| A great Japanese warrior named Nobunaga decided to attack the enemy although he had only one-tenth the number of men the opposition commanded. He knew that he would win, but his soldiers were in doubt. On the way he stopped at a Shinto shrine and told his men: “After I visit the shrine I will toss a coin. If heads comes, we will win; if tails, we will lose. Destiny holds us in her hand.” |
| Nobunaga entered the shrine and offered a silent prayer. He came forth and tossed a coin. Heads appeared. His soldiers were so eager to fight that they won their battle easily. |
| “No one can change the hand of destiny,” his attendant told him after the battle. |
| “Indeed not,” said Nobunaga, showing a coin which had been doubled, with heads facing either way. |
Anna Godfrey 