Long before Admiral Perry forced Japan to open the country our ancestors in Edo period enjoyed no-war-state for more than two hundred years. Those days samurai stood top of the hierarchy but without war they passed rather lazy life. This does not apply lower class of samurai but at least in the high-class samurai their major task was to find a way how to kill their time. 

 Among those, there was a lord who was known for collecting things that were especially peculiar, strange and eccentric. You can easily imagine how hard to serve such kind of lord if you were his servant. To the servants his hobby was a cause of headache. 

“Kichibei? Long time no see. How have you been?”
“Yes my lord, I traveled in the West for a month. Oh, what are these? Your collection?”
Kichibei, a curio dealer, paid his respects to the lord and found various objects scattered on the verandah.
“Yes, they are." replied the lord proudly
“It is sunny today, so I am airing them. I allow you to take a close look at them.”
“Thank you, my lord. What is there in this tiny box? ”
“Open it.”
“Nothing in here. Just white cotton. I can see nothing.”
“Nor can I. I’ve never seen it since I purchased it. Nobody can see with naked eye.”
“What is it, lord?”
“A head of flea cut into eight pieces.”
“Oh,”
“No daimyo has this.”
“Well, I’m sure of it, lord. And what is this? This long cloth?”
“Put it on your head and fasten the string.”
“Like this?”
“Yes, that’s it. You look great!”
“What is this, lord?”
“That’s fundoshi of Kume-no-sennin".
Fundoshi is a loincloth and Kume-no-sennin is said an immortal who was famous for his supernatural powers but he lost his power and fell down out of air when he was attracted by naked leg of a young, beautiful maiden.

 Kichibei put off the fundoshi from his head hastily.
“No, lord, I’m not happy if I look great with wearing fundoshi on my head. And what is this?”
“It’s a dried snot of tengu."
Tengu is a kind of goblin having long huge nose. The lord looked Kichibei's eyes and said,
"They say it is good for any disease.”
Kichibei bowed in straight face.
“You have real collection. I never saw such collection in my life actually.”
“Sure. By the way, you found something interesting in the West?”
Quickly Kichibei started to talk.
“Yes, my lord. I came to show you my biggest finding. You can’t believe it! I obtained hatsune-no-tsuzumi.”
“Oh, that’s interesting. With or without origami (a paper to guarantee the authenticity)?”
“Without, I am afraid, lord.”
“Without origami, you cannot claim it hatsune no tsuzumi."
“Nevertheless, this is absolutely right one. Please have a look.”
Kichibei handed the lord an old, slightly stained, tsuzumi (Japanese hand drum) and continued eloquently,
“As you know, hatsune-no-tsuzumi was used originally in the dynasty of Emperor Kammu when the Imperial Palace prayed for rain by using this tuszumi, made by the skin of a fox couple, male and female, aged over 1000 years old. Fox has Yin principle therefore when they drummed it against the sun, yang, they reacted each other that made a rain. People cried for joy --  since then it has been called hatsune-no-tsuzumi.”
Interested, the lord asked Kichibei.
“Have you ever witnessed any miracle?”
“Well, lord, certainly. This tsuzumi has a magical power of fox and when you play it anybody nearby will be possessed by the fox.”
“Is it? That’s strange. OK, I’ll try”
The lord took the tsuzumi and tapped it. 
"Kwoon!" Strangely enough, Kichibei yelped.
“What’s up Kichibei?”
“I felt like dreamed. I don’t remember anything, lord”
“Really? But you yelped when I tapped this tsuzumi. You don’t remember?”
“Not at all, lord. I must have been possessed by the fox.”
“That’s interesting! I’ll play this before my servants and make them yelp. How much is this?”
“Well, 100-gold, lord.”
“Good. Come to collect later.”
“Thank you very much, lord.”
Kichibei withdrew and chuckled himself.
“Just too good! But my plan is not completed yet. Now I have to coax Mr. Sandayu. "

"Excuse me, sir"
Kichibei visited the chief retainer, Sandayu.
"Hey, Kichibei, it’s been a long time.”
“Yes sir. I’ve been the West these days.”
“Have you? And you visited the lord?”
“Yes sir. He aired his collection.”
“That means, he made you wear the fundoshi of Kume-no-Sennin?”
“Exactly, sir.”
The two signed deeply. Sandayu said,
“I assume that you delivered him another stupid thing again?”
“Yes sir. I sold him hatsune-no-tsuzumi.”
“That’s impossible! That’s fairy tale, you know well,”
After a cough, Kichibei said cunningly.
“Well, actually, I bought it at flea market.”
“How about origami? Didn’t he ask about origami?”
“Yes sir. But I successfully smoothed over it. He asked if it has any magical power and I told that when you play the tsuzumi anybody nearby would be possessed by the fox. so he tried and I yelped.”
“What? You yelped? Did you do so far?”
“For the sake of my business, sir. By the way, I sold it for 100-gold, but he would doubt when nobody yelps except me, so I need your favor. Could you also yelp before him?”
“How dare! I am samurai. Samurai can’t do such absurd thing!”
“Please. If you help me I’ll pay you, well, see, a gold for a yelp.”
“A gold for a yelp? Hum, not bad. But if the lord taps continuously?”
“I don’t think so. But then, how about this? Over 50 yelps, we divide the profit 40 to 60. I’ll give you 40 percent. OK?”
“Done. But I can’t do that in sober mind, " Sandayu shouted for servant. "Hey, bring me a cup of sake.”

With help of sake, Sandayu went to the lord, shamelessly.
“My lord, I heard from Kichibei you purchased something interesting called hatsune-no-tsuzumi,”
“Yes I did, Sandayu. Look at this. In a look it seems ordinary tsuzumi, but it has strange power. See,”
As soon as the hand of the lord tapped the tsuzumi Sandayu uttered strange sound, "Kwooon!".
“Hey, Sandayu! You yelped!”
“Really? I remember nothing, just like I dreamed.”
“Strange! Well, I’ll try again. How about this?”
The lord began to tap the tsuzumi on and on, "Kwooon, Kwon, kwon, kwon, kwon...."Sandayu yelped busily.
“OK, that’s enough. Tell Kichibei come to collect his money.”
“Yes, my lord.”

“Well, how’s going sir?”
Kichibei asked Sandayu expectantly.
“Hew! I could count until 50 times but not after that. Exhausted, just exhausted" said Sandayu panting,
"Go and get money. He is waiting.”
“Oh, yes, Mr. Sandayu. Thank you, Thank you very much, sir”
Cheerfully Kichibei went to the lord.

“Hey, Kichibei. This tsuzumi is really strange. I made Sandayu hear this sound and he yelped. He seemed possessed by the fox. However," the lord continued,

"I’m not convinced completely. You and Sandayu yelped, but... well, now, you play this before me.”
“I, I’m sorry, lord. But I have never played such noble instrument in my life. I have no skill at all. Please forgive me, my lord.”
“It doesn’t matter good or bad. Just tap it. Now.”
“Well,”
Kichibei reluctantly took the tsuzumi from the hand of the lord and thumped it.
“Kwoooon!”
“My lord!”
“What?”
“You yelped!”
“Really? I don’t remember, feels like dreamed.”
“Oh...”
“Now I’ll pay you. Here take it.”
“Thank you very much my lord  ...... Hey lord! I told you the payment 100-gold. But here is only 1-gold.”
“That’s it - reduced the fee of my tapping tsuzumi and Sandayu’s yelping.”