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Story Synopsis

The story opens with a close up of a pottery wheel with a piece of clay being worked into a small bowl. In the final panel of the first page, Usagi is revealed to be the one who made the bowl. It turns out Usagi is helping the potter Toyozu and his wife Haruye prepare their wares for market. The process fascinates Usagi, but Haruye explains their wares are difficult to sell since they are "like everyone else's" and they must "find some way to make them distinctive." They hope to sell their wares through the successful broker Izumoji.

That night, a theft is discovered at merchant Izumoji's compound, and the thief stashes his loot while trying to make his getaway. By happenstance, he slips into Toyozu's workshop while avoiding his pursuers, and the thief ends up hiding the most valuable item, a jewel, within the wet clay of one of Toyozu's bowls, pinching the rim to easily pick out the specific bowl later. Though he has ditched all the stolen goods, a short while later the thief is apprehended for questioning as he looks suspicious.

The next morning, Toyozu excitedly displays the altered bowl to Usagi and Haruye. Haruye points out it is the bowl Usagi made. Toyozu shows the "spout" now on the bowl, which Haruye admires as a simple innovation that really "changes the bowl!" She suggests they put the spout on all their wares. Of course, Usagi is a bit perplexed as he has no recollection of making the spout.

And so, spouts are added to all of Toyozu's pottery, and the process of making them continues: drying them in the sun, applying glaze, arranging them in the oven, sealing them in the oven, and finally firing the oven.

The following day, the oven is unsealed, and the pottery removed. Toyozu is very pleased with the outcome, and Toyozu, Haruye, and Usagi proceed to load their cart with the wares to take them to market.

Meanwhile, the thief, Samo, is released from custody as the authorities could not find evidence against him. He first retrieves the gold he stashed and then makes his way to the Toyozu's workshop to get the jewel. Samo catches up with Toyozu and Usagi with the cart merely a block from the workshop. He looks to buy the specific bowl he marked earlier that contains the jewel but soon finds all of the bowls have been altered in the same fashion. Desperate for the priceless jewel, he buys all of Toyozu's wares with the stolen gold so that he can look for the jewel later, surmising it must be in one of the bowls. Usagi is flabbergasted by the ease of selling the pottery.

Later, Toyozu and Usagi recount the sale to Haruye. Usagi wonders aloud who could have put that first spout on the bowl, and Toyozu remarks the "gods must have done it" to favor their hard work. Haruye then reveals she kept that first bowl as a memento, and Usagi suggests giving it to the merchant Izumoji as a gift. Usagi offers to act as their intermediary with Izumoji.

Soon thereafter, the three go to Izumoji's compound and present the bowl, which is very graciously received. Izumoji sees "great things" in Mikasa Toyozu's future, and he offers to handle all of the wares he can produce. Izumoji then places the beautiful bowl for display in a special alcove which once housed the precious jewel that was stolen.

Meanwhile, in the forest near the town, Samo is in the process of shattering all the pots to find the stolen jewel, which of course is to no avail. His "old partners" come across Samo just after he has smashed the last of the bowls. The word is out about Samo's theft, and they want their share of the goods. Unfortunately for Samo, there is nothing to take a share from except out of his hide.