The creature lives under the islands of Japan and is guarded by the god Takemikazuchi enshrined at Kashima, who restrains the catfish with a stone. When the Kashima-god lets his guard fall, Namazu thrashes about, causing violent earthquakes.
The legend or myth in Japan is that a gigantic namazu (catfish) lives inside or beneath the earth (or in the mud[1]) which causes earthquakes.[2]
The association of the namazu with earthquake seems to have first occurred in the area around Lake Biwa, around the 16th century.[3] The namazu had been depicted in the Ōtsu-e ("pictures from the city of Otsu") which were manufactured in that area.[a]
This earthquake-causing creature became associated with the deity and "foundation stone" in Kashima, Ibaraki.[3] According to myth, the god Takemikazuchi enshrined at Kashima restrains the catfish underneath a stone (要石, kaname-ishi, perhaps "foundation stone" but maybe more aptly "cap stone").[3][6] When the Kashima-god lets his guard fall, Namazu thrashes about, causing violent earthquakes.[1]
Explanationedit
Widespread connections between catfish and earthquakes in Japan were not present until the late 17th century, and only rose to popularity as symbolically causing or predicting earthquakes during the 19th century.[7] Prior to the 1855 Edo earthquake, an eel fisherman reportedly spotted unusually active catfish in a river, which he took as a predictor of an earthquake. Later that night, the earthquake struck.[8] The anecdote, recorded in an 1856 chronicle of journalistic reporting on the earthquake, is the earliest known claim that catfish can naturally predict earthquakes.[7] In the 1930s, Japanese seismologists Shinkishi Hatai and Noboru Abe demonstrated that catfish in aquaria showed increased agitation several hours before earthquakes occurred, and were able to predict quakes with 80% accuracy.[9]
Historyedit
Ebisu falls asleep guarding the stone for Kajima, who returns belated on horseback. Kaminari creating thunder from the posterior.
These namazu-ewoodblock-prints encompass a large variety of scenes, typically depicting the god subduing the earthquake-causing catfish under a sword or the kanameishi stone.[2] The creature is sometimes referred to as just the "earthquake fish" (jishin-no-uo),[12] and despite the text calling it a catfish, the illustration may be that of a dragon-serpent.[2]
Even though the Namazu was held responsible for the disaster,[b] it was also ironically hailed as a yonaoshi daimyōjin (god of "world rectification"), that is to say, a sort of an "avenger of social injustice" which expressed the public's political sentiment at the time.[14][15] The rich had hoarded their wealth but these were largely disgorged due to the earthquake, and redistributed to the world at large: such is the symbolism of the large gold coins (koban, etc.) scattered by the earthquake depicted in the pictures. A large amount of money went into the rebuilding effort, and the job opportunities resulted in a redistribution of wealth.[16] One picture is printed with a jingle with the refrain "yo-naoshi, yo-naoshi, tate-naoshi" (literally "world-fixing, world-fixing, re-building",[13] which explicitly makes this connection.
Catfish are depicted on pictures of emergency earthquake preparedness activities in Japan. For example, the Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) logo by the Japan Meteorological Agency utilizes pictures of the catfish on devices capable of issuing an early warning. The popular earthquake early warning mobile application Yurekuru Call also has a catfish as their icon.
Namazu is also the name of a song on Danish singer Oh Land's first studio album Fauna, which features a large catfish on the album cover.
In the Japanese version of Secret of Mana, the Earth Slide (Earthquake in the Japanese version) spell is a catfish icon in the ring menu.
A giant catfish mimicking Namazu's habits appears as a boss figure in the video game Lufia II.
The PokémonWhiscash, named "Namazun" in Japan, resembles a catfish and has "earthquake" as its signature move. An episode of the Pokémon anime featuring Whiscash was scheduled to air on November 4, 2004, but was skipped over after the 2004 Chūetsu earthquake.[17]
The Namazu was featured in the episode of River Monsters, "Cold-Blooded Horror".
In S1:E7 of Dragon Ball GT, the character Zoonama appears as a giant catfish that wiggles his whiskers when detecting earthquakes, and repeats the word "Namazu" in his speech.
The myth of Namazu is briefly mentioned by the character Kenjaku in Chapter 133 of the manga Jujutsu Kaisen.
The myth of Namazu and a scroll of namazu-e is referenced throughout the 2022 Japanese animated fantasy film of Makoto Shinkai, Suzume.
Galleryedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Namazu-e.
Takemikazuchi pins down a catfish (namazu) with a spirit stone (kaname-ishi) to prevent earthquakes 1855.
^ abSmits, Gregory (2012). "Conduits of Power: What the Origins of Japan's Earthquake Catfish Reveal about Religious Geography". Japan Review (24): 41–65. ISSN 0915-0986. JSTOR 41592687.
