260 EDIBLE BRITISH MOLLUSCA. 



"by a miracle/ In commemoration of his recovery from 

 the disease of the eyes, and of his preservation from 

 shipwreck, that these things might be known to all 

 posterity, the priest established the worship of Tako 

 Yakushi-Niurai (Yakushi-Niurai of the Cuttle-fish^, 

 and came to Meguro, where he built the temple of 

 Fudo Sama,* another Buddhist divinity. At this time 

 there was an epidemic of small-pox in the village, so 

 that men fell down and died in the street, and the 

 holy man prayed to Fudo Sama, that the plague might 

 be stopped. Then the god appeared to him and said, 

 'The Saint Yakushi-Niurai of the Cuttle-fish, whos 

 image thou carriest, desires to have his place in this 

 village, and he will heal this plague. Thou shalfc 

 therefore raise a temple to him here, that not only this 

 small -pox, but other diseases for future generations, 

 may be cured by his power/ Hearing this, the priest 

 shed tears of gratitude, and having chosen a piece of 

 wood, he carved a large figure of his patron saint of 

 the Cuttle-fish, and placed the smaller image inside the 

 larger, and laid it up in this temple, to which people 

 still flock that they may be healed of their diseases/' 



This story is said to be translated from a small ill- 

 printed pamphlet sold by the priests of the temple, 

 all the decorations of which, even to the bronze lantern 

 in the middle of the court-yard, are in the form of a 

 cattle-fish, the sacred emblem of the place. f 



Both the Chinese and the Japanese make use of 

 Octopus sinensis (d'Orbigny) as food when young, and 

 season it with vinegar and ginger, and also of a species 



* * Fudo,' literally the motionless ; ' Buddha, iu the state called 

 Nirvana. 



f ' Tales of Old Japan,' by A. B. Mitford, vol i. p. 40. 



