Umibōzu

Umibōzu (海坊主, "sea priest") is a giant, black, human-like being and is the figure of a yōkai from Japanese folklore.

Some examples of things that could have been misinterpreted include sea organisms, cumulonimbus clouds, big waves, and other natural phenomena.

[2] 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 the hull and scull as well as put out the basket fire.

In Cape Shiriya, Higashidōri, Shimokita District, Aomori Prefecture, it is said that people eaten by sharks would become "mōjabune".

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 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.

During the Mongol invasions, they were considered to be the spirits of those who died in water, and their name was ateji for Mongolian Koguryo.

[4] Umibōzu are also said to change their appearance, and in Kesennuma Ōshima, Miyagi Prefecture, there are tales of them shapeshifting into beautiful women and engaging in swimming contests with humans.

[1] In Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture, there are tales where they would shapeshift into a zatō (blind person) and kill human women.

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 a crocodile, the torso of a fish, the tail of a lobster, and the cry of a bull.

According to legend, they live in rivers near Kaesa, Nakano, and had giant bodies and black heads that looked like big Buddha statues.

[7] In the Kii Zōdan Shū of the Edo Period are statements about umibōzu called "kuro nyūdō" (black priest initiates).

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 the ocean, and the kuro nyūdō gulped down that woman, upon which the storm stopped.

[11] 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 was that?"

[2][13] 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.

In the early Edo period scroll Bakemono no e, umibōzu 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).

It appears as a large, black humanoid figure that only ever rises from the ocean to about its waist, never revealing its lower half.

One common theme in every account is the eyes which seem to pierce the sailors and stands out in stark contrast with the black void of its skin.