Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things

Ghost Stories original: "Kaidan" (怪談) These crabs have human faces on their backs and are said to be the spirits of the Heike warriors. original: "See my Kottō, for a description of these curious crabs."

However, there are many strange things to be seen and heard along that coast. On dark nights, thousands of ghostly fires hover about the beach or flit above the waves—pale lights that the fishermen call Oni-bi demon-fires. Whenever the winds rise, a sound of great shouting comes from the sea, like the clamor of a battle.

In former years, the spirits of the Heike were much more restless than they are now. They would rise up around ships passing in the night and try to sink them; they would also constantly watch for swimmers, attempting to pull them down. To appease these dead spirits, the Buddhist temple of Amida-ji was built at Akamagaseki. The town of Akamagaseki is also known as Shimonoseki or Bakkan.

A cemetery was also established nearby on the beach. Within it, monuments were erected and inscribed with the names of the drowned emperor and his high-ranking vassals. Buddhist services were regularly performed there for the benefit of their spirits. After the temple was built and the tombs were erected, the Heike caused less trouble than before; however, they still continued to do strange things from time to time—