True Economy

This took place during the Kamakura period (the Kamakura period is the name of an era in Japanese history, spanning from the late 12th to the mid-14th century). One night, an official was crossing the Nameri River, and his servant accidentally dropped ten mon (mon is a small coin, a penny) into the water.

The official immediately ordered people to be hired, torches to be lit, and all the money to be retrieved. A bystander, observing this, remarked:

- Grieving over ten mon, he buys torches and hires people. Surely, this will cost much more than ten mon.

Hearing these words, the official said:
- Yes, some think that way. Many are stingy in the name of saving. But the money spent does not disappear: it continues to circulate in the world. It’s different with the ten mon that sank in the river: if we don’t retrieve them now, they will be lost to the world forever.

This is what true economy means!

More fairy tales

• About How a Man Turned into a Turtle
• The Badger and the Snail
• The Magic Pot
• The Unlucky Daydreamer
• The Rooster Painted on a Scroll