades the horse for rice fields and becomes a successful
farmer, omitting the millionaire's daughter.[3]
The legend of the "Straw Millionaire" (わらしべ長者 Warashibe Chōja?), also known as "Daietsu" or the "Daikokumai", is a Japanese Buddhist folk tale about a poor man who becomes wealthy through a series of successive trades, starting with a single piece of straw.[1] The story was likely written during the Heian period and was later collected into Konjaku Monogatarishū and Uji Shūi Monogatari.[2][3] It became popular during the Muromachi period.[4] The legend has become a common anecdote in Japanese popular culture.
Plot
A hard-working but unlucky peasant named Daietsu-no-suke prays to Kannon,the goddess of mercy, to help him escape poverty. Kannon tells him to
take the first thing he touches on the ground with him and travel west.
He stumbles on his way out of the temple and grabs a piece of straw.
While traveling, he catches a horsefly
that was bothering him and ties it to the straw. In the next town, the
buzzing horsefly calms a crying baby and the thankful mother exchanges
it for three oranges. Taking the oranges, he continues on his journey
and encounters a dehydrated woman. He gives her the oranges and she
thanks him by giving him a rich silk cloth. The peasant meets a samurai
with a weak horse. The samurai demands the silk cloth in exchange for
his horse. The peasant nurses the horse back to health and continues
west. A millionaire is impressed by his horse and invites him to his
home. The millionaire's daughter turns out to be the same woman he saved
with his oranges. Seeing this as a sign, the millionaire insists that
the peasant marry his daughter, making him a millionaire.[5]
As part of oral tradition,
the details of the story have changed over time and there are several
competing accounts of the tale. Some versions portray the peasant as a
soldier who trades the horse for rice fields and becomes a successful
farmer, omitting the millionaire's daughter.[3]
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