Amabie and Epidemics

- Yōkai 妖怪 Yokai monsters - - ABC-Index -
ー teijin 氐人 , see below
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Amabie アマビエ
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Amabie (アマビエ)
is a legendary Japanese mermaid who allegedly emerges from the sea and prophesies either an abundant harvest or an epidemic. There are other mermaids and mermen known by other names but considered identical.
The male amabiko (アマビコ, 天日子) or amahiko (尼彦, あま彦, 天彦),
the amahiko-nyūdo (尼彦入道), and
the elusive arie (アリエ)..


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- Legend
Amabie appeared in Higo Province (Kumamoto Prefecture) according to legend, around the middle of the 4th month, in the year Kōka-3 (mid-May, 1846) in the Edo era. A glowing object had been spotted in the sea, almost on a nightly basis. The town's official went to the coast to investigate, and witnessed the amabie. She had a mouth like bird's bill, and was covered in scales from the neck down. Addressing the official, she identified herself as an amabie and told him that she lived in the open sea. She went on to deliver a prophecy: "Good harvest will continue for six years,
if disease spreads show a picture of me to those who fall ill and they will be cured." Afterwards, she returned the sea. The story was printed in the kawaraban (woodblock-printed bulletins), where her likeness was printed, and this is how the story disseminated in Japan.

- Similar yōkai
A yōkai creature considered identical to Amabie is the merman named Amahiko (尼彦), which reputedly appeared in the sea of Higo Province. This Amahiko resembled Amabie in that it also made predictions of bountiful harvests or pestilence, and prescribed displaying the picture of his likeness in order to avoid catastrophe. The Amahiko Nyūdo (尼彦入道 "the amahiko monk") of Hyuga Province (Miyazaki prefecture) was another creature considered of the same kind, who appeared and pronounced his prophecy.

A similar creature named Arie (アリエ) appeared in "Aoshima-gun" county, Higo Province, according to the Yamanashi Nichinichi Shinbun newspaper dated 17 June 1876, although this report has been debunked by another paper. The Yūbin Hōchi Shinbun dated 10 June 1876 also carried an article about Amahiko.

The three creatures share these common characteristics:
1) appearance from the sea, 2) prediction of good harvest and the plague, and 3) a solution of disaster by showing the apparition's picture, and on that account have been considered identical.

The Amahiko no Mikoto (天日子尊 the holy Amahiko) was spotted in a rice paddy in Yuzawa, Niigata, as reported by the Tokyo Nichinichi shinbun dated 8 August 1875.
The Yamawarawa (山童 the mountain child- Kappa) in the folklore of Amakusa is believed to haunt the mountains. Although neither of these last two emerge from sea, other similarities such as prophesying indicate they belong to the same kind.
- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !


. Mermaids .
- Introduction -

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. coronavirus in Japan コロナウイルス - 2020 - COVID-19 .


. hayariyamai はやり病 / 流行病と伝説 Legends about epidemics .
densenbyoo 伝染病 Densenbyo contagious diseases / pandemic
ekiri 疫痢 plague

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Amabie with a fugu 河豚 blowfish for more power !
At the Shrine 亀山八幡宮 Kameyama Hachimangu



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下関・亀山八幡宮、アマビエ描いた御朱印郵送始める
新型コロナウイルスに対する不安を減らそうと、疫病退散に御利益があるとされる妖怪「アマビエ」を描いた御朱印が、山口県下関市中之町の亀山八幡宮で授与されている。御朱印は本来、参拝者に授与しているが、現在は境内に人が集まらないように希望者への郵送で対応している。
アマビエは、うろこに覆われた胴体や、長髪が特徴の半人半魚の妖怪。江戸時代に現在の熊本県沖に現れ、「疫病が流行したときは私の姿を絵に描いて人々に見せよ」と言い残して海に消えたとされる。ウイルス感染が拡大する中、芸能人やイラストレーターが疫病退散を願って描いたイラストをネット上に投稿したり、各地でグッズや和菓子が生まれたりしている。
亀山八幡宮は「（感染を懸念して）参拝を控える人たちの不安な気持ちが少しでも落ち着けば」と、アマビエの御朱印を発案。神職の見習いに当たる出仕の大鳥居奨（つとむ）さん（23）が宿直の夜にイラストを描いた。図案はアマビエがフグを持っている姿で、神職の竹中信彦さん（45）は「届いたら神社の方向へお祈りして、終息したときに参拝していただければ。疫病が去って福が来ることを願います」と話した。
フグを持つアマビエの御朱印
アマビエの御朱印は、他の御朱印（初穂料500～1000円）と一緒に授与している。郵送の申し込みなど問い合わせは亀山八幡宮社務所（083・231・1323）。
【佐藤緑平】
- reference source : Mainihci Shinbun 2020/05/13-




