A Legend of Fugen-Bosatsu 17 



beauty. They were feasting and drinking ; and 

 the yujo was playing a small hand-drum (tsu- 

 %umi), which she used very skilfully, and sing- 

 ing a song. The song which she sang was an 

 old Japanese song about a famous shrine in 

 the town of Murozumi; and the words were 

 these : 



WitUn the sacred water -tank 1 of Murozumi in 



Suwo, 



Even though no wind be blowing, 

 The surface of the water is always rippling. 



The sweetness of the voice filled everybody 

 with surprise and delight. As the priest, who 

 had taken a place apart, listened and wondered, 

 the girl suddenly fixed her eyes upon him ; and 

 in the same instant he saw her form change into 

 the form of Fugen-Bosatsu, emitting from her 

 brow a beam of light that seemed to pierce be- 

 yond the limits of the universe, and riding a 

 snow-white elephant with six tusks. And still 



1 Mitarai. Mitarai (or mitarasht) is the name especially 

 given to the water-tanks, or water-fonts of stone or 

 bronze placed before Shinto shrines in order that the 

 worshipper may purify his lips and hands before making 

 prayer. Buddhist tanks are not so named. 

 2 



