In "Shibaraku" (Just a moment), which was one of kabuki's juhachiban (eighteen best plays of the Ichikawa family of kabuki actors), an akuyaku (villain's role) called 'namazu bozu' (namazu priest) appears, and there is a scene in which he puts on a bold front to the main character backed with an earthquake.
歌舞伎十八番の一つである演目『暫（しばらく）』には「鯰坊主」という悪役が登場し、主人公に対し地震を背景とした強がりを言う場面がある。