Japanese folklore encompasses the informally learned folk traditions of Japan and the Japanese people as expressed in its oral traditions , customs , and material culture .
61-462: Umibōzu ( 海坊主 , "sea priest") is a giant, black, human-like being and is the figure of a yōkai from Japanese folklore . Other names include Umihōshi ( 海法師 , "sea priest") or Uminyūdō ( 海入道 , "sea priest") . Little is known of the origin of umibōzu but it is a mythical sea-spirit creature and as such has multiple sightings throughout Japan. Normally, umibōzu appears to sailors on calm seas which quickly turn tumultuous. It either breaks
122-546: A kamidana or a small Shinto altar shelf. The Shinto version of the kitchen god is the Kamado kami ( かまど神 ) , and the syncretic Buddhist version is the Kōjin , a deity of the hearth enshrined in the kitchen. Japanese popular cults or kō ( 講 ) are sometimes devoted to particular deities and buddhas, e.g. the angry Fudō Myōō or the healer Yakushi Nyorai . But many cults centered around paying respects to sacred sites such as
183-423: A yōkai looks a certain way it is to accomplish something specific to the spirit but umibōzu seems to have no ties to Buddhism in anything beyond its appearance. Some accounts suggest umibōzu appear to be praying and constantly smiling while their two, round eyes are opened wide in a constant stare. One common theme in every account is the eyes which seem to pierce the sailors and stands out in stark contrast with
244-441: A boat goes on the sea above a kikokutan , its appearance was described by the words 没頭, without a head, 隻手, having one hand, and 独足, having one leg, and it was short, and the bald monster would attempt to overturn the ship (on having no hair, this part of their appearance is the same). The origin of umibōzu is unclear as there are no stories specifically referencing what caused its creation or its first appearance. One theory about
305-432: A bottomless barrel or if there were a shipwreck survivor adrift in the ocean who washed ashore. Usually called the "sea monk" ( umi means sea and bōzu means monk), umibōzu has no ties to religion in any of its actions or sightings. Victims of this yōkai are random and have no ties to any action or belief. Sailors who were attacked were of no specific sect or religion as they are only ever described as pitiable sailors,
366-460: A crocodile, the torso of a fish, the tail of a lobster, and the cry of a bull. In Nagano Prefecture, there are umibōzu who live in rivers, unusual through all provinces. According to legend, they live in rivers near Kaesa, Nakano, and had giant bodies and black heads that looked like big Buddha statues. Only their upper bodies were said to be above water. Outside Japan, there are half-human legends about sea monks and sea bishops . According to
427-435: A few meters (yards) to a few tens of meters (yards) in length, so they are seen as quite large, but there are also tales about relatively small ones. Like funayūrei , there are often many tales that seem to be about hallucinations , and often the difference between them is not clear. They would say "lend me a ladle ," and sometimes the funayūrei that come to sink ships are considered the same as umibōzu . However, unlike
488-711: A good deal of fishing and agriculture, producing a great deal of rice and livestock, it is dominated by the manufacturing industries around Sendai, particularly electronics, appliances, and food processing. As of March 2011, the prefecture produced 4.7% of Japan's rice, 23% of oysters, and 15.9% of sauries . In July 2011, the Japanese government decided to ban all shipments of beef cattle from northeast Miyagi Prefecture over fears of radioactive contamination. This has since been rescinded. According to Japanese census data, Miyagi prefecture experienced its greatest period of growth from 1940 to 1950 and continued to exhibit growth up until
549-400: A large creature surfaced from the water. It had many grey-brown wrinkles on its body and eyes that were about 15 cm (6 in) in diameter, a collapsed nose, and no mouth to be seen. Half its body was submerged in murky water so its whole body could not be ascertained, but it was said to leave a trail. It is said that as they got ready to poke it with a harpoon, the monster disappeared into
610-621: A master of the house telling his wife to scatter salt after an undesirable visitor has just left. Contrarily, lighting sparks with flint just as a someone is leaving the house was considered lucky. No one now engages in the silent vigil required by the Kōshin cult, but it might be noted that this cult has been associated with the iconic three See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil monkeys. There are certain vestiges of geomancy introduced into Japan from China through Onmyōdō . The word kimon , "ogre's gate", colloquially refers to anything that
