Umibozu, terror of the sea

The Japanese Yokai must be some of the most diverse and widespread monsters in mythology. Some are feared demons, and others are benevolent spirits. From divine animals to living objects, they come in all shapes, powers, and moral alignment. Of course, such diversity means that some are more well-known than others, and today we will cover one of the most mysterious Yokai: the Umibozu.

This water Yokai tends to be in the least known, directly reflecting the mysterious aura that the sea had in those times. However, one thing is certain, the Umibozu was the terror of all sailors in Japan due to its hostility. They appeared in the dread of the night during calm weather, bursting out of the water in a sudden storm. Depending on their size and the size of the targeted ship, they would either destroy their target in one slash or bit by bit. Sometimes, they would ask the sailors for a barrel to flood the deck and sink the ship. If they gave them a bottomless barrel, the Umibozu would be unable to attack the boat. This would be the only hope for the sailors. Appearance-wise, those Yokai are known to be quite massive. Only their head and shoulder ever appear to the human, and even then, they are described as being slightly larger than a ship of that era to over 10 meters tall. Their body is quite simple, a vaguely humanoid figure with ink-like skin and two large yellow eyes. They are also entirely bald, which causes them to be compared to monks.

This Yokai has many stories surrounding its origin, but the most popular is about monks being thrown at the sea by villagers. Their soul, filled by the rage of their untimely death, turned into the Umibozu who would terrorize all sailors. This story also directly reflects the name of such creatures, translated from Japanese to ‘sea monk.’