The Ansei Great Earthquakes

The Ansei great earthquakes (安政の大地震) are a series of earthquakes that occured during the Ansei era (1854-1860).

In Japanese mythology earthquakes are caused by Namazu or Ōnamazu, a giant underground catfish. According to myth, the god Takemikazuchi restrains the catfish underneath a stone, but he sometimes lets his guard fall, causing Namazu to thrash about, resulting in violent earthquakes.

This legends seems to have originated in the late 17th century but gained in popularity after the 1855 Edo earthquake. It was then said that catfish can naturally predict earthquakes and in the 1930s, Japanese seismologists demonstrated that catfish, who are usually placid, become agitated several hours before an earthquake, predicting them with 80% accuracy. 

 

Reference: https://doi.org/10.1038/132817b0