The Sea beast of Kanezaki Inlet – [Yokai/Former Cryptid]

Description

The Sea Beast at Kanezaki Inlet – [Yokai/former cryptid]

• About this Yokai: a creature which was spotted at the kanezaki inlet in fukuoka prefecture. It’s obviously a seal (Or at least identical in every way.) with a 3 meters long chubby body with brown fur, long, sharp, fin-like limbs. it holds a bucket in its mouth and looks defiant.

• History: This creature was recorded as one of 33 yokai that appeared in fukuoka, as part of the “Kaikidan Ekotoba” (dated Mid-19th century.) – according to a leaflet from the fukuoka museum  the text reads somewhat like follows: [rough translation.]

“During the Bunka-era (1804-18), a creature like the one shown was napping on a rock at Kanezakiura in Munakata County. The local people gathered together with sticks and other objects and tried to hold the beast’s head under a nearby bucket. However, the creature resisted, including stealing the bucket. so, a large group of people approached the creature and beat it to death with sticks. The beast was said to have been about 3 meters long. The beast was then transported to Fukuoka.”

Bakomono-e (monster scrolls) of the Edo-period also occasionally feature illustrations of unfamiliar creatures for the time, animals that without a doubt existed, but were otherwise rarely seen (Such as Sea lions, recently extinct Wolves & Sun-fish.) – [I personally like to sub-catagorize these as “Former Cryptids” seeing as they’re cataloged along side folkloric monsters, is quite similar to how animals such as the Platypus, Komodo Dragon or Giant Squids (which at a time, were all either thought to have been fakes, hoaxes or just myths, but later turned out to be very much real creatures.)

— However, it should also be noted that whether or not this particular scroll was produced in a joking manner (or not) is also unknown. [A few of the other entries strike me as what could have been ‘political cartoons’ for the time, so, that’s why i mention it. there is a possibility that it could have have simply been included for a chuckle. ]

As a fun fact, the original image of this yokai, was later photo shopped & used as part of The Sea Rabbit Centre by Rougue Taxiderist: Takeshi Yamada of Koney island, Brooklyn, NYC. – [in a nutshell, it became what could be catagorized as a ‘fearsome critter‘ in the states!] – so one way or another, it did lead to some folklore in the end afterall! – [maybe i’ll add ears to it later.]

Art sticker by @samkalensky part of my night parade of 100 demons sticker collection check my shop for many more.