The story of a weasel giving moxibustion

How are you all doing during this snowy season?
We are soon moving from the coldest period of the year to the beginning of spring, but the cold weather will surely continue for a while.
When it's this cold, raccoons still can't let go of their thick fur.
Oh, those of you who don't have fur must have cold hands and feet.
When you feel cold like that, why not try applying moxibustion to the acupuncture points?
The term "acupuncture points" may be difficult to understand, but if you say "pressure points," I'm sure most of you will understand.
Moxibustion has the effect of adding heat to a cold body, and by applying it to the appropriate acupressure points to relax the body, it warms the body and effectively drives away the cold.
That's right...there are several acupressure points that are effective against cold...Zhaohai, Taixi, Sanyinjiao...
………Oops, getting off topic.
Today I was planning to talk to you all about tanuki and monster transformations, but... That's right.
Now, let me tell you the story of the weasel that administers moxibustion.
It seems that there was a man named Akiyama Mujina who lived in the Seinagun area of Nagano Prefecture, and a story about him is recorded in a book called "Akiyama Monogatari" compiled by Asakawa Kinichi.
The weasel was extremely clever (in the original text it is described as "cunning". I translate this dialect as "clever", but it seems to have different meanings depending on the region, such as clever or agile, or cunning), and I don't know where I learned it, but
"Hey, I'm going to Akiyama's moxibustion point. Is there anyone here to apply the moxibustion?"
He said he walked all over the place (from Takayama in Hida to Niigata).
The moxibustion is done by a moxibustion specialist (the original text says it's called moxa points), and he says that the technique is quite skilled and effective.
However, one day, the family of the farmer telling the story caught a weasel.
The family home had a big, scary dog that attacked the weasel, and the grandfather of the family had caught it.
After that, the weasel-like acupuncture points that had been appearing all over the place suddenly disappeared.
The people all said,
"Akiyama's hot springs haven't come out much lately."
He apparently said this.

...There are many stories about dogs being our nemesis, and this time we are once again faced with a dog...
...Oops, excuse me.

I too would have loved to have Akiyama Mujina give me a moxibustion treatment, but I guess that's a dream that will never come true.
What kind of beast was he?

The person who spoke listed the characteristics of the weasel as follows.
"The weasel had no hair under its belly at all, it was round and hairless."

...Well, the night is getting late.
That's all for today.
For all of you without fur, please make sure you stay warm and don't get cold while you sleep.
Until next time,