Genno reportedly was traveling through Hoki when he
encountered the ghost of the wife of Shimazu Atsutada, the lord of
Kasuga castle. A lifetime of evil deeds had led the deceased wife to suf¬
fer the torments of hell. Every night as she attempted to escape, her ghost
appeared, shrieking outside of her grave. The local people were afraid to
go out after dark. Genno confronted the ghost, teaching her that anyone
who repented of their evil deeds could be saved. That night Atsutada
dreamed that his wife had become a Buddha. The next morning he dis¬
covered that it was Genno who had led her to salvation, and in thanks he
pledged his financial support to Genno. Shortly thereafter, Atsutada told
Genno that for several nights he had observed a light shine out of the sea
to a certain spot on a nearby mountain. Genno interpreted the light as
evidence that a Buddhist spirit must be hidden in the mountain. Atsu¬
tada, however, told him that at the foot of the mountain lay the pond of
an evil dragon. On occasion, the dragon had destroyed local crops and
attacked people. Genno walked over to the mountain, seeing with his
own eyes the lands wasted, the crops in ruins. The local villagers begged
Genno to protect them from the dragon. As he approached the pond, the
wind suddenly howled and the surface of the water boiled. The dragon
appeared from out of the pond and moved toward Genno. To stop the
dragon, Genno chanted scripture. Then, as soon as the dragon became
still, he administered the precepts. The dragon was transformed instantly
into Kannon bodhisattva and disappeared into the sky. The next morning
the baleful pond was gone. The site of evil obstructions thus proved the
ideal setting for revealing the spiritual power of the precepts and the
Buddhist compassion associated with Kannon bodhisattva. At that site
Atsutada erected a new Zen temple (Taikyuji) for Genno.