Straw Millionaire

[1] It was likely written during the Heian period and was later collected into Konjaku Monogatarishū and Uji Shūi Monogatari.

A hard-working but unlucky peasant named Daietsu-no-suke prays to Kannon, the goddess of mercy, to help him escape poverty.

In the next town, the buzzing horsefly calms a crying baby and the thankful mother exchanges it for three oranges.

[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.