Amemasu (雨鱒) or Ō-amemasu (大アメマス) (raintrout) is a giant whale- or fish-like creature from Ainufolklore. Some of the largest amemasu are said to live in Lake Mashū and Lake Shikotsu in Hokkaidō, with smaller ones inhabiting lakes throughout northern areas of Honshu. The amemasu are known for capsizing boats, creating earthquakes, and causing other natural disasters.
An amemasu is able to take on a human appearance, usually of a beautiful woman, in order to lure young men to their deaths. The skin of an amemasu is said to be cold and clammy, much like fish skin, which is how they can be identified when they are in human form.[1]
Legendsedit
The inhabitants of Hokkaido believed that large amemasu held up the Earth. Sometimes, the fish would get tired and this could cause earthquakes, similar to the namazu.[2]
In Akita Prefecture, there is a place called Amemasu Otoshi (アメ鱒落し). Legend says that the amemasu so powerful, it was able to kill a hawk, even though it died in the end.[3]
There is an island in the middle of Lake Kussharo in Hokkaido. The lake is said to be home to a large amemasu, whose head resembled a rock and whose tail stretched to the Kushiro River. An Ainu hero, Otashitonkuru, took a harpoon, determined to poke out the eyes of the amemasu. However, the fish started fighting back. Desperate to hold on to the harpoon, Otashitonkuru held on to a rock and the struggling amemasu pulled so hard that the rock became the island in the middle of the lake.[4][5]
In one tale, the amemasu swallows a deer that has come down to the lake to drink, but the deer's antler tears open the great fish's belly and kills it. The amemasu's enormous corpse then blocks up the lake and puts it in danger of flooding. A god in the form of a bird warns the people in villages nearby. The villagers upstream escape to higher ground, but the people downstream, not believing the bird, find the amemasu's body and drag it out of the lake, after which the water comes rushing out with such force that everything downriver is washed away. That area is now the flat Konsengen'ya plain.[citation needed]
^"サーモンミュージアム（鮭のバーチャル博物館）｜マルハニチロ株式会社". www.maruha-nichiro.co.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-10-24.
^. www.masyuko.or.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2014-07-05. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
^"White Spotted Char / Iwana or Ame Masu | Tokyo Fly Fishing & Country Club | 東京フライフィッシング＆カントリークラブ". Tokyo Fly Fishing & Country Club | 東京フライフィッシング＆カントリークラブ. 14 September 2011. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
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amemasu, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, november, 2011, le. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Amemasu news newspapers books scholar JSTOR November 2011 Learn how and when to remove this message Amemasu 雨鱒 アメマス or Ō amemasu 大アメマス rain trout is a giant whale or fish like creature from Ainu folklore Some of the largest amemasu are said to live in Lake Mashu and Lake Shikotsu in Hokkaidō with smaller ones inhabiting lakes throughout northern areas of Honshu The amemasu are known for capsizing boats creating earthquakes and causing other natural disasters Contents 1 Appearance 2 Legends 3 Other Uses 4 ReferencesAppearance editAn amemasu is able to take on a human appearance usually of a beautiful woman in order to lure young men to their deaths The skin of an amemasu is said to be cold and clammy much like fish skin which is how they can be identified when they are in human form 1 Legends editThe inhabitants of Hokkaido believed that large amemasu held up the Earth Sometimes the fish would get tired and this could cause earthquakes similar to the namazu 2 In Akita Prefecture there is a place called Amemasu Otoshi アメ鱒落し Legend says that the amemasu so powerful it was able to kill a hawk even though it died in the end 3 There is an island in the middle of Lake Kussharo in Hokkaido The lake is said to be home to a large amemasu whose head resembled a rock and whose tail stretched to the Kushiro River An Ainu hero Otashitonkuru took a harpoon determined to poke out the eyes of the amemasu However the fish started fighting back Desperate to hold on to the harpoon Otashitonkuru held on to a rock and the struggling amemasu pulled so hard that the rock became the island in the middle of the lake 4 5 In one tale the amemasu swallows a deer that has come down to the lake to drink but the deer s antler tears open the great fish s belly and kills it The amemasu s enormous corpse then blocks up the lake and puts it in danger of flooding A god in the form of a bird warns the people in villages nearby The villagers upstream escape to higher ground but the people downstream not believing the bird find the amemasu s body and drag it out of the lake after which the water comes rushing out with such force that everything downriver is washed away That area is now the flat Konsengen ya plain citation needed Other Uses editAmemasu is also a name given to the white spotted char Salvelinus leucomaenis 6 References edit Amemasu Yokai com yokai com Retrieved 2018 10 24 サーモンミュージアム 鮭のバーチャル博物館 マルハニチロ株式会社 www maruha nichiro co jp in Japanese Retrieved 2018 10 24 アメ鱒 鷲 アメマス ワシ 怪異 妖怪伝承データベース www nichibun ac jp Retrieved 2018 10 24 サーモンミュージアム 鮭のバーチャル博物館 マルハニチロ株式会社 www maruha nichiro co jp in Japanese Retrieved 2018 10 24 弟子屈なび 観光 屈斜路湖 www masyuko or jp in Japanese Archived from the original on 2014 07 05 Retrieved 2018 10 24 White Spotted Char Iwana or Ame Masu Tokyo Fly Fishing amp Country Club 東京フライフィッシング カントリークラブ Tokyo Fly Fishing amp Country Club 東京フライフィッシング カントリークラブ 14 September 2011 Retrieved 2018 10 24 nbsp This article relating to Japanese mythology is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Amemasu amp oldid 1188465376, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
