Catfish

Although it is not clear whether anyone worships catfish as a god, in most cases, people regard it as a close relative of the water god.

In Tamana County, Kumamoto Prefecture, there is a saying that catfish belong to the clan of Shijin Otsu Aso Shrine and cannot be eaten. Once someone eats it, they will develop vitiligo (a skin disease).

There is a similar saying in Saga Prefecture. It is said that the messenger of Yodohime Shrine is catfish. If people who believe in this god eat catfish, they will die of abdominal pain.

It is not only Kumamoto who thinks that eating catfish will cause vitiligo, but there are also other places. This seems to be the result of deifying the catfish.

In the past, people thought that the frequent earthquakes were caused by the catfish being angry. Of course, this is probably because the catfish was more sensitive to the seismic current before the earthquake and caused commotion.

In some places, it is believed that if a lot of catfish are caught suddenly, or if the catfish comes to the surface and spit bubbles, it is a precursor to an earthquake.

The ancients who were good at observing nature connected earthquakes with catfish.

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