Ubasuteyama

In the past, a lord in Shinano Province despised the elderly. According to provincial laws, individuals reaching 60 years were banished to an island. On August 15th, a farmer's mother faced this fate, but her son, who loved her, chose to take her to a mountain instead of handing her over to the cruel authorities. Feeling remorse, he hid her beneath the barn's floor. Later, a messenger from a neighboring province demanded the lord thread a silk thread through a crystal ball's winding hole, threatening force if the task was not completed. The devoted son sought his mother's advice, and she suggested using honey and an ant with a thread to solve the puzzle. The lord rewarded the son. However, another messenger arrived, demanding the identification of the parent and child among two identical mares. The son consulted his mother again and provided the solution to the lord. When the lord offered to grant the son's wish, he pleaded for his mother's life. From that point onward, the elderly were treated with respect and were no longer exiled.