五月の雨の夜、忠盛が白河法皇の随伴をし、八坂神社の境内を通りかかったところ、何か前方に光るものが見えた。
頭が銀の針に覆われ、手に光る物と槌をもつ不気味な鬼のようなものがいた。
忠盛はその鬼を捕らえたが、よく見るとそれは老僧で、油の入った瓶を持ち、土器に火を入れ、境内に灯りを点してまわっていたのだった。
頭に生えた針は、雨よけにかぶっていた藁が火に輝いていたのだった。

On a rainy night in May, Tadamori was accompanying Hōhō Shirakawa as he passed by the Yasaka Shrine grounds when he saw something shining ahead of him.
Its head was covered with silver needles, and it held a shiny object and a hammer in its hand.
Tadamori caught the ogre, but upon closer inspection, he saw that it was an old monk, carrying a bottle of oil and an earthenware vessel with a fire in it, who was going around the shrine grounds to light the lamps.
The needles on his head were the straw he was covering against the rain, glowing in the fire.