671-476: A person may have constant ill luck with, but in the original sense designates the northeasterly direction, considered to be unlucky or dangerously inviting of ill-intended spirits (cf. Konjin ). There is also a Japanese version of Feng Shui known as kasō or literally "house physiognomy". Closely connected is the Yin-yang path or Onmyōdō , and its concepts such as katatagae also known as kataimi , which
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#1732886269948732-579: A storm surge always follows. It is also theorized that these are sea turtles seen as yōkai . In the Honchō Goen (本朝語園) of the Hōei era, there are writings about umibōzu called " fune nyūdō " (boat priest initiate) and they had a height of 6 to 7 shaku (182 to 212 cm; 6 to 7 ft) and had no eyes, nose, or limbs, and upon seeing one, it was considered necessary to say nothing and pretend to have seen nothing, because if one says even something such as "what
793-461: A variety of sizes. The sheer size of the yōkai helps it to drown the sailors and break the ships it comes upon in the seas. Some stories claim an umibōzu can break a ship in half with its hands or by swinging its arms. The body is jet black like that of a shadow with a shaved, smooth head like those of the monks and Buddhas of Japan. This is the only tie to Buddhism or any type of religion in most umibōzu legends which seems strange. Normally, if
854-450: A weasel would go to the mountains on March 3 and to the sea on May 5, and they have the shape of a human, but would expand and contract at will and disappear as soon as they appear, and extract from the butts of people who come to wheat fields at night. They have a jellyfish-like shape, and are said to come floating in swarms above the ocean. During the Mongol invasions, they were considered to be
915-431: Is a long list of practices performed to ward evil (yakuyoke ( 厄除け ) ) or expel evil (yakubarai, oharai ( yaku-barai ) ), e.g. sounding the drums. In some areas it is common to place a small mound of salt outside the house ( morijio ). Salt-scattering is generally considered purifying (it is employed in sumo tournaments, to give a well-known example). A stock routine in period or even contemporary drama involves
976-572: Is a prefecture that is particularly prone to earthquakes even in Japan, which is an earthquake-prone country. Large earthquakes occur frequently Miyagi offshore, and earthquakes also occur frequently inland. In the 2011 Tohoku earthquake that occurred Miyagi offshore, Miyagi Prefecture suffered the most damage nationwide. Fourteen cities are located in Miyagi Prefecture: These are the towns and villages in each district : Although Miyagi has
1037-516: Is often represented as a large, black humanoid figure which only ever rises from the ocean to about its waist, never revealing its lower half. According to most accounts, no one knows what the lower half of an umibōzu looks like and thus this figure is shrouded in mystery. Some posit it has tentacles like an octopus while others suggest it is purely humanoid and has two legs like the monks and Buddhas it resembles. The humanoid figure generally appears to be up to 10 m (33 ft) tall, but can come in
1098-528: Is said that one sailor broke this ban and went out to sea whereupon an umibōzu appeared and asked, "Am I fearsome?", to which the sailor answered, "There is nothing as fearsome as navigating through the whole world," at which the umibōzu disappeared. Similarly, there is a legend about a "zatō gashira" (blind man head), a blind bōzu that appears above the sea, and it would ask people, "Am I fearsome?", and if one acts scared by saying, "I'm scared", or "Please help", it would say, "You should not be going out to sea at
1159-536: Is said that people eaten by sharks would become "mōjabune". They can be repelled by melting some miso and letting it into the sea. The " umikozō " told about in the Kamo District, Shizuoka Prefecture is a boy covered with hair all the way to the sides of the eye, and it is said that they would approach fishing lines with a grin. Also, in Mikonohama, Kii Province, a small animal called the " mokuri kokuri " that resembles
1220-425: Is shown to have a shaved, smooth head and appears to be all black but it also looks like a mix between a dog and possibly a sea serpent and an octopus (see image). Its arms end in what resembles hand made up of five tentacle-like appendages constituting a hand. It also has a longer body with fins running down its spine as the lower body disappears underwater, once again obscuring our view of its lower body and continuing
1281-609: The daimyō Date Masamune . The remains of Sendai Castle stand on a hill above the city. Miyagi Prefecture boasts one of Japan's three greatest sights. Matsushima , the pine-clad islands, dot the waters off the coast of the prefecture. The following are also noted as attractions: Miyagi Prefecture is one of the main settings of the manga and anime series Haikyū!! . The most well-known fictional schools located there are Karasuno High School, Aoba Johsai High School, Date Tech High and Shiratorizawa Academy, as well as Sendai City Gymnasium. Another anime series Wake Up, Girls!
