Straw Millionaire

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Straw Millionaire by Kiichi Okamoto in Kunio Yanagita's Nihon Mukashibanashi-Shu

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] It 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] It has become a common anecdote in Japanese popular culture
.

Plot

A hard-working but unlucky peasant named Daietsu-no-suke prays to

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]

In popular culture

  • One red paperclip, a project in which a paperclip was traded up to a house, was inspired by this story.[6][7]
  • In many The Legend of Zelda games, the player follows a long trading quest which ultimately results in a unique weapon or item. Developers cite this legend as inspiration.[8]
  • Similarly to the above example, the Japanese game Gloria Union features an optional trading quest in which the hero Ishut trades a series of flags emblazoned with different fish, finally exchanging the last flag for a manta ray cape. The manta ray is a holy animal in the game's culture, and completing the trading quest for the cape unlocks the game's best ending.
  • Junji Kinoshita, a Japanese author and playwright, published a collection of adapted Japanese folk tales under the title Straw Millionaire.[9]
  • In the Hyouka anime and series of light novels, protagonist Hōtarō trades several items with customers at his school club's cultural festival booth, referencing the story by name.
  • In Suikoden, to obtain a Star of Destiny called Sarah, the hero has to obtain a bar of soap and has to go through a series of trades for it.
  • In an episode of The Office called Garage Sale, Dwight attempts to walk away with the most expensive item by trading smaller items with his office mates, beginning with a thumbtack and continuously trading up from table to table. One item on Jim and Pam's table that piques his interest is a packet of "miracle legumes", for which he eventually trades a $150 telescope.
  • In the manga and anime series The Disastrous Life of Saiki K., Saiki performs a series of psychic exchanges in order to retrieve enough money to pay for a meal at a restaurant, in a story inspired by this legend.
  • In YuruYuri season 3, episode 8, Rise Matsumoto stars in a short, silent film in a Straw Millionaire-style series of fortuitous exchanges.
  • In
    Kiniro Mosaic
    , Alice Cartelet performs a similar series of exchanges after reading the tale.
  • In the third episode of the anime This Art Club Has a Problem!, the tale is referenced.
  • In Fire Emblem: Three Houses, the player has the ability to complete an optional quest for Catherine or Shamir that involves a series of trades to obtain a two-toned whetstone. The player can give this to Catherine or Shamir for a Silver Sword or a Silver Bow respectively.
  • In BanG Dream!'s mobile rhythm game BanG Dream! Girls Band Party!, in the event story Smile Patrol! Reporting for Duty!!, Hello, Happy World! accidentally goes through a series of trades while out one day and helps the people they traded with smile. All the while, Misaki comments that this unlikely series of trades sounds like this tale.
  • In Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation, during Koharu's Dolce birthday event, the story entailed the Owner leaving a spoon for Koharu to find as a set up for the character's birthday party in an explicit reference to the plot of the Straw Millionaire.
  • In Perfect World International, a quest given out by an NPC named Li Mengpai is titled "Paperclip for Villa", which is a reference to this tale in concept.

See also

References

  1. ISBN 0-8248-1546-7
    .
  2. ISBN 0-674-01753-6
    .
  3. ^
    ISBN 3-85630-544-0
    .
  4. ^ Sumiyoshi, Hiromori (1700). "Daietsu". World Digital Library (in Japanese). Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  5. ISBN 978-81-7936-009-5
    . Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  6. ^ Terdiman, Daniel (2006-04-17). "ネット版わらしべ長者への道--ペーパークリップは家一軒に化けるか" (in Japanese). CNET. Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  7. Amazon.com
    . Retrieved 2010-08-13.
  8. ^ "Iwata Asks - Volume 2 : The History of Handheld The Legend of Zelda Games". Nintendo. Retrieved 2013-02-28.
  9. Amazon.com
    . Retrieved 2010-08-13.
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