The Straw Hat

Long ago, in a small village, there lived a poor old man with his wife. The old man wove "kasa"—large straw hats for sale—while his wife busied herself with household chores. One day, on the very eve of the New Year, the old woman looked into the rice chest and saw that only a pitiful handful of rice remained. That day, the snow fell so deep that they couldn’t gather straw for the hats. The old woman sighed and put water on the fire to cook the remaining rice.

Just then, a little mouse emerged from a hole in the wall. "I’m so hungry!" it cried. Papa Mouse and Mama Mouse said to the little mouse, "Be patient, Little Mouse. You know this is the house of poor people, and they rarely eat their fill."

"Poor little mouse," said the old man. "We are so poor that even our mice go hungry." Out of pity, he gave the mice half of the remaining rice, and they all ate together.

The next morning, the mice ventured out of the house, trampled the snow, and gathered a huge bundle of straw.

With cheerful squeaks, the mice brought the straw into the house. "This is in gratitude for the rice you shared with us last night."

Touched, the old man nearly cried with happiness. Now they could weave many hats, sell them in the city, and buy plenty of delicious food for the New Year. The old man and his wife set to work together, and the mice helped as best they could. When the straw ran out and the last hat was finished, the old man piled the hats on his back and set off for the city through the deep white snow.

As the old man approached the outskirts of the city, he noticed that the stone statues of Jizo-sama (the Buddha who protects ordinary people) stood with their heads covered in snow. "Jizo-sama, you must be very cold," he said. With these words, the old man removed his headband and carefully brushed the snow off each statue.

In the city, the pre-New Year bustle was in full swing. Only a few minutes remained before the celebration, and the noisy, cheerful crowd was already preparing to welcome the New Year. The old man, surrounded by the crowd, called out, "Straw hats! Beautiful hats! Who wants a fine straw hat?" But no one bought a single hat from him. Soon, the streets emptied, and the night watchman’s bell rang. The old man, having sold no hats, shouldered them and trudged sadly home. "I have nothing to offer as an offering to Jizo-sama," he thought sadly.

In sorrow, the old man made his way home through the snow-covered streets and finally reached the outskirts. Passing the statues of Jizo-sama again, he saw that they had been covered in snow once more. He again removed his headband and carefully brushed the snow off each statue. "I didn’t sell a single hat, I didn’t buy any apples or pastries, I have nothing to offer you. Please accept these hats as protection from the weather on this festive night." With these words, he placed a hat on the head of each statue. There were six statues, but the old man had only five hats. He thought for a moment, then took his headband and gently wrapped it around the head of the sixth statue. He returned home empty-handed.

When he arrived home, the mice saw that he had no hats on his back. They rejoiced, thinking he must have sold all the hats. "Forgive me. I couldn’t sell anything," said the old man, and he told his wife and the mice everything that had happened. The old woman, after listening, comforted her husband: "You did a good deed. Let’s eat salted meat instead of pastries, and instead of tea, let’s boil water and welcome the coming New Year."

And then, at midnight, they heard loud cries from the street: "The New Year has come! The New Year is here! Where is the house of the old hat seller?" Amazingly, these were the voices of the Jizo-sama statues, who had come right up to the old couple’s house. The statues brought with them a sled, piled high with rice, miso (a delicious bean paste), apples, and other sweets. "Thank you for your beautiful hats, respected hat seller. In gratitude for your kindness, we leave you these gifts. Happy New Year!" With these words, the Jizo-sama statues returned to the outskirts of the city.

Now they had plenty of food, far more than the old couple could eat. They asked the mice to invite other animals as well. Together, they prepared a lavish festive dinner. Then the old man placed special New Year’s rice cakes in a box and took them to the Jizo-sama statues. "Now I can offer you a gift. Thank you."

The old man returned home and, together with his wife, the mice, and their friends, joyfully welcomed the New Year.

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The Straw Hat

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