Summary
This is a story from the middle of the Heian period. The head priest of Miidera, near Lake Biwa (Shiga Prefecture), loved fish and often painted pictures of them. To be honest, he would create free time and always draw fish. Moreover, the fish in his paintings looked more vibrant than the real fish swimming in the lake. The priest, of course, had never killed or eaten fish.
One day, the priest fell ill and eventually reached a critical condition. The disciples surrounding his sickbed became worried that their master was on the verge of death. However, three days later, the priest suddenly opened his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Thank goodness. You've finally regained consciousness," said one disciple.
"I certainly felt like I was dead. How long have I been asleep?"
"Three days," the disciples replied.
The priest nodded and said, "Can someone go to the village fisherman, Suke-san? And tell him to come here immediately. I want to share an interesting story."
After a while, a young fisherman rushed to the monks. The priest said to the fisherman, "You went fishing in the lake three days ago, caught a big carp, and then recently cut off its head."
"That's right. How did you know?" Suke-san wondered.
The priest continued, "For the past three days, I had a strange dream. One day, while walking along the edge of the lake, I suddenly felt the urge to swim in the beautiful blue water. I took off my clothes and jumped into the lake. Surprisingly, just like on land, I could breathe easily underwater. Then a huge fish came to me and urged me to climb on. It took me to the deepest part of the lake.
There, I saw a person dressed in splendid garments, wearing a crown. That person was the god of the lake. The god said to me, 'I've been waiting for you. You take good care of fish and paint many pictures of them. Therefore, I have decided to bestow upon you a golden koi costume. Enjoy life here to the fullest as a koi. But heed one warning: Do not ever take the bait on a fishing hook. If you get caught by humans, it's the end; you will be killed.'
Then, the god vanished, and I became a koi. Feeling happy, I began to swim freely. During the three days, I swam all over the lake, but I became hungry. However, I couldn't find anything to eat. Finally, I found a little food. Although I had been warned to be careful, I couldn't resist the hunger any longer and took the bait. You were out on your boat fishing. That was your bait, right? I shouted several times when I got caught. 'It's me, it's me!'
And when I was placed on the kitchen's cutting board, I shouted again. 'It's me, the head priest!'
But you took a knife and cut off my head. At that moment, I realized I was surrounded by my disciples."
Hearing the priest's story, the fisherman said, "That's true. When I tried to cut off the koi's head, I could see the koi gasping for air. But I could never understand what that meant."
After that, the priest passed away at the end of his natural life. On his deathbed, he left a final wish to throw the pictures of the fish he had painted into the lake.
A miracle occurred. The fish emerged from the pictures and began to swim as real fish.
Source: "Tales of the Rainy Moon" (Ugetsu Monogatari).
