Greetings yokai fans!
Today I’m sharing with you oshōuo, the high priest fish. The mountain in the background is Aobasan, a famous mountain looking over Wakasa Bay on the border between Kyoto and Fukui. It’s probably not famous enough to be recognized by anyone who doesn’t live there, but I like to include a touch of the yokai’s home turf in each illustration.
和尚魚
おしょううお
Translation: high priest fish
Alternate names: umi oshō (sea high priest), irikame nyūdō, kame nyūdō (turtle monk)
Habitat: coastal waters
Diet: herbivorous
Appearance: Oshōuo are aquatic yōkai which live in the Sea of Japan off of Fukui and Kyōto Prefectures. They have bodies resembling soft-shelled turtles and smooth, bald heads resembling human monks. The grow up to 150 to 180 centimeters in length.
Behavior: Oshōuo are inauspicious yōkai. They summon strong winds and rainstorms which can result in poor catches or shipwrecks. They also place curses on people who see them.
Interactions: A fishermen who sees an oshōuo or who accidentally catches one should give them an offering of sake and then gently send them on their way. A captured oshōuo will clasp its front legs together as if praying, then begin to cry and beg for its life. In this case, the fisherman should agree to release them after making the oshōuo promise not to curse anyone ever again.
Origin: Oshōuo appear in Edo period encyclopedias such as Wakan sansai zue. They may have been inspired by sightings of sea turtles. They are often considered to be related to umi bōzu.
Art Collectors’ Prints Update
For those of you in the Art Collector tier (receiving prints), your prints shipped out earlier this week!
It’s been a rough year for shipping, with Japan Post closing down parcel services to most countries. Last month, parcel post reopened for the US, however only via sea-mail. Which means I was finally able to ship out 6 months worth of prints to everyone, with the downside that it will still take several weeks for them to reach all of you. Air mail for parcels of that size is still suspended, so this was the only option. However, since it’s been so long since anyone has been able to receive prints, I’m glad I could finally ship those out!