Umi-bozu

Umi-bozu


A sea monster which appears frequently in coastal folklore and Edo period writings. It is notorious for wrecking boats and dragging people into the sea or, like its kin the  funa-yūrei, asking with dire intentions for a ladle for bailing out boats. While it takes various shapes, is most commonly conceived as something huge and pitch black with ambiguously human features and a common lack of eyes or hair. Umi-bōzu are giant black bulbous beings that live in the sea. Sometimes they have glowing eyes and a beak, and other times they have no facial features at all. To survive an umi-bōzu encounter at sea, one should remain quiet and look in the opposite direction. Speaking or looking at the creature may send it into a rage -- and that usually ends in tragedy.