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#17328862699481342-417: The funayūrei legends which suggests these yōkai appear during storms at sea. With very few first person sightings which are recorded or passed on, umibōzu tends to have characteristics with other yōkai . Similar to the funayūrei , umibōzu either breaks the ship with its arms or it demands a barrel from the sailors which it consequently uses to drown the sailors by scooping up water and dumping it into
1403-766: The Edo Period and earlier, and they are not folkloric in the strict sense. Some well-known craft objects such as netsuke , raccoon dog earthenware ( Shigaraki ware ), may be classed as traditional Japanese crafts . A number of articles of daily household use ( mingu ( 民具 ) ), amassed by Keizo Shibusawa , became the Attic Museum collection, now mostly housed in the National Museum of Ethnology in Suita, Osaka . The Mingei movement spearheaded by Yanagi Sōetsu sought to appreciate folk craft from an aesthetic viewpoint. Some of
1464-660: The Edo period , though their prototypical stories may go back much further. The versions retold by children's story author Sazanami Iwaya (1870–1933; often considered the Perrault of Japan) had a strong hand in establishing the forms usually known today. Two creatures are particularly known for their abilities to transform into humans or other beings and objects, the kitsune (fox) and tanuki (the Japanese raccoon dog ; pictured). They occur frequently in folktales of humorous nature, such as
1525-557: The Ise Shrine ( Ise-kō or okage-mairi ) or Mount Fuji ( Fuji-kō , by which many local mock-Fuji shrines have been erected). Pilgrimage to these meccas declined after the Edo period . But recently, the Shikoku Pilgrimage of the eighty-eight temple sites (commonly known as ohenro-san ) has become fashionable. Popular media and cottage industries now extoll a number of shrines and sacred natural sites as power spots . There
1586-622: The Leda myth where the supernatural encounter is brief. An unusual pairing occurs in the story of the Hamaguri nyōbo ( 蛤女房 , "clam wife" ) , which exist in both a politer written version ( otogi-zōshi ) and in a more rustic and vulgar oral tale. The gender is reversed in the tale of Tanishi chōja where a bride is wedded to a tiny tanishi ( river snail ). A number of folktales were adapted for stage performance by playwright Junji Kinoshita , notably Yūzuru ( Twilight Crane , 1949), based on
1647-607: The Oga Peninsula area of the Northeast region. These ogre-men masquerade as kami looking to instill fear in the children who are lazily idling around the fire. This is a particularly colorful example of folk practice still kept alive. A parallel custom is the secretive Akamata-Kuromata ritual of the Yaeyama Islands , Okinawa which does not allow itself to be photographed. Many, though increasingly fewer households maintain
1708-559: The funayūrei who come with stormy weather, umibōzu sometimes appear at seas with no abnormalities (and in this case, once the umibōzu was seen, the weather would start getting stormy), so it's pointed out that these could be things that do exist but were misinterpreted. Some examples of things that could have been misinterpreted include sea organisms, cumulonimbus clouds , big waves, and other natural phenomena. Also, umibōzu would often come in swarms as naked bōzu -like beings and attack ships, and they would do things such as cling on to
1769-523: The " tateboshi " are a monster said to stand at a height of 20 m (66 ft) who would aim at ships and try to flip them over. Umibōzu are also said to change their appearance, and in Kesennuma Ōshima, Miyagi Prefecture , there are tales of them shapeshifting into a beautiful woman and engaging in swimming contests with humans. There is also a similar tale in Iwate, but there it is said that those who accept
1830-457: The " umibōzu of Kemiura" would appear and disappear. In Meiji 21, or 1888, December 26, the Miyako Shinbun reported that at Mii-dera, Wakayama Prefecture, there was an umibōzu like a large monkey with a height of about 7–8 shaku (2–2.5 m; 7–8 ft) and a weight of about 60–70 kan (225–262.5 kg, 496–579 lb). It is said to have had brown hair, orange eyes, and had the mouth of
1891-530: The 21st century. Nevertheless, like the majority of Japan , the population of Miyagi has begun to slowly decline. The prefectural capital of Sendai , however, has seen a moderate, but steady rise in population over the past twenty years. The sports teams listed below are based in Miyagi Prefecture. Also, the Sendai Hi-Land Raceway hosts motorsport road races. Sendai was the castle town of
