Aquatic Yokai

An 1846 sea spirit that foretold plague, asking its image be shown to the sick.

A yokai heard but rarely seen, washing azuki beans by a riverbank at night.

A colossal ghost whale said to appear off the coasts of Shimane and Yamaguchi, rising from the night sea as a massive skeleton surrounded by strange birds and fish.

A sea yokai from coastal Kyushu and Chugoku said to lurk beneath rocky reefs and stroke the hulls of passing ships, causing them to sink.

A collective vengeful spirit formed from the souls of those who perished in maritime disasters, particularly along the coasts of Kyushu. The kainan-hoshi haunts coastal waters and is believed to capsize vessels and drag sailors to their deaths.

A water yokai with a dish atop its head, pulling horses and people into rivers.

A supernatural otter yokai that haunts Japan's rivers and ponds. After living many years, ordinary otters were believed to gain shapeshifting powers, transforming into humans to play tricks on unsuspecting villagers.

A Japanese sea creature with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a fish. Eating ningyo flesh is said to grant immortality — a belief central to the legend of the 800-year-old nun Yaobikuni.

A sea demon from Kyushu formed when a turban shell (sazae) transforms into an oni after years in the ocean. Said to sink boats and attack fishermen, it was illustrated by Toriyama Sekien as a shell-bodied female demon.

A red-haired, humanlike sea spirit that loves sake above all things and brings good fortune to those who share wine with it, the protagonist of the famous Noh play of the same name.

A ferocious water demon with tiger-like strength inhabiting rivers and ponds across Japan. Derived partly from Chinese natural lore, it is often conflated with the kappa but is considered more dangerous and purely predatory.

A colossal black shape rising from calm seas to capsize ships like a sea monk.

A massive sea and mountain demon with the head of a bull and the body of a monster. It terrorizes coastal regions of western Japan, devouring humans and livestock.