In an introduction by Sakuden he says, 'I wrote down on wastepaper the funny stories I have heard since I was little,' explaining how the stories came to be collected.
策伝の導入部では、「策伝それがし小僧の時より、耳にふれておもしろくをかしかりつる事を、反故の端にとめ置きたり」と話を収集した過程を述べている。