A Piece of Straw
A poor man prays at a temple and is told that he should receive a gift. When he leaves the temple he stumbles and falls to the ground. He sees this as his gift. He then saw a bee, which he tied to a stick with the straw. By random events the bee-on-a-stick was traded for three oranges, which were traded for silks, which were traded for a dead horse. By faith and prayer to Kannon-sama, the god he met at the temple, the horse was brought back to life. He then sold the horse to a rich family for a large patty field, where he worked for the rest of his life. In the future he became the richest man in the village.
Animals Incorporated
Bee
Horse
Origin
Naito, Hiroshi, and Masahiko Nishino. Legends of Japan. Rutland, Vt: C. E. Tuttle Co, 1972.