- Homepage of the Shrine
- kameyamagu.com... -

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fugu is a play of words with fuku, to bring good luck and happiness!
. fugu 河豚 / 鰒 / 鯸 / 魨 blowfish, puffer fish, globe fish .




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新型コロナ終息願う アマビエ像 Statue of Amabie
天草市の神社に、疫病から人々を守る熊本の妖怪とされる「アマビエ」をかたどった石像が祭られています。
石像は、天草市有明町の大島子諏訪神社の境内に今月１１日に祭られました。
石像は高さ４５センチで、墓石などに使われる灰色の「唐津石」を材料に、くちばしやうろこが立体的に作られていて、境内の参道横の、およそ１メートルの台座の上に祭られています。
神社の山浦一男宮司によると、明治時代、赤痢などの疫病がはやったとき、地域の人々がこの神社のそばにあった石神のほこらにサカキを供えて祈ったという言い伝えがあり、今回も新型コロナウイルスの一日も早い終息を願って、神社に石像を祭ることにしたということです。
参拝に訪れた人たちは、手を合わせたり頭をなでるなどして一日も早い終息を願っていました。
大島子諏訪神社の山浦一男宮司は「かわいらしい石像を手でなでるなどして和んでいただいて、心も癒やしていただければと思います」と話していました。
- reference source : NHK news 2020/05/15 -


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Yōkai and the visualization of disease

In the past few weeks, as the international pandemic has led the people of Japan to quarantine themselves and practice social distancing, characters from supernatural folklore (yōkai), including one that has served as a symbol of epidemics since the 1840s, have experienced a sudden resurgence of popularity.
For centuries, yōkai functioned as pre-scientific explanations for microbiological phenomena such as the decay of organic material, and several were specifically associated with illness. Arguably the earliest work of Japanese art that features such characters is the Scroll of Hungry Ghosts (Gaki zoshi, late 12th century). Interest in yōkai exploded during the 18th century, when the ukiyo-e print designer Toriyama Sekien (1712–1788) published his encyclopedic bestiary The Illustrated Night Parade of a Hundred Demons (Gazu hyakki yagyō, 1776). Not only did this publication enjoy astonishing commercial success in its own right, it also had a substantial influence upon the imagery of artists such as Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861).
- source : honoluluacademy.org ... -

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Meet the Japanese Yokai That Will Save us From the Coronavirus
By Kirsty Kawano May 20, 2020
- source : blog.gaijinpot.com... -


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wagashi アマビエ和菓子 Amabie sweets





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Amabie Daruma アマビエ だるま









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'Amabie'-shaped bread popular amid outbreak
Bread shaped like a mythical mermaid-like monster that folklore says repels plagues is proving popular in Japan as people hope for the end of the coronavirus outbreak.
A cafe in the city of Uruma,
Okinawa Prefecture, started selling the bread, which looks like Amabie, last month.
The bread is made from locally-sourced ingredients,
including yellow potato for the monster's long hair and beak, and red sweet potato for the body.
The cafe has closed temporarily
since early last month due to the outbreak. But orders have been pouring in from across the country after it began selling the product online.
A representative of the cafe says
she hopes the bread will make people smile and help boost their immunity so that the outbreak will end as soon as possible.
- source : NHK 2020 -

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Chronicle of the Cholera Outbreak of Fall 1858
(Ansei Uma no Aki Korori Ryukoki)

