are
creatures from Japanese mythology, resembling large
mollusks
Mollusca is a phylum of protostomic invertebrate animals, whose members are known as molluscs or mollusks (). Around 76,000 extant species of molluscs are recognized, making it the second-largest animal phylum after Arthropoda. The num ...
. They are a type of
obake
and are a class of ''yōkai'', preternatural creatures in Japanese folklore. Literally, the terms mean ''a thing that changes'', referring to a state of transformation or shapeshifting.
These words are often translated as "ghost", but prima ...
that forms when
turban snails, especially ''
Turbo sazae
''Turbo sazae'', also known by its Japanese name sazae (サザエ), is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk, in the family Turbinidae, the turban snails.MolluscaBase (2018). ''Turbo sazae'' Fukuda, 2017. Accessed through: World R ...
'', reach 30 years of age.
Mythology
The most popular legend of the Sazae-oni is that of a group of
pirate
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and valuable goods, or taking hostages. Those who conduct acts of piracy are call ...
s who rescued a drowning woman from the sea and took her back to the ship. They vied for her attention, but soon found that she was willing to have sex with all of them, then cut their
testicle
A testicle or testis ( testes) is the gonad in all male bilaterians, including humans, and is Homology (biology), homologous to the ovary in females. Its primary functions are the production of sperm and the secretion of Androgen, androgens, p ...
s off afterwards. The men, obviously upset, threw her into the ocean, where she revealed her true form, and bartered with the captain for their testicles back. The Sazae-oni ended up leaving with a large amount of pirate gold. Testicles are sometimes called ''kin-tama'' or "golden balls" in Japanese, so the punchline goes that gold was bought with gold.
Other legends of these creatures depict them wandering into coastal or seaside inns whilst in human guise, whereupon they devour the innkeeper in the night and then escape before morning.
See also
*
List of legendary creatures in Japanese mythology
*
Obake
and are a class of ''yōkai'', preternatural creatures in Japanese folklore. Literally, the terms mean ''a thing that changes'', referring to a state of transformation or shapeshifting.
These words are often translated as "ghost", but prima ...
*
Shen (clam-monster)
In Chinese mythology, the shen or chen () is a shapeshifting Chinese dragon, dragon or shellfish-type sea monster believed to create mirages.
Meanings
The Chinese classics use the word ''shèn'' to mean "a large shellfish" that was associated w ...
References
External links
Sazae Oni - The Turban Shell Demonat hyakumonogatari.com (English).
{{Japan-myth-stub
Female legendary creatures
Mythological molluscs
Water spirits
Yōkai