In the village of Atarashi in Chikuma District, Shinano, there lived a tremendous sluggard called Lazy Taro Hijikasu. Even building a house was too much trouble, so he lived in a shack made of four bamboo poles with a straw mat over them. His hands and feet were caked with grime, his clothes were rags, and he was crawling with fleas and lice.
One day someone gave Taro five rice cakes. He ate four and was saving the last one carefully, but it slipped from his hand and rolled out into the middle of the road. Going to pick it up was too much trouble, so he lay there without moving for three whole days, waiting for someone to come by and get it for him.
Along came the steward of the area, Atarashi Saemon-no-jo Nobuyori, on his way back from falconry. "You there, sir, would you pick up that rice cake for me?" called Taro. Amazed but amused, the steward said, "I have never seen such a sluggard. How does a man like this get by?" and ordered the villagers, "Feed this man three meals and sake every day and keep him."
About three years later, the village was ordered to send one man to the capital for long labor service. The villagers talked it over and decided, "Let's send that Lazy Taro." "I hear the capital is an interesting place," said Taro, and agreed with surprising readiness and went up to the capital.