Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: Choco, Choco-sai, Choco Rhino
Category: Mollusc
The Myth
Choco Sai is a strange aquatic creature depicted in an Edo-period yōkai picture scroll. It is said to inhabit the waters around Shikoku, Hachijō Island, and Matsumae, with its name varying by region: it is called Choco in Shikoku and Choco-sai around Hachijō Island and Matsumae. The creature has a small, charming appearance and is described as resembling a tiny octopus. When sprinkled with salt and grilled on skewers, it supposedly looks and tastes like dried sardines. One depiction shows six Choco Sai skewered together, while another portrays a creature with a squid-like beak and plate-shaped suckers on its limbs.
Despite its appealing appearance, Choco Sai can be dangerous. Fish that approach to prey on it are bitten and become its victims, while humans who encounter groups of these creatures underwater may also lose their lives. In 1783, a person in Matsumae reportedly encountered a school of Choco Sai and approached by boat, intending to catch and eat them. The creatures appeared unwilling to flee, but closer inspection revealed that they were being sucked up and eaten by people underwater.
A man named Sōzō from Nagiri Village in Iyo Province was said to have survived three life-threatening experiences. One occurred at Obama in Matsumae, where he was stung by a Choco Sai and suffered severe swelling and pain throughout his body for about a month. He eventually recovered naturally, but it was later claimed that applying spicy oil could immediately cure a Choco Sai sting. The creature remains an unusual and obscure yōkai, known from a surviving picture scroll and a handful of strange tales.
Sources
“Choco-Rhino.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1084332981.html