Umibōzu or Umi-bōzu (海坊主, lit. sea bonze) is a sea monster in Japanese folklore.
Etymology
The name, which combines the character for "sea" with the character of "Buddhist monk," is possibly related to the fact that the Umibozu is said to have a large, round head, resembling the shaven heads of Buddhist monks.
Origin
Umibozu are believed to be drowned priests, and exhibit the shaven head and typically appears to be praying.
Appearance
These giant, massive creatures may be as large as mountains, rising suddenly out of the waters and causing ships to wreck. Umi-bozu are commonly described as great black or dark grey hairless heads, with slippery black skin and huge glowing eyes. By some accounts they have smaller arms that are held close to their bodies as they rise from the waves. By others they have giant tentacles that come from beneath the waters and cause chaos for the nearby ships.
Behavior
Fishing is scarce when this beast is around, and it has been known to capsize boats and drag people into the sea. According to one story, if angered, they ask that the crews provide a barrel that it proceeds to fill with sea water to drown them. To avoid this disastrous fate, it is necessary to give him a bottomless barrel. This folktale is likely related to another Japanese tradition, which says that the souls of people who have no one to look after their graves take refuge at sea.
Art/Fiction
The umibozu is a very well known youkai as it is also recognized in modern Japanese culture. Examples:
- Shigeru Mizuki's popular manga series Gegege no Kitaro features an umibozu in its cast.
- A character in the manga/anime City Hunter is nicknamed Umibozu. He is a large muscle-bound hitman and his bald head is what earned him the nickname of Umibozu.
- In a filler arc of the anime Naruto, a man who is an accomplice of Orochimaru named Amachi summoned a creature known as Umibozu which is a monster made up of water, with a grey outline as a body, sometimes used to help sink ships traveling from the Sea Country to the Water Country.
- Umi Bozu is Monster in My Pocket #118.
- Umibozu is the name of an elite special forces unit in the JMSDF from the anime Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.
- Umibozu is also the name of Kagura's father (who is bald and has been referred to as a monster) in the manga Gintama.
- The manga/anime/movie Lovely Complex features a fictitious band named Umibozu with an eponymous, bald, lead singer.
- A traditional Umi Bozu folktale is told in the second story arc of the Mononoke (anime), a sequel to the Ayakashi (2006 anime) which combined folktales, Kabuki plays and animated verisons of 19th century woodblock art prints to retell classic ghost stories.