Tradition: Chinese Mythology
Alternative Names: , Monk Fish, Bōzufish
Category: Turtle
The Myth
The Heshangyu is a red supernatural creature said to inhabit the East China Sea. It has the head of a Buddhist monk and the body of a turtle. The Ming dynasty illustrated work Sancai Tuhui describes it as having a monk-like head, a turtle-shaped body, and red colouring.
In the Japanese encyclopaedia Wakan Sansai Zue, Terajima Ryōan identified the Heshangyu with the Umibōzu, a supernatural sea spirit associated with Japan’s western seas. In 1709, Kaibara Ekiken’s Yamato Honzō also recorded the name Bōzufish, although it provided little additional description.
The folklorist Kenji Murakami suggested that the creature may have originated from people interpreting sea turtles as supernatural beings.
Sources
“和尚鱼 (Héshàng yú).” Chinese Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%92%8C%E5%B0%9A%E9%B1%BC