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The outbreak of cholera that began in Nagasaki in June 1858 spread to Edo by July of the same year.
This book chronicles the situation in Edo at the time of the outbreak.
The first outbreak of cholera in Japan occurred in 1822.
Cholera caused death within three days after symptoms appeared, which led to it being known as
mikka korori or "fall down in three days," korori being a play on korera, the Japanese word for cholera.
The 1822 outbreak was centered on West Japan, and did not affect Edo.
However, a later outbreak that began in Nagasaki in June 1858 spread to Edo by July of the same year.
This book chronicles the situation in Edo at the time of the outbreak.
The illustration here shows a crematorium overflowing with caskets of the deceased awaiting cremation.
It is estimated that there were around 30,000 fatalities in Edo during this outbreak,
and neither burial nor cremation services could keep up with the demand,
so caskets were lined up on the roadside around crematoriums.
Filled with anxiety, the townsfolk of Edo turned to religion to ward off the disease.
They put their faith in objects such as the leaves of the Japanese aralia tree,
charms bearing poems of the Mimosuso River (another name for the Isuzu River
that runs through Ise Shrine),
and charred garlic.
There were repeated outbreaks of cholera every few years in Edo from 1862 onward.
- source : Tokyo Metropolitan Library -

One more page with illustrations:
A Wish for the End of the Infectious Diseases

- source : Tokyo Metropolitan Library .. taihen/page4- -

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. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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yogen no tori 予言の鳥　/ ヨゲンノトリ prophecy bird



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Appearance:
Yogen no tori are prophetic birds which resemble two-headed crows.
One of their heads is white. They can speak, and are sent by the gods to deliver important messages to humanity such as warnings about epidemics.
Behavior:
Like most prophetic yōkai, nothing is known of yogen no tori’s natural behavior, as they are only seen when there is an important message to deliver.
Interactions:
In addition to delivering an important message, yogen no tori are such holy animals that merely an image of them is enough to keep the evil spirits which cause disease away. Regularly looking at a picture of a yogen no tori is said to protect the viewer from harm.
Origin:
The story of the yogen no tori follows an Edo Period pattern of yokai warning about outbreaks and offering their image as protection. Contagious diseases like cholera are spread by invisible means, and for a long time there were no known cures or methods of protection against them. Amulets, talismans, and image of holy yōkai might not have done much to actually prevent sickness, but the willingness of people to cling to their promise of salvation is understandable.
Legends:
A serious cholera outbreak struck Japan in the summer of 1858. During the outbreak, a government official from Kai Province (Yamanashi Prefecture) named Kizaemon, discovered the legend of the yogen no tori and reported it in Bōshabyō ryūkō nikki, a journal detailing the outbreak.
According to his report, a yogen no tori was sighted in December of 1857 near Mount Haku in Kaga Province (present-day Ishikawa Prefecture). The bird foretold, “Around August or September of next year, a disaster will occur, killing 90% of the world’s population. Those who gaze upon my image morning and night and believe in me will be spared from this suffering.”
Kizaemon believed the yogen no tori to be a messenger from the gods. He declared it to be a symbol of the great power of Kumano Gongen. An illustration of the bird was printed alongside the report so people could see it and receive its protective powers.
- source : yokai.com/yogennotori ... -


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Teijin 氐人【テイジン】dī rén
A Yokai monster from China.
A kind of merman, half fish half male human.



中国に伝わる人魚のような怪人のこと。
氐人国に住んでいるといわれ、資料には上半身が男性の人魚の姿で描かれている。
人魚の一種とされる
- reference source : chinki-note.blogspot... -

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- Yōkai 妖怪 Yokai monsters - - ABC-Index -

. yookai, yōkai 妖怪 Yokai monsters .
- Reference -

. Legends and Tales from Japan　伝説 - Introduction .


. Kappa densetsu　河童伝説, Kappa minwa 河童民話 - Legends - Introduction .

. Tengupedia - 天狗ペディア　- Tengu ABC-List .

. Mingei 民芸　Regional Folk Art from Japan .

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