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1952-476: The area. The tsunami was estimated to be approximately 10 metres (33 ft) high in Miyagi Prefecture. On April 7, 2011, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Miyagi, Japan. Workers were then evacuated from the nearby troubled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility once again, as a tsunami warning was issued for the coastline. Residents were told to flee for inner land at that time. In 2013, Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako visited
2013-512: The articles below are essential for understanding traditional Japanese culture. The type of material used is also part of folklore. Miyagi Prefecture Miyagi Prefecture ( 宮城県 , Miyagi-ken ) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu . Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,265,724 (1 August 2023) and has a geographic area of 7,282 km (2,812 sq mi). Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to
2074-494: The black void of its skin. Some accounts suggest umibōzu has two arms like a human and others suggest they resemble tentacles like that of an octopus. Umibōzu always appear only in the ocean, usually during peaceful waters and fair weather. These fair conditions would normally put the sailors at ease as they are literally "sailing on smooth waters" but the possible presence of a malicious spirit put many sailors on edge in these times of peaceful sailing. Upon its sudden rising from
2135-471: The challenge would be swallowed down instantly. In Uwajima , Ehime Prefecture , there are tales where they would shapeshift into a zatō (blind person) and kill human women. Also, while there are many legends of them attacking humans, in Uwajima there is the legend that those who see an umibōzu would live a long life. There are also umibōzu with strange appearances. In Wakayama Prefecture , something called
2196-579: The deities the first fish caught when fishing, and it is said that if this is not followed, an umibōzu would appear and destroy the boat and kidnap the boat owner. The nurarihyon that appears often in Bisan Seto has a large round head and as they float toward the boat, they would then slowly sludge ( nurari ) away and then unexpectedly ( hyon ) float approaching the boat again. They would do this several times over to torment people. In Cape Shiriya, Higashidōri , Shimokita District , Aomori Prefecture , it
2257-435: The dragon deity was angered, at least partly due to the women on board, and despite throwing into the sea things that he thought a dragon might like, the storm still did not calm, and finally, the kuro nyūdō appeared. It had a head five to six times the size of a human, glittering eyes, and a horse-like mouth that was 2 shaku (60 cm; 20 in) in length. It is said that Zenchi's wife made her resolve and tossed herself into
2318-507: The end of the month", and disappear. In the Kii Zōdan Shū of the Edo Period are statements about umibōzu called " kuro nyūdō " (black priest initiates). A boat was going Ise Province (now Mie Prefecture ) to Cape Irago and a boatman named Zenchi refused to have "just one woman" on, so he forcefully took his wife on the boat, and it encountered a large storm. The shipowner believed that
2379-634: The essay, the Kansō Jigo (閑窓自語) of the Kansei era, in Kaizuka, Izumi (now Kaizuka , Osaka Prefecture ), an umibōzu would rise up and stay above ground for three days, and children were warned not to go out until it returned to the sea. In the essay Usō Kanwa (雨窓閑話), in Kuwana (now Mie Prefecture ), it was said that umibōzu would appear at the end of the month so it was forbidden to set sail during that time, but it
2440-434: The folktale Tsuru no Ongaeshi or "a crane who repaid its gratitude". A great deal of interest currently gravitates towards Japanese monsters taken from traditional Japanese sources. Some of the yōkai or strange beings are the stuff of folklore, orally transmitted and propagated among the populace. But one must realize that many beings or stories about them were spun and deliberately invented by professional writers during
