It so happened that Shikuyu the Fire King lived in the south pole. There was ice and water there and it is the only safe place for Shikuyu to live safely because Shikuyu burnt up everything around him but it was impossible to burn up ice and snow.
Shikuyu was also a giant and he was thirty feet tall and his face was like marble and his hair and beard was long and white as snow.
Empress Jokwa sent Eiko to the South Pole to request Shikuyu to lead their army against Kokai.
The Fire King smiled on hearing Eiko’s request. “I came to your rescue when you and your friend were drowning in the flood created by Kokai. I will definitely help you now. Just as Kokai is the master of water, I am the master of fire. I can definitely destroy him.”
So Shikuyu happily agreed to help Empress Jokwa.
He asked all the thirty thousand soldiers of Empress Jokwa of whom he was the head, to burn a particular shrub and keep the ashes in a bag. He knew that this was the best way to counter Kokai.
The battle started again. Kokai did not think of anything then he Shikuyu leading the battle. Kokai in his arrogance believed that Shikuyu was not as powerful as him.
On seeing the army march towards him Kokai created a water flood.
However this time something astonishing happened.
The soldiers of Shikuyu’s army scattered the ashes which they had, around them.
As every soldier did that they realized the importance of burning the shrub. The power of the shrub was such that its ashes mingled with the water created by Kokai and a strong mud was formed after that. As the water could do nothing to them, all the soldiers were safe from drowning.
Adapted from Japanese Folk Tales
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