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EAST ASIAN MYTHOLOGY MEME:

[1/6] LEGENDARY CREATURES | FUNAYŪREI

Funayūrei (船幽霊) are ghosts that have become vengeful spirits at sea. They have been passed down in the folklore of various areas of Japan. In the Yamaguchi Prefecture and the Saga Prefecture, they are called Ayakashi.

Funayūrei are ghosts believed to use hishaku (ladles) to fill boats with water and make them sink. They are said to be the remnants of people who have died in shipwrecks and are attempting to cause humans to join them. According to legends, there are various methods that can be used to protect from the harm they inflict, such as throwing onigiri into the sea or preparing a hishaku with its bottom missing.

Their appearance as depicted in legends varies widely depending on the area. There are stories that speak of ghosts that appear above water, of boats that are themselves ghosts (ghost ships), of ghosts that appear on human-occupied ships, or of any combination of the above. There are many legends of funayūrei at sea, but they have also been described as appearing in the rivers, lakes, and swamps of inland areas.

They often appear in rainy days, as well as nights on a new or full moon, and on stormy nights and foggy nights. When it appears as a boat, the funayūrei itself glows with light, so that it is possible to confirm its details even at night. In the past, to avoid shipwreck on a day of bad weather, people would light a bonfire on land, but a funayūrei would light a fire on open sea and mislead the boatmen, and by approaching the fire, one would get eaten by the sea and drown.