Once upon a time, a bride and her mother-in-law were getting ready for the May Festival. They took the May doll out of the box and got into an argument. “This doll is called Tawara Toda,” the bride said. “No, it’s Hachiman Taro,” the mother-in-law said. Neither of them was ready to give up and the argument continued. Finally, they agreed to take it to the priest the next day to decide. The mother-in-law acted smart. That night, she quietly took a bolt of white cloth to the temple and asked the priest to let her win. After she had returned, the bride took a bolt of white cloth and said the same thing to the priest. The next morning, they went together and asked the priest. The priest laughed and answered, “This is neither Tawara Toda nor Hachiman Taro. Both of you gave me a bolt of white cloth but it is of no use. It is named Nitan-no-shiro.”
Two Bolts of White Cloth
