Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: Himeuo, Ojinjahime, Kamiikehime, Shrine Princess
Category: Mermaid, Yokai
The Myth
In the spring of 1819, a strange fish washed ashore on a beach in Hizen Province. A man named Hachibei went to see it, and as he approached, the creature spoke.
“I am a messenger from the Dragon Palace,” it said. “My name is Jinjahime. For the next seven years there will be good harvests. But after that, a terrible disease called Korori will spread among the people. Paint my image and display it, and those who look upon it will be spared the sickness and granted long life.”
The creature was said to be long-bodied like a great fish, with a human face, two horns upon its head, and a tail shaped like three blades. Its belly shone red like fresh blood. After delivering its prophecy, it disappeared.
People quickly spread drawings of Jinjahime, believing that the image itself carried protection. Copies of the strange fish were painted, printed, and passed from house to house so that many might be saved from the coming illness.
Other stories soon followed of similar beings—fish with human faces who rose from the sea to warn people of disaster and promise protection through their likeness. Yet it was Jinjahime, the Shrine Princess, whose image first spread widely, remembered as the sea-messenger who came ashore to foretell both prosperity and plague.
Gallery
Sources
tyz-yokai.blog.jp contributors. (n.d.). Jinjahime. In tyz-yokai.blog.jp, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1077741611.html
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
- Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
- Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
- Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
- Marxist Deep Dive
Other
- How to Invite The Jinjahime