It was believed that this animal could cause the rain to fall, and as such, temples and castles were often adorned with roof ornaments (shibi) crafted in the form of a shachihoko, in order to protect them from fire.
Hewan tersebut dipercaya mampu menurunkan hujan sehingga atap kuil dan istana di Jepang biasanya dihiasi dengan ornamen atap (shibi) berbentuk shachihoko, agar terlindungi dari kebakaran.