Long, long ago, in a village, there lived an old man and an old woman. They were very poor but had kind hearts.
One day before New Year’s, the old man decided to go to town to sell some straw hats. With the money, he planned to buy rice cakes for the celebration. “Grandma, let’s have delicious rice cakes,” he said, and set off to town with the hats.
When he reached the town, no one wanted to buy his hats. Disappointed, the old man decided to go back home. On his way back, it started snowing. As he walked, shivering from the cold, he saw six Jizo statues by the roadside, covered in snow.
“Jizo-sama, you look cold,” the old man said. He took the unsold hats and placed them on the Jizo statues. “I hope this keeps you warm,” he prayed. He had six hats, but there were seven statues. The old man took off his own scarf and placed it on the last Jizo.
When he got home, the old woman was waiting anxiously. “Did you sell the hats?” she asked. “No, I didn’t sell any,” the old man replied. “But I gave the hats to the Jizo statues.”
The old woman felt warm in her heart. “You did a good thing. The Jizo-sama must be happy,” she said. Despite having nothing, they felt warm inside.
That night, they heard a loud noise outside. When they opened the door, they found piles of rice cakes, food, beautiful clothes, and money. The old man and woman were astonished.
Then, the six Jizo statues appeared and said, “We are grateful for your kindness. We brought these as a thank you.” The old man and woman cried tears of joy.
From that day on, they lived happily. They always remembered to be kind and grateful to the Jizo-sama, and treated others with kindness as well.