is an enormous,

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...

-like

sea monster Sea monsters are beings from folklore believed to dwell in the sea and are often imagined to be of immense size. Marine monsters can take many forms, including sea dragons, sea serpents, or tentacled beasts. They can be slimy and scaly and are of ...

said to live off the coast of Matsuura and other places in Western

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

Description

According to the ''

Ehon Hyaku Monogatari The , also called the is a book of ''yōkai'' illustrated by Japanese artist Takehara Shunsensai, published about 1841. The book was intended as a followup to Toriyama Sekien's ''Gazu Hyakki Yagyō'' series. Like those books, it is a supernatura ...

'', its body has never been seen, as it is always "hidden beneath the waves, save for its huge tail fin which is covered in small barbs." In theory: :It approaches boats stealthily and uses its hooked tail to snare sailors and drag them into the sea, where it devours them. When it appears, fierce winds blow. It may also simply use its tail to capsize boats, or strike the beach with its tail and kill people there.

Notes

References

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External links

Isonade
at the

Kaii-Yōkai Denshō Database The is a database of ''yōkai'' and mystery stories which have been collected from Japanese folklore. The database is published by International Research Center for Japanese Studies. The prototype was created on March 19, 2002, and the first live ...

Legendary fish Sea monsters Yōkai Water spirits {{Japan-myth-stub