Today is the 820th anniversary of the Battle of Dan-no-Ura, the definitive trouncing of the Heike and killing of the emperor (he was replaced by his brother), which events cleared the way for the Shogunate.

This battle is also the source of the legend that crabs in that area are the rather less fearsome reincarnations of all those dead Heike. These crabs are called Heikegani (平家蟹), literally "Heike crabs", and Carl Sagan did a whole bit on them.

The whole "Ooh, the Virgin Mary appeared on my toast" thing is a lot less impressive when you compare it to an entire species bearing eerie faces.