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Myth and urban legends relating to the ocean

Kappa (河童)

In the Japanese folklore myth, Kappa is also known to assault humans in water. They are an amphibious 妖怪(Yokai) creature with green human-like bodies with webbed hands and feet and a dish on their head. They mostly live in the river. No one has actually claimed they saw a Kappa, but the legend is still believed in areas like Iwate and Hyogo prefectures. Some Japanese people from these areas believe that you are not supposed to play in the water during Obon, mostly rivers. They are said to hide in the bottom of the water, waiting to eat spirits that go down the river to cross to the other side during Obon. Kappas often have a negative image since they are a Yokai but the local people consider them as precious beings. Some texts mention that Kappas prefer clean water streams over dirty rivers, so they are said to be living in lower mountains and not suitable to live in high mountains. 

Respecting corpse found in the ocean 

水死体(Suishitai) translates to water corpse. It refers to a corpse of someone who drowned. In the Edo period, it was an unspoken rule for fishermen who found dead bodies in the ocean to carefully carry the body back to the shore. If the body was ignored and left in the ocean, it was believed to be bad luck and something unfortunate would happen. The boats that dragged the body with a rope instead of pulling it up on the boat were said to be mysteriously found sunken the next day due to an unknown accident. Because of this, the fishermen who found a dead body carefully picked it up and carried it to the shore. They would be unable to fish that day, but it was said that the dead person would return the favor by making sure the boat would have a big catch at a later date. 

Why women weren't allowed on a boat

Another myth relating to fishermen is that it was frowned upon for women to go on the boat or go out in the sea. This is said to be because the god of the boat, 船霊様(Funadamasama), would get angry. The boat god is a female god, and the ship carpenter was supposed to enshrine the object of worship when building the boat. These objects of worship were often dolls, human hair, bronze coins, and these objects were buried on the edge of the boat as a talisman, along with a folding fan, white face powder, lipstick, or dice since the god was known to like gambling. When a woman entered the boat, it was believed that the boat god would get jealous of the woman and she would be possessed or they would have a sea storm, so fishermen avoided having women on the boat.

Offering water to the dead who drowned is a Taboo in some areas

Compared to the past, the number of fishermen losing their lives out in the sea have significantly decreased due to the modernization of the boats and an increase in size. However in the past, it was common for fishermen to die while fishing out in the sea. In a city called Minamiboso in Chiba prefecture, it is believed to be bad luck to make an offering of water in the altar among families with fishermen ancestors who died in the sea. This area of Japan used to prosper with tuna fishing, and more than 200 fishermen died in the sea in 10 years during peak. Since it’s not that easy to help someone drowning in the cold water during winter, it is said that oftentimes his peers couldn’t do anything but to just look at the guy dying. From this remorse, people started to think that it was cruel to have someone who drowned in the sea drink more water, and the taboo of offering water to the dead spread.

The day when you are not supposed to look at the sea

There are also a few Taboos relating to the ocean worth noting. In some areas facing the Japan Sea, there is a day when you are not supposed to look at the sea. It is said that on that specific day the dead would come back to this world from the sea, and if the dead sees humans they would get possessed, drag them into the sea and to the other side. So on that day, people living in these areas close all the windows and lock themselves in for the whole day. Such beliefs about the dead coming from the ocean exist in many places throughout Japan, and especially in the summer when many people visit the beach, it is believed that spirits come out of the sea to find companions.  The idea of the sea being a pathway for the dead to come back to this world is widely believed throughout Japan. In Nagasaki prefecture, there is a ritual called 精霊流し (Shoryonagashi) where they would send off the spirit of the dead on a boat, and is performed in festivals during Obon. 

Whales were considered a God

There is also a myth regarding the ocean that's not related to spirits or ghosts. In the past, in coastal villages of Japan, people used to call whales that had been washed up on the shore 恵比寿 (Ebisu). In the poor villages that struggled with hunger, whales were a good source of food, as well as a source of income if they sold the meat or body parts. People in the villages were happy when the whales appeared on the shore, and called them Ebisu by the name of a Japanese god of luck, wealth, and prosperity. There are many places throughout Japan where people still worship whales as a god. Not just whales, people used to call big fish including whales 勇魚 (Isana). Since whales and skipjack tuna shared the same prey, people were able to catch tuna if they marked whales, and Ebisu also became a god of fishermen. 

Myths like these are a crucial part of Japanese culture and history. Visit our Ultimate Guide to Japanese Culture to find out more!