One-Eyed Fish
from Ibaraki Folk Tales by Minoru Fujita
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It is said that all the fish in Akogigaura (阿漕ヶ浦) Bay by Tōkai-mura (東海村) are one-eyed. In ancient times Togugawa Mitsukuni, the feudal lord of Mito, thought it might be difficult for the citizens to go to Ise (伊勢) to pray at the shrine, as it was so far away. So, he had the shrine moved from Ise to Muramatsu (村松, which is in present day Tōkai-mura) and rededicated it as Ise Kotai Jingū. Today this shrine is known as Muramatsu Dai-Jingū.
At the same time that the shrine was moved, the fish of Akigogaura Bay of Ise were moved to the Akogigaura Bay of Muramatsu. The fish were put in reed baskets while they were being transported from bay to bay. Because of the friction from rubbing against the baskets, the fish became blind in one eye, and even now people do not try to catch them because of the superstition surrounding them.
