More than seven hundred years ago, a battle took place in Dannoura Bay near Shimonoseki, putting an end to the long-standing rivalry between the Heike, the Taira house, and the Genji, the Minamoto house. The Heike were defeated and perished along with their women and children, among whom was the young Emperor Antoku-tenno. Since then, for seven centuries, their ghosts have wandered the sea and the coast: They say that fishermen sometimes caught strange crabs with human faces in those parts, into which the Heike warriors turned after death; other, no less amazing things happen there. On dark, moonless nights, thousands of flickering lights, nicknamed Oni-bi - "devil's lights", flash on the waves, and the wind brings from the sea the ringing of weapons and war cries, echoes of a fierce battle. In the old days, the ghosts of the Heike bothered the locals more than they do today. They would sometimes emerge near fishing boats that had gone out at night to fish and try to drown them, and they would also lie in wait for lone swimmers to drag them into the depths. Then, to appease the souls of the dead, the Buddhist temple of Amidaji was erected in Akamagaseki, and a cemetery with tombstones in memory of the drowned emperor and his loyal vassals was built nearby, for whom funeral services were regularly held. After this, the Heike were partly pacified, but they did not find complete peace, and strange things continued to happen on the coast from time to time.

However, the young emperor was sad, even as a ghost. The dancing girls did not please him, the flowers in the spring did not bring happiness, and the sound of the surf only brought tears. Then the faithful Takeshi decided to amuse the young master.

My lord, I have heard that there is a blind monk living in this temple, and he plays the biwa very well. Order him to be brought, let him dispel our melancholy.