2501-703: The formula "Mukashi..." (akin to "Once upon a time..."). They also close with some set phrase like " dotto harai " (a variant form being Dondo Hare ). These tales had been told in their local dialects, which may be difficult to understand to outsiders, both because of intonation and pronunciation differences, conjugations, and vocabulary. Many folktales collected from the field are actually "translations" into standard Japanese (or more like adaptations, merging several collected versions). Classic folktales such as Momotarō , which most Japanese today are familiarized through pictured children's storybooks, manga, or other popularizations, can be traced to picture-books printed in
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2562-412: The hull and scull as well as put out the basket fire. It is said that they would sometimes let out a voice saying "yaa yaa" while swimming, and when hit with the scull would let out shrieks of "aitata". Their weakness is tobacco smoke, and it is said that if one is unlucky enough to encounter one, having one of those ready can lead to being saved. In the Tōhoku region , there is a custom of sacrificing to
2623-503: The longest mountain range in Japan, with 24% of its total land area being designated as Natural Parks . Miyagi Prefecture is home to Matsushima Islands , a group of islands ranked as one of the Three Views of Japan , near the town of Matsushima . Miyagi Prefecture was formerly part of the province of Mutsu . On March 11, 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and a subsequent major tsunami hit Miyagi Prefecture, causing major damage to
2684-418: The mystery of what its lower body looks like. Similar to most legends, the eyes are opened wide and it is smiling. There are two tentacle-like appendages coming from its face which could be feelers of some sort. This is the only occurrence of these feelers and they do not appear in any other legends or accounts. The presence or sighting of an umibōzu is widespread and not an uncommon occurrence. Physically, it
2745-411: The night sky over Japan in 620 A.D., might be a red aurora produced during a magnetic storm. As in most developed nations, it is increasingly difficult to find living storytellers of oral tradition. But there is a wealth of folktales collected through the ages. The name mukashi-banashi (tales of "long ago" or from "bygone times") has been applied to the common folktale, since they typically open with
2806-462: The north, Akita Prefecture to the northwest, Yamagata Prefecture to the west, and Fukushima Prefecture to the south. Sendai is the capital and largest city of Miyagi Prefecture, and the largest city in the Tōhoku region, with other major cities including Ishinomaki , Ōsaki , and Tome . Miyagi Prefecture is located on Japan's eastern Pacific coast and bounded to the west by the Ōu Mountains ,
2867-501: The northern coastline of the prefecture. As of 31 March 2019, 24% of the total land area of the prefecture was designated as Natural Parks , namely the Sanriku Fukkō National Park; Kurikoma and Zaō Quasi-National Parks; and Abukuma Keikoku , Asahiyama , Funagata Renpō , Futakuchi Kyōkoku , Kenjōsan Mangokuura , Kesennuma , Matsushima , and Zaō Kōgen Prefectural Natural Parks. In addition, Miyagi Prefecture
2928-502: The ocean, and the kuro nyūdō gulped down that woman, upon which the storm stopped. These umibōzu are said to be fallen dragon deities who would demand sacrifice. In the Haidaoyizhi (海島逸志) by Wang Dahai, under the name of " umi oshō " (sea priest), it was written to be a yōkai resembling a human but has a tear from mouth to ear, and would make a big laughter upon finding a human. Umi oshō are said to be feared because when they appear,
2989-400: The ocean, causing waves and sometimes flipping ships or breaking them with its emergence, umibōzu is accompanied by the winds begin to blow and waves toss the ship about. The appearance of an umibōzu alone causes this dramatic shift in weather which puts any ship in immediate peril, not only from being capsized by the waves but also from being crushed by the yōkai . This could be a mixing of
3050-408: The origin of umibōzu is that they are the spirits of dead priests who were thrown into the ocean by Japanese villagers for some reason or another. Because their bodies have nowhere to be laid to rest, their souls inhabit the oceans and haunt it in the shape of a dark shadow, reaping its revenge upon any souls unlucky enough to come across it. In the early Edo period scroll Bakemono no e , umibōzu
3111-533: The prefecture to see the progress made since the tsunami. Miyagi Prefecture is in the central part of Tōhoku , facing the Pacific Ocean , and contains Tōhoku's largest city, Sendai. There are high mountains on the west and along the northeast coast, but the central plain around Sendai is fairly large. Matsushima is known as one of the three most scenic views of Japan , with a bay full of 260 small islands covered in pine groves. Oshika Peninsula projects from
