Amahiko – 尼彦 – [Yokai]

Description

Amahiko -(JP: アマビコ, 尼彦) – [yokai|Yogenju] [1876 Nagano News ver] – 

Definitely one of the stranger looking iterations of “Amabiko” you’ll see, Amabiko is the 3 legged monkey looking thing that predated the popular mermaid Yokai AMABIE, this one looks almost nothing like the original! –

This one appeared in the June 21, 1876 edition of the Nagano Newspaper, like the previous iterations of Amabiko, it gave a prediction and a blessing:  “From this year forwards, there will be a great harvest for six years. But this year there will be an epidemic in the country and 60% of the people will die! If you draw a picture of me and look at it every morning and evening, you will be spared from the disease…” – The typical blessing yet again, but the article itself also ends with the writer saying something close to:

“…Someone told me about this so I wrote an article about it. Rather than doing something like that, read the newspapers and take care of yourselves.”

– I feel that is a pretty sweet sentiment!! So I included it hidden on the sticker. 🥰

Timeline wise, this one also appeared in the same month,  as ‘’Arie” (June 17, 1876,) who the papers would later out as a “phony.” after Arie: newpapers largely stopped reporting about prophetic yokai. (there was a government crackdown on folklore in general at that time.)

Sticker Art by @Samkalensky (yo, thats me!) – Part of my Night parade of 100 Demons – Yokai & Japanese folklore sticker collection, weather resistant 4″ sticker. Check my shop & follow @samkalensky for many more!