Bamboo Hats and a Rice Cake, Japanese Folktale

Long time ago in the mountains buried by snow, there lived an old couple. They didn’t have much, but they always managed to get by. Unfortunately, one year the winter came early and there was not enough wood to keep them warm and not enough rice to keep them full. The New Year was just around the corner and the New Year celebration without a rice cake was almost unimaginable. The wife found her wedding kimono and handed to her husband, “We don’t have another choice as to sell it.”

“But this kimono was passed from one generation to another, we can’t sell it,” protested the husband.

“We don’t have kids, so we don’t have anybody to pass it on,” insisted the wife. The husband was hesitant, but he knew that there was nothing else he could trade for food. So he packed the kimono and headed to the market in the nearby village.
 

Between the two villages, there was a shrine with six statues standing outside and covered in snow. The old man bowed and was very apologetic, “Forgive me, I have nothing to offer, but to pay my respect.” He went on.

On the small bridge, he met his neighbor, who was already coming back from the market. “Did you sell any fans today?” asked the old man.

“No” said the neighbor “It’s hard to sell fans during the winter. But I was hoping to sell few in order to buy a kimono.”

The old man thought for a moment and said, “I was planning on selling a kimono. We could as well trade.” The young woman was mesmerized by the red kimono, “It would make me very happy.” The old man traded the kimono for fans and continued to the market.
 

By the time he reached the market, it was busy with people; some selling the goods, others buying them. The old man tried his best to sell the colorful fans, but nobody was paying any attention to him. He was so upset that another seller took pity of him and traded a gold bell for the fans. “I should have no problem selling a gold bell,” thought the old man. “It’s just in time for the New Year.” It was already late afternoon and a lot of people already left. The discouraged man decided to return home.
 

Right when he was exiting the market, a young man approached him to buy some bamboo hats. “I don’t have any money, but I can trade my gold bell for some bamboo hats,” said the old man.

“I can give you five bamboo hats in exchange for this bell,” said the young man. They both agreed and the old man continued his journey back home. He again stopped by the statues. He was sad that he didn’t have anything to offer them, but then he remembered, “I have the bamboo hats, which at least will cover your heads and protect you from snow.” One by one he put the hats on. When he got to the last one, he realized that he needed one more. So he took off his hat and put it on the statue.
 

By the time he got home, he was covered in snow himself. He was sad that he took his wife’s kimono and didn’t bring any rice cake back. “You didn’t bring the rice cake, but you achieved much more by showing kindness to the statues,” said the wife.

“You think so,” said the husband.

“I know so,” answered his wife.
 

During the night, when the couple was deep in sleep, a loud thump awakened them. They peeked out and couldn’t believe their own eyes. Right in front of their door, there was a gigantic rice cake on a straw mat. They looked around and saw the statues in a distance. The statues stopped and bowed to the couple from the distance.
 

The couple had a wonderful New Year’s celebration and with the amount of rice they received, they were well fed to the rest of their years.