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#17328862699483172-459: The sailors have just enough time to sail away to safety. The yōkai seems to be foolish in the way it does not understand why it cannot scoop water with the bottomless barrel, possibly showing the superiority of humans over yōkai in general. Normally, a chance encounter with umibōzu is deadly for all and as such there are very few instances of first-person accounts of an umibōzu encounter. Any survivors of such an encounter are due to their giving
3233-520: The sea. When an officer of the research lab, the Enyō Suisan Kenkyujo, at branch office in Yaizu heard of this account, he supposed that it was likely that the fishermen were mistaking an organism, such as a fish or whale, for a monster. In another eyewitness account, the half of its body that appeared from the water surface was about 1.5 m (5 ft) in length, so by inferring that its whole body
3294-424: The ship on emergence or demands a bucket or barrel from the sailors and proceeds to kiss them. The only safe way to escape an umibōzu is to give it a bottomless barrel and sail away while it is confused. They appear and disappear in the oceans, often at night, and it is thought that they would suddenly appear on what was previously a calm sea surface as a giant's black bōzu head and destroy ships. They are often
3355-409: The ships deck. Funayūrei use ladles to drown sailors in some Japanese legends while some accounts of umibōzu claim it appears with a ladle for the same purpose. The only way to escape from an umibōzu safely is to give it a bottomless barrel, such that it cannot scoop up water, thereby giving the sailors a chance to escape. While it is confused and attempting to scoop up the water in a futile effort,
3416-468: The spirits of those who died in water, and their name was ateji for Mongolian Koguryo. In the Kitauwa District, Ehime Prefecture , the sea would become white at night and a " shirami ", also called " shirami yūren ", would come swimming, and fishers would call these idiots. However, it is said that if they hear "idiot", they'd get angry and cling on to the scull and give a bad time. On Sado Island ,
3477-421: The tanuki, Bunbuku Chagama, who could shapeshift into a teapot. Marriages between humans and non-humans ( irui konin tan ( 異類婚姻譚 , "tales of heterotype marriages" ) ) comprise a major category or motif in Japanese folklore. Japanese heterotype examples such as the crane story describes a sustained period of married life between the interspecies couple, in contrast to Western examples like Frog Prince or
3538-516: The victims of an attack. Japanese folklore In Japanese, the term minkan denshō ( 民間伝承 , "transmissions among the folk") is used to describe folklore . The academic study of folklore is known as minzokugaku ( 民俗学 ) . Folklorists also employ the term minzoku shiryō ( 民俗資料 ) or "folklore material" ( 民俗資料 ) to refer to the objects and arts they study. Men dressed as namahage , wearing ogre-like masks and traditional straw capes ( mino ) make rounds of homes, in an annual ritual of
3599-461: Was several times that length, they said that they never heard of an organism like that. These accounts of strange events were published in Mainichi Shimbun on July 17 of the same year. In China, there is the legend of the kikokutan (鬼哭灘) no kai , and according to research, it is said to be related to Japan's funayūrei and umibōzu , but it has a different appearance. It is thought that when
3660-448: Was that?" it would sink the boat in an instant. Also, in Yura, Awaji Island (now Sumoto ), it is said that one can be spared by tossing the most precious cargo into the sea. In April 1971, off the coast of Onagawa , Oshika District , Miyagi Prefecture , a fishing boat, the 28th Konpira Maru , was travelling to New Zealand to fish for tuna, when the boat's long line was suddenly cut, and
3721-567: Was widely practiced by nobles in the Heian period . A widely known taboo ( kitamakura ) advises against sleeping with your head faced north, though it is doubtful if anyone now seriously heeds this prohibition. In Japanese folklore, pheasants were considered messengers from heaven. However, researchers from Japan's Graduate University for Advanced Studies and National Institute of Polar Research claimed in March 2020 that red pheasant tails witnessed across
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