UMIBŌZU 海坊主
Pronunciation: OO-mee-BOH-zoo
Translation: Sea Monk
Also known as: Umihōshi (海坊師), Uminyūdō (海入道)
Overview
The umibōzu are mysterious sea monster yōkai that appear far from shore and have the ability to capsize or sink entire ships, killing everyone on board. Reports vary, but almost all agree they are enormous, dome-shaped black creatures with ill intent. Some accounts say they are smooth and have no faces at all, while others report glowing red eyes and a mouth that stretches from ear to ear. The protruding head-like part of this creature can be many times larger than the boat itself, but there’s no way of knowing how big the body extending under the surface of the water is—no one’s been brave enough to jump in and see. But the umibōzu aren’t always huge—they can be small enough to get caught up in nets too.
Sightings can occur any time of the day or night and in any kind of weather. Although, if one (or more; sometimes they attack in groups) does show itself on a calm day, it will rise up out of the water looking like the shaven head of a monk (hence the name “sea monk”), and the weather will quickly turn rough.
The umibōzu have been feared by sailors for centuries, and there are many illustrations and accounts of run-ins with them. There is an early depiction of one of these sea monsters on a hand scroll from about 1700 called Bakemono no E (化け物の絵), or Illustrated Index of Supernatural Creatures. This colorful and atypical painting shows a beast with the same smooth bald pate but fins running down its back, a toothy smile, and tentacle-like protrusions snaking from its nose.
The agreed-upon method of escaping a sea monk is for all the sailors to cover their mouths and not make a sound. If the monster hears something, it will immediately destroy the vessel, drowning everyone on board. If the crew are completely silent, then it will pass by. However, it’s rumored that just encountering an umibōzu means someone on the boat will die in the near future.
Background and Popular Stories
In old Japan, women were not allowed on ships. Sailors considered the ocean female—a very powerful goddess, if you will, so by inviting a woman aboard, they risked provoking the ocean’s jealousy, and that would undoubtedly lead to bad luck at sea, something no sailor wants.
The Edo-era (1603–1867) compilation Kii Zōdan Shū (奇異雑談集) was published in 1687 in Kyoto. This collection of strange tales and supernatural phenomena—thought to be a republishing of earlier works—contains this popular story about the umibōzu. Once upon a time, a boat set off from Ise Province (now Mie Prefecture) to Cape Irako. The captain of the ship, as was custom at the time, refused to allow any women to set sail with them. But one of the men, a sailor named Zenchin, snuck his wife aboard. After they got out to sea, the vessel was hit by a violent storm. Zenchin’s wife was discovered, and the captain assumed it was having her aboard that angered not the sea itself but the dragon god, Ryūjin (see the Ryū entry), who lived deep in the ocean. In order to appease the disgruntled and tantrum-throwing god, the captain began throwing overboard anything he thought might calm the dangerous deity.
Unfortunately, this didn’t work—the storm raged on. Eventually, a creature the story called the kuro nyūdo emerged from the turbulent waters. Its head was six times as big as a human head, and it had glowing eyes and a horse’s mouth. Zenchin’s wife realized what she had to do and flung herself into the ocean. The kuro nyūdo seized her, and instantly the storm ceased. She had saved the ship and its crew. The kuro nyūdo were said to be dragon gods that had fallen and now swam around demanding sacrifices. Except for the horse’s mouth, they sound suspiciously like umibōzu.
Sea monks are among those yōkai that have had more recent sightings too. In 1971, off the coast of Onagawa in Miyagi Prefecture, a fishing boat called the 28th Konpira Maru suddenly had a fishing line cut, and then a large, wrinkly grayish-brown creature with no mouth surfaced. The startled crew was about to poke it with a harpoon when it vanished under the water.
In Modern Stories
In the manga and anime Gintama, Umibōzu is a powerful alien hunter. He’s not a sea creature but a human who does end up bald. Interestingly, the kanji for his name has been changed, and the character for “star” is included at the beginning (星海坊主). It doesn’t change the pronunciation, but it does make his title as “alien hunter” more appropriate. Another bald human character named Umibōzu can be found in the manga and anime City Hunter.