Department chiefs from the Industrial Bank of Japan’s headquarters would take the bullet train down from Tokyo to Osaka in order to attend a weekly ceremony presided over by the toad. On arriving at Nui’s house, the IBJ bankers would join the elite stockbrokers from Yamaichi Securities and other trading houses in a midnight vigil. First they would pat the head of the toad. Then they would recite prayers in front of a set of Buddhist statues in Nui’s garder. Finally Madame Nui would seat herself in front of the toad, go into a trance, and deliver the oracle — which stocks to buy and which to sell. The financial markets in Tokyo trembled at the verdict. At his peak in 1990, the toad controlled more than $10 billion in financial investments, making its owner the world’s largest individual stock investor.
Alex Kerr, Dogs and Demons,
Hill and Wang, 2001, p. 78
Madame Nui’s Toad
The URI to TrackBack this entry is: http://haquelebac.wordpress.com/2010/01/09/madame-nuis-toad/trackback/
Are you sure this is non-political?
It’s about a ceramic toad and comparative banking practices. No topical or political interpretation is intended.
I knew the world was nuts, but I hadn’t realized it was quite this nuts.
Katagiri found a giant frog waiting for him in his apartment. It was powerfully built, standing over six feet tall on its hind legs. A skinny little man no more than five foot three, Katagiri was overwhelmed by the frog’s imposing bulk.
“Call me Frog,” said the frog in a clear, strong voice.