A woman lived in the Kuse District of Yamashiro Province. Since the age of seven, she had recited the Chapter of Kannon of the Hokekyō, observed the precepts on the eighteenth day of every month, and venerated Kannon. By the time when she reached the age of twelve, she had already recited the whole copy of the sūtra. By nature she had a benevolent heart and showed mercy to all living beings.

One time when she saw a man holding a bound crab, she asked the man why he was carrying the crab. The man replied that he was going to eat it. The woman said, “Give me the crab. We have many dead fish at home. You may have some for the crab.” As the woman got the crab, she mercifully released the crab into the water.

Another time when the aged father of the woman was cultivating the field, he saw a poisonous snake swallowing a frog. Without reflecting, the father hastily said to the snake, “Spare the frog and I will make you my son-in-law.” Hearing him, the snake lifted its head, stared into his face, released the frog and crawled into the nearby bushes.

The aged father went home thinking, “I spoke thoughtlessly.” Disturbed, he could not eat at home. His wife and daughter asked, “Why aren’t you eating and why do you look so worried?” The father explained what had happened. The daughter said, “Don’t worry, please, but finish your meal.”

That night, someone knocked at the gate. The father thought that the snake had finally come and told his daughter, who said, “Please tell him to return three days from now.”

The father opened the gate. He saw a man dressed’ as a nobleman of fifth rank standing there, who said, “I am here as we agreed this morning.”

“Please return three days from now,” said the father and the man left.

Later, the daughter had a temporary storehouse built of thick planks. Toward evening of the third day, the daughter went into the storehouse, and closed the door.

When night fell, the man dressed as a nobleman came, opened the gate, and saw the storehouse which contained the woman. He became enraged, revealed his original snake form, coiled around the, storehouse, and struck it with his tail. Hearing this, the parents were terror-stricken. About midnight, the blows ceased and the snake’s cry was heard. After a while, the cry also ended.

As day dawned, they went out to see the storehouse. Behold! In front of the storehouse, a large crab accompanied by several thousand other crabs had killed the snake by cutting it into pieces. The crabs all crawled away as they heard the people coming.

Now the daughter, looking pale, came out of the storehouse and said to her parents, “I have been reciting the Kannon Chapter all night long. A one-foot-tall priest appeared and told me not to be afraid, but especially to recite and rely on the passage which says, ‘The venom of snakes and of poisonous insects will be dissipated by firm faith in the power of Kannon.’ So I did as recommended and dispelled dangers with the protection of Kannon.”

Afterwards, they buried the snake and built a temple on the spot to release the snake’s soul from suffering and to atone for the crabs’ sin of taking life. A Buddhist image and copies of the sūtra were made, and Buddhist services were held at the temple. The temple is called the Kanimatadera and still exists today. However, the people in those days called it Kanihatadera Temple’ instead of its original name. (Page 138-139)

Miraculous Tales of the Lotus Sutra from Ancient Japan