Once upon a time, in a small and quiet village, there lived an elderly couple who led a humble life. One sunny afternoon, the old man went up the mountain to gather grass when he stumbled upon a peculiar scene. In a small clearing, two mice, one fat and one skinny, were engaged in a sumo wrestling match. Amused, the old man stood by and began to cheer them on with the chant, “Begin now... Still in the ring... Begin now... Still in the ring.” Despite his encouragement, the skinny mouse was repeatedly defeated by the stronger and heavier mouse.
When he returned home, the old man shared the story with his wife. He couldn’t help but feel sorry for the skinny mouse, whose efforts always ended in loss. Although the couple was poor, they were generous at heart. They remembered they had a bit of glutinous rice saved for the New Year celebration. Out of compassion, they used it to make rice cakes and placed them behind their house for the skinny mouse to find and eat.
The next day, the old man returned to the same spot on the mountain to see if the mice would wrestle again. To his delight, the match resumed, but this time something was different. The skinny mouse, having eaten the rice cakes, had grown noticeably stronger and managed to win the match. After the bout, the fat mouse looked at his opponent in disbelief and asked, “How did you suddenly become so strong?” The skinny mouse replied, “Yesterday, I found rice cakes behind the house. I ate them, and they made me stronger.”
The fat mouse, feeling envious, said, “My owner is rich but stingy. He never gives me rice cakes.” The skinny mouse, generous and grateful, responded, “Come to my house tonight, and I’ll share the rice cakes with you.” The old man, who had overheard the conversation, rushed home to tell his wife what he had learned. They were overjoyed and decided to prepare even more rice cakes. To make the mice feel special, they even made two tiny red loincloths for them to wear during their sumo matches.
That night, the two mice came to the couple’s house as expected. They ate the rice cakes happily and wore the red loincloths with pride. In a show of deep gratitude, the fat mouse left behind a small treasure chest filled with money as a gift for the couple’s kindness.
From that day forward, the mice continued to wrestle behind the house. Sometimes the skinny mouse won, and sometimes the fat one did. The old man and his wife watched them fondly, their hearts filled with warmth and joy. When the New Year arrived, they used the treasure left by the mice to buy more rice cakes and food, celebrating the season in happiness and abundance.