SUPERSTITIONS
of Hachiman (the god of war), rats as those of Daikoku (the deity of wealth), centipedes as those of Bishamon (the god of fortune), and ants as those of the Sun Goddess. A notable exception to this generally kindly view is connected with the origin of the earthquake. That source of gravest alarm to the Japanese is believed to be due to a giant cat-fish (namazu) which lies buried under the "land of the gods." Over its head is built the shrine of Daimyo-jin at Kashima in the province of Hitachi, and that deity is supposed to have his feet planted on the monster's snout. Whenever the god reduces the pressure or alters the position of his feet, the cat-fish writhes and the earth quakes. Beside the shrine stands a stone called "the pivot rock" (kaname-ishi). It is in the form of a rude pillar, and the people believe that it penetrates to an enormous depth and reaches to the head of the cat-fish.
It is probable that had wild animals been at any time a source of terror to the Japanese, the fact would find expression in their superstitions. But Japan was never troubled by the fiercer beasts of prey, lions and tigers, nor yet by venomous reptiles. If her island chain once formed a part of the Asiatic continent, as is generally believed, it would seem inevitable that the tiger should have made his home in Japanese forests. But there is no evidence that either tiger or lion ever roamed the wilds of Japan. Snakes abound, but with one solitary exception — the mamushi — they
191
