Once upon a time, there lived a brave warrior in Japan, named Fujiwara Hidesato. One day, he set off in search of adventure, carrying two swords and his huge bow and a quiver full of arrows.
He came to what looked like a bridge on Lake Biwa and found it was actually a huge serpent-dragon spanning the lake. It was asleep but breathed out smoke. For a moment he wondered if he should turn back; then his brave warrior heart decided to cross the lake using the dragon as a bridge.
As he reached the opposite bank, the dragon spoke. It said, “I am the Dragon King of this lake. I have waited a long time for a brave warrior. I have several children and grand-children. But there is a wicked centipede that comes every night and takes away one of my family. You are the first man brave enough to cross over. Will you kill the centipede?”
Hidesato agreed and the Dragon King took him to his palace near the lake. As soon as the Dragon King reached near the palace, it turned into a man with red hair, crowned and wearing a sea-green dress.
There, he was welcomed and looked after with great love and honour.
At night, Hidesato was ready with his weapons. He saw two flaming eyes through the dark. The Dragon King told him these were the eyes of the approaching centipede.
Hidesato shot an arrow between the eyes but it fell without harm to the creature. The same thing happened with the second arrow. Then Hidesato remembered that saliva is deadly for centipedes. So, he licked the arrow tip and then shot it at the centipede. It fell dead crashing down like a huge tower, flailing its hundred legs!
The Dragon King was so delighted at being free of the centipede that another feast was held to honour Hidesato and to express his gratitude. He was seen off with rich gifts and some special gifts too: a bell, a bag of rice, a roll of silk and a cooking pot.
Hidesato returned to his palace. The bell was put up to mark the hours. The rice bag was never empty. The cooking pot would cook anything that was put into it and the roll of silk never finished!
Hidesato came to be known as My Lord Bag of Rice!