^Smits, Gregory (2014). Seismic Japan : the long history and continuing legacy of the Ansei Edo earthquake. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press. ISBN978-0-8248-3910-9. OCLC 869303977.
^"Sensitivity of Fish to Earthquakes". Nature. 132 (3343): 817. November 1933. Bibcode:1933Natur.132R.817.. doi:10.1038/132817b0. ISSN 0028-0836.
^Entertainment Weekly: Stan Sakai previews new Usagi Yojimbo, TMNT crossover (April 1, 2017)
Bibliography
Ouwehand, Cornells [in Dutch] (1964). Namazu-e and Their Themes: An Interpretative Approach to Some Aspects of Japanese Folk Religion. Leiden: Brill.
Smits, Gregory (Summer 2006). "Shaking up Japan: Edo Society and the 1855 Catfish Picture Prints" (PDF). Journal of Social History. 39 (4): 1045–1078. doi:10.1353/jsh.2006.0057. S2CID 53392354.
—— (2009). "Warding off Calamity in Japan: A Comparison of the 1855 Catfish Prints and the 1862 Measles Prints" (PDF). East Asian Science, Technology, and Medicine. 30: 9–31. doi:10.1163/26669323-03001003.
External linksedit
Namazu-e: Earthquake catfish prints from the period after the Great Ansei Earthquake struck the city of Edo (now Tokyo) in November 1855.
Namazu on GodsandMonsters.info
January 01, 1970
namazu, redirects, here, pokemon, song, fauna, land, album, japanese, mythology, Ōnamazu, 大鯰, giant, underground, catfish, causes, earthquakes, image, humans, battling, creature, lives, under, islands, japan, guarded, takemikazuchi, enshrined, kashima, restrai. Namazu e redirects here For the Pokemon see Namazun For the song see Fauna Oh Land album In Japanese mythology the Namazu 鯰 or Ōnamazu 大鯰 is a giant underground catfish who causes earthquakes An image of humans battling a Namazu The creature lives under the islands of Japan and is guarded by the god Takemikazuchi enshrined at Kashima who restrains the catfish with a stone When the Kashima god lets his guard fall Namazu thrashes about causing violent earthquakes Contents 1 Myth 1 1 Explanation 2 History 2 1 Namazu e 3 Modern use 4 Gallery 5 Explanatory notes 6 References 7 External linksMyth editThe legend or myth in Japan is that a gigantic namazu catfish lives inside or beneath the earth or in the mud 1 which causes earthquakes 2 The association of the namazu with earthquake seems to have first occurred in the area around Lake Biwa around the 16th century 3 The namazu had been depicted in the Ōtsu e pictures from the city of Otsu which were manufactured in that area a This earthquake causing creature became associated with the deity and foundation stone in Kashima Ibaraki 3 According to myth the god Takemikazuchi enshrined at Kashima restrains the catfish underneath a stone 要石 kaname ishi perhaps foundation stone but maybe more aptly cap stone 3 6 When the Kashima god lets his guard fall Namazu thrashes about causing violent earthquakes 1 Explanation edit Widespread connections between catfish and earthquakes in Japan were not present until the late 17th century and only rose to popularity as symbolically causing or predicting earthquakes during the 19th century 7 Prior to the 1855 Edo earthquake an eel fisherman reportedly spotted unusually active catfish in a river which he took as a predictor of an earthquake Later that night the earthquake struck 8 The anecdote recorded in an 1856 chronicle of journalistic reporting on the earthquake is the earliest known claim that catfish can naturally predict earthquakes 7 In the 1930s Japanese seismologists Shinkishi Hatai and Noboru Abe demonstrated that catfish in aquaria showed increased agitation several hours before earthquakes occurred and were able to predict quakes with 80 accuracy 9 History edit nbsp Ebisu falls asleep guarding the stone for Kajima who returns belated on horseback Kaminari creating thunder from the posterior nbsp Kashima controls the namazu Namazu e edit Namazu e 鯰絵 catfish prints were a known item in the 19th century 10 and these broadsides were printed in great quantity following the 1855 earthquake near Edo modern day Tokyo one of the Ansei great earthquakes 11 These namazu e woodblock prints encompass a large variety of scenes typically depicting the god subduing the earthquake causing catfish under a sword or the kanameishi stone 2 The creature is sometimes referred to as just the earthquake fish jishin no uo 12 and despite the text calling it a catfish the illustration may be that of a dragon serpent 2 Even though the Namazu was held responsible for the disaster b it was also ironically hailed as a yonaoshi daimyōjin god of world rectification that is to say a sort of an avenger of social injustice which expressed the public s political sentiment at the time 14 15 The rich had hoarded their wealth but these were largely disgorged due to the earthquake