Among the retainers of Gamo Ujisato in the province of Mutsu was a samurai named Oka Sanai. His stipend was high and he was a fine warrior, but unlike other samurai, Sanai made thrift his rule and loved to save money. People called him a miser and laughed at him.
But Sanai had his own reasons. Hearing that one of his servants was carefully keeping a single gold coin, he called the man in, praised him, gave him ten ryo more, and said, "For a samurai in an age of war, gold is a treasure greater even than the sword." People thought Sanai stranger than ever.
That night, as Sanai slept, a little old man appeared by his pillow. When Sanai asked, "Who are you?", the old man said, "I am the spirit of the gold you hold dear. I was so pleased that you praised your servant that I came to thank you."
Sanai talked with the old man all night. When Sanai asked, "Why is it that good people are sometimes poor and wicked people rich?", the spirit of gold answered: "Wealth has nothing to do with the karma of past lives the Buddhists preach, or the Way of Heaven the Confucians teach. Gold and silver are unfeeling things; they do not choose between good and evil men. They simply gather around those who value them and know how to use them. However good a person may be, they will leave one who makes light of them."
Sanai went on to ask, "In this age, who will take the realm?" The spirit foretold, "Lord Tokugawa, Ieyasu, will soon rule the realm, and the people will live in peace." Then, leaving an eight-character verse, "The auspicious herb grows, the sun shines bright, the people return home," it vanished with the dawn.
This tale, which closes Tales of Moonlight and Rain, has no ghosts or monsters at all. As the conclusion to a book of the supernatural, it is a unique piece that celebrates the coming of an age of peace and speaks of the townspeople's wisdom about money.