At-kor-kamuy

At-kor-kamuy ( Ainu : アッコㇽカムイ , "tau [= tentacle] possessing deity ( kamuy )"; Japanese アッコロカムイ , Akkorokamui ) is a giant squid - monster from folklore the Ainu , a population of indigenous people of northern Japan , which in the Funka Bay (Uchiura Bay) east of the Oshima Peninsula of Hokkaidō is said to emerge.

history

John Batchelor reported a sighting of the monster in his book The Ainu and Their Folklore :

“... three men, it was said, were at sea to catch swordfish, when suddenly a large sea monster, with big, staring eyes, appeared in front of them and began to attack the boat. The monster was round in shape, and emitted a dark liquid that was very strong and gave off a pungent odor. "

Tales claim that the animal can reach lengths of 120 meters.

Shintoism

The worship of this monster has also carried over to Shintoism . Akkorokamui was worshiped there as a local kami . It is seen there as a benevolent deity with healing powers, but also with great jealousy. Special cleansing rituals are prescribed for worship. Sea animals are preferred as offerings.

There are shrines dedicated to the deity in Kyoto and Hokkaido . Nade yakushi is worshiped there at the same time .

Trivia

A surfing beach on the Gold Coast (Australia) was named after the monster .

Individual evidence

↑ アイヌ大辞典 . P. 395 , accessed August 13, 2017 (Japanese).
↑ “… three men, it was said, were out trying to catch a sword-fish, when all at once a great sea-monster, with large staring eyes, appeared in front of them and proceeded to attack the boat. The monster was round in shape, and emitted a dark fluid which has a very powerful and noxious odor. " John Batchelor: The Ainu and Their Folklore. London: The Religious Tract Society 1901.
^ Emiko Tierney: Illness and Culture in Japan: an Anthropological View. Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, New York: Cambridge University Press 1984.
↑ Katao, Miki. Shingyoku & Teramachi-dori: Crossroads of Today and the Past. Learning About Kyoto. Kyoto University of Foreign Studies. Archive link ( Memento of the original from July 22, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2

↑ wannasurf.com .

Web links

[1] アイヌ大辞典 . P. 395 , accessed August 13, 2017 (Japanese).

[2] “… three men, it was said, were out trying to catch a sword-fish, when all at once a great sea-monster, with large staring eyes, appeared in front of them and proceeded to attack the boat. The monster was round in shape, and emitted a dark fluid which has a very powerful and noxious odor. " John Batchelor: The Ainu and Their Folklore. London: The Religious Tract Society 1901.

[Tierney-3] Emiko Tierney: Illness and Culture in Japan: an Anthropological View. Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, New York: Cambridge University Press 1984.

[Katao-4] Katao, Miki. Shingyoku & Teramachi-dori: Crossroads of Today and the Past. Learning About Kyoto. Kyoto University of Foreign Studies. Archive link ( Memento of the original from July 22, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . @1@ 2

[5] wannasurf.com .