and redistributed to the world at large such is the symbolism of the large gold coins koban etc scattered by the earthquake depicted in the pictures A large amount of money went into the rebuilding effort and the job opportunities resulted in a redistribution of wealth 16 One picture is printed with a jingle with the refrain yo naoshi yo naoshi tate naoshi literally world fixing world fixing re building 13 which explicitly makes this connection Modern use editThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed October 2021 Learn how and when to remove this message Catfish are depicted on pictures of emergency earthquake preparedness activities in Japan For example the Earthquake Early Warning EEW logo by the Japan Meteorological Agency utilizes pictures of the catfish on devices capable of issuing an early warning The popular earthquake early warning mobile application Yurekuru Call also has a catfish as their icon Namazu is also the name of a song on Danish singer Oh Land s first studio album Fauna which features a large catfish on the album cover In the Japanese version of Secret of Mana the Earth Slide Earthquake in the Japanese version spell is a catfish icon in the ring menu In The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past a catfish gives Link the Quake Medallion A giant catfish mimicking Namazu s habits appears as a boss figure in the video game Lufia II The Pokemon Whiscash named Namazun in Japan resembles a catfish and has earthquake as its signature move An episode of the Pokemon anime featuring Whiscash was scheduled to air on November 4 2004 but was skipped over after the 2004 Chuetsu earthquake 17 The Namazu was featured in the episode of River Monsters Cold Blooded Horror Namazu appears in a crossover comic book featuring Stan Sakai s Usagi Yojimbo and IDW s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 18 The Namazu are a Tribal race that resembles bipedal catfish in Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood In S1 E7 of Dragon Ball GT the character Zoonama appears as a giant catfish that wiggles his whiskers when detecting earthquakes and repeats the word Namazu in his speech The myth of Namazu is briefly mentioned by the character Kenjaku in Chapter 133 of the manga Jujutsu Kaisen The myth of Namazu and a scroll of namazu e is referenced throughout the 2022 Japanese animated fantasy film of Makoto Shinkai Suzume Gallery edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Namazu e nbsp Takemikazuchi pins down a catfish namazu with a spirit stone kaname ishi to prevent earthquakes 1855 nbsp Namazu the savior citation needed nbsp Earthquake Early Warning FM Radio containing an EEW Namazu logo lower right of top photo Explanatory notes edit Ōtsu e are regarded as precursors to ukiyo e 4 5 And even referred to as norakura namazu good for nothing namazu for being such an opportunist catching the gods off guard 13 References editCitations a b Rabitz Albrecht Rabitz Gisela 2010 When the Namazu Shakes its Body Andon 88 pp 5 27 a b c Ouwehand 1964 p 6 a b c Smits 2009 pp 10 11 Smits 2006 n13 Ouwehand 1964 p 46 Ouwehand 1964 pp 67 72 a b Smits Gregory 2012 Conduits of Power What the Origins of Japan s Earthquake Catfish Reveal about Religious Geography Japan Review 24 41 65 ISSN 0915 0986 JSTOR 41592687 Smits Gregory 2014 Seismic Japan the long history and continuing legacy of the Ansei Edo earthquake Honolulu University of Hawaiʻi Press ISBN 978 0 8248 3910 9 OCLC 869303977 Sensitivity of Fish to Earthquakes Nature 132 3343 817 November 1933 Bibcode 1933Natur 132R 817 doi 10 1038 132817b0 ISSN 0028 0836 Smits 2009 p 10 Smits 2006 p 1055 Smits 2009 pp 10 11 Ouwehand 1964 p 4 a b Ouwehand 1964 p 16 Smits 2006 p 1046 Ouwehand 1964 pp 14 16 yo naoshi daimyōjin Smits 2006 p 1055 Newtype ポケットモンスター アドバンスジェネレーション テレビ東京系 木 Entertainment Weekly Stan Sakai previews new Usagi Yojimbo TMNT crossover April 1 2017 Bibliography Ouwehand Cornells in Dutch 1964 Namazu e and Their Themes An Interpretative Approach to Some Aspects of Japanese Folk Religion Leiden Brill Smits Gregory Summer 2006 Shaking up Japan Edo Society and the 1855 Catfish Picture Prints PDF Journal of Social History 39 4 1045 1078 doi 10 1353 jsh 2006 0057 S2CID 53392354 2009 Warding off Calamity in Japan A Comparison of the 1855 Catfish Prints and the 1862 Measles Prints PDF East Asian Science Technology and Medicine 30 9 31 doi 10 1163 26669323 03001003 External links editNamazu e Earthquake catfish prints from the period after the Great Ansei Earthquake struck the city of Edo now Tokyo in November 1855 Namazu on GodsandMonsters info Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Namazu amp oldid 1223446999, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
