Mackerel Archives - MarkedHistory

Tradition / Region: Japanese Myhtology
Alternate Names: Big mackerel
Category: Yokai, Fish, Mackerel

The Myth

Long ago, in the seas near Irabu Island, there lived a monstrous fish known as the Osaba. Vast and terrifying, it rose from the deep whenever a boat passed, overturning vessels and devouring the people who fell into the water. So great was the fear it inspired that no one dared to sail from Irabu, and the island was left cut off by the sea.

At that time, the village head was a man named Tomomi Ujichika. Seeing his people trapped by terror and loss, he resolved to face the Osaba himself.

After offering prayers to the gods, Ujichika armed himself with a dagger and set out alone in a small boat, sailing far into the open sea. The waters were calm until, without warning, the great Osaba appeared, parting the waves as it opened its enormous mouth and rushed toward him.

Ujichika leapt into the sea and was swallowed whole.

Inside the belly of the beast, he fought desperately, slashing and stabbing until he tore through its entrails. Unable to endure the wounds, the Osaba died, and its blood spread through the surrounding waters.

Ujichika returned to shore victorious and was honored by the villagers, who praised him as their savior. Yet the struggle had drained his life. Not long after, he died from exhaustion, and the people wept for him.

The place where he was buried, Hiyaji, was later revered as a sacred mountain, for there rested the hero who gave his life to free his people from the terror of the Osaba.

Gallery

Sources

TYZ-Yokai Blog contributors. (n.d.). Osaba. In TYZ-Yokai Blog, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1059767734.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 Osaba

The Myth

Among the sayings of the townspeople there was one about mackerel: that it rots while still alive. From this saying arose the strange creature known as Saba-i-gusa.

Saba-i-gusa has the head of a fish, the body of a man, and three legs. Thanks to these three legs, it is said to be a fast runner. One illustration shows it sprinting down the road, sweat pouring from its body, muttering to itself as it runs toward Osaka.

It complains bitterly of its fate. People praised it for being quick, urging it to hurry without rest, so it has been running day and night on all three legs. In its haste, its insides have turned inside out and begun to rot, even though it is still alive. Exhausted and foul-smelling, it worries that no one will hire it if they see its condition, yet it forces itself onward, trying to look lively and useful.

Despite its speed, Saba-i-gusa never reaches its destination in good condition. Its body decays as it runs, proving the truth of the saying that mackerel spoil even before their journey is done.

Thus Saba-i-gusa became a living joke: a creature born from words, embodying haste, overwork, and the misfortune of being praised for speed when speed itself leads to ruin.