200 



We may mention here another Shinto shrine, the Shirahige 

 jinja (Q ^ 1$ jjtfc) in Shiga district, Omi province, where a 

 dragon-lantern was said to enter the worshipping hall (haiden) 

 from time to time, instead of hanging in a pine tree'; and the 

 Jogu ('^ '§'), a Shinto temple in Tsurnga, Echizen province, 

 where every New-year's night such a light arose in a "Dragon- 

 lantern pine tree" which stood in the temple garden ^. 



Before the Buddhist chapel of Kasai Yakushi ( ^ ^ ^ gi]j ), 

 situated on a mountain north of Obayama, in Bizen province, 

 there stood a "Dragon-lantern pinie tree". Every night, especially 

 in summer time, will-o'-the-wisps were seen there ^ 



§ 5. Tide-stones connected with dragon-lanterns- 



On the top of Kaneyama, a mountain very near the above- 

 mentioned chapel of Kasai Yakushi, there was a big stone with 

 a hole in it, about one shaku square. When tide was high, this 

 hole was filled with water, and at low tide it was dry *. 



It seems that such stones were considered to be connected 

 with the dragons who sent the dragon-lanterns, for also on the 

 Sata promontory, in Hata district, Tosa province (30 ri west of 

 Kochi) there was at the same period (1746) the so-called Ushio- 

 ishi' ('^J^) or *Tide-stone", a concave stone^ filled with water 

 at high tide and' empty at ebb time, while on the same spot, 

 near the Shinto temple of Ashizuri no Myojin {^^ J 1^ l^)- 

 a dragon-lantern used to appear from the sea simultaneously 

 with the descent from the sky of a Heavenly Light {Tento, 

 ^ 'J^)- The latter was one of the seven wonders of the place. 

 Another of these wonders was a dragon-horse, w^hich lised to 

 come at the hour of the ox (1 — 3 a.m.) and to eat the small 

 bamboo, which for this reason gradually died out in the vicinity 

 of the temple ^). 



The connection between the tide-stones and the dragons at once 

 reminds us of the legen<is concerning Tbyotama-hiko, the Sea-god, 

 who gave the tide-jevv^el to Hiko-hohodemi ", and concerning the 

 Empress Jingo, who was assisted by the gods of Kasuga and 



■ 1 Yuhdmeisho ryaku(i691), Ch. VI, p. 16. 



2 Toryuki kohen (see below, p. 210, note 2), p. 113. 



3 Honclio zokugenshi (1746, cf. above, Bbok .II, Ch.- V, § 7, p. 203, note 1), Ch. 

 IV, p. 10. " .... 4 Ibidem. 



5 Shohoku rijindan (1746, see above, p. 202, note 5), Ch. Ill, Section VI, p. 928. 



6 See' above,; Booli II, Ch. I, § 6, p. 140. 



VeA. Kon. Akad. v. Wetensch. (Afd. Lettert.) N. B. Dl. XIII, N" 2. 14 



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