Umishika - Sea Deer (うみしか)

Translation: Sea Deer
Habitat: Southern Japan high seas
Food: Carnivorous; fish and sometimes fishermen

Appearance: Umishika are dangerous sea monsters found in the open waters off the southern coast of Kyushu. Since they live underwater, their appearance is not well known or described. Sea rocks attacking fishing boats have been described as shadows lurking beneath the waves. Fishermen on Kyushu Island are very afraid of them.

Behavior: Little is known about the natural behavior of the umishika as they live deep underwater in the open ocean and are therefore rarely seen by humans. They hunt medium-sized fish such as skipjack tuna. They are aggressive and will attack fishing boats that enter their feeding grounds.

Origin: The color of the sea comes from the folklore of Yakushima. There is a famous story about the taboo that prohibits fishing on the 16th day of the 5th month of the old calendar in Umishi.

Legend: Long a go, the 16th of May is the festival of the mountain gods. On this day, the mountain gods gather for a grand banquet, and villagers are forbidden to enter the mountains.

On this day one year, a fishing boat from the village of Ichijo went out to the high seas in the northwestern part of the island to catch bonito. A large number of fish were gathering near the surface, and the fishermen were convinced that there was a large shoal nearby. When the boat arrived on the scene, the fishermen were delighted and effortlessly caught fish after fish.

Suddenly, a huge black object appeared under the surface of the water. An old fisherman shouted, "It's a sea rock!" The fishermen hurriedly reeled in their lines, set their sails, and prepared to return to shore. But the sea stone had already spotted them.

The Seastone chased the ship, in and out between the waves. The wind blew against the boatd making escape difficult. The fishermen paddled the boat as hard as they could. They tried to slow its progress by throwing all the tuna they caught into the wake. But it wasn't long before sea rocks appeared on them.

As the seastone was about to climb aboard, one of the fishermen grabbed an oar and shoved it as hard as he could into the monster's open mouth. The seastone fell back into the sea and stopped chasing the boat. The fishermen hoofed it back to shore, exhausted but grateful for their lives.

The villagers decided that it was not only forbidden to enter the mountains on this day, but also the sea. From then on, on the 16th of May, hunters and fishermen stayed at home to worship the gods of the mountains and the sea and to hold a festival.