Tōnasu-ya Seidan (The Pumpkin Peddler's Case)
唐茄子屋政談・とうなすやせいだん
The story
Tokusaburo, a spoiled young man disowned by his family for his dissipation, is saved from the brink by a kindly uncle. To repay the debt of gratitude, he takes up an honest trade, shouldering a pole of tonasu (pumpkins) to sell door to door. Out in the fields near Yoshiwara, he meets a destitute mother and child, and his newfound compassion is put to the test.
What to listen for
A redemption story about a wastrel becoming a man of feeling. Warm and quietly moving.
Background
A disowned son ('kando') was formally cut off from his family, a serious social fall in old Japan. Tonasu (also kabocha) is a pumpkin/squash; peddlers carried goods balanced on a shoulder pole. 'Seidan' means a wise judicial ruling, pointing to the magistrate's judgment the tale builds toward.