Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. One picture is printed with a jingle with the refrain ' yo-naoshi, yo-naoshi, tate-naoshi' (literally 'world-fixing, world-fixing, re-building', which explicitly makes this connection. A large amount of money went into the rebuilding effort, and the job opportunities resulted in a redistribution of wealth. The rich had hoarded their wealth but these were largely disgorged due to the earthquake, and redistributed to the world at large: such is the symbolism of the large gold coins ( koban, etc.) scattered by the earthquake depicted in the pictures. Įven though the Namazu was held responsible for the disaster, it was also ironically hailed as a yonaoshi daimyōjin (god of 'world rectification'), that is to say, a sort of an 'avenger of social injustice' which expressed the public's political sentiment at the time. The creature is sometimes referred to as just the 'earthquake fish' ( jishin-no-uo), and despite the text calling it a catfish, the illustration may be that of a dragon-serpent. These namazu-e woodblock-prints encompass a large variety of scenes, typically depicting the god subduing the earthquake-causing catfish under a sword or the kanameishi stone. Namazu-e ( 鯰絵, 'catfish prints') were a known item in the 19th century, and these broadsides were printed in great quantity following the 1855 earthquake near Edo (modern day Tokyo), one of the Ansei great earthquakes. In the 1930s, Japanese seismologists Shinkishi Hatai and Noboru Abe demonstrated that catfish in aquaria showed increased agitation several hours before earthquakes occurred, and were able to predict quakes with 80% accuracy. The anecdote, recorded in an 1856 chronicle of journalistic reporting on the earthquake, is the earliest known claim that catfish can naturally predict earthquakes. Prior to the 1855 Edo earthquake, an eel fisherman reportedly spotted unusually active catfish in a river, which he took as a predictor of an earthquake. Widespread connections between catfish and earthquakes in Japan were not present until the late 17th century, and only rose to popularity as symbolically causing or predicting earthquakes during the 19th century.

When the Kashima-god lets his guard fall, Namazu thrashes about, causing violent earthquakes. According to myth, the god Takemikazuchi enshrined at Kashima restrains the catfish underneath a stone ( 要石, kaname-ishi, perhaps 'foundation stone' but maybe more aptly 'cap stone'). This earthquake-causing creature became associated with the deity and 'foundation stone' in Kashima, Ibaraki.

The namazu had been depicted in the Ōtsu-e ('pictures from the city of Otsu') which were manufactured in that area. The association of the namazu with earthquake seems to have first occurred in the area around Lake Biwa, around the 16th century. The legend or myth in Japan is that a gigantic namazu (catfish) lives inside or beneath the earth (or in the mud ) which causes earthquakes. The creature lives under the islands of Japan and is guarded by the god Takemikazuchi enshrined at Kashima, who restrains the catfish with a stone.

In Japanese mythology, the Namazu ( 鯰) or Ōnamazu ( 大鯰) is a giant underground catfish who causes earthquakes. Tae died leaving behind a song – Walk On Walk Strong (WOWS), and a list of dreams, including a resource room, scholarship funds and WOWS Fund to help out children with cancer in Tonga and the Pacific.'Namazu-e' redirects here. The Tae Kami Foundation is a registered charity in Tonga that was established in 2009 to fulfil the dreams of 15-year-old Tae Kami who died of cancer in August 2008. WKF brings to realization the mandate of the Tae Kami Foundation, here in Fiji – for the better care and support for children living with cancer in the Pacific. The organisation also provides support for children from the other Pacific Island Countries that come to Fiji for cancer treatment. The organisation works in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Medical Services to coordinate and provide support for families with children living with cancer in their journey and equally important, raise awareness on child cancer issues in the country. WOWS Kids Fiji (WKF) a non-profit Charity Foundation for children with cancer in Fiji.

Kamifoundation