![konatsu tunacan konatsu tunacan](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/69/dd/db/69dddb6f0bc2794bf3a6a5e1b65e6e12.jpg)
The yokai is now showing up everywhere, including on pancakes…
![konatsu tunacan konatsu tunacan](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/0e/b9/c0/0eb9c0c7f4bd51ce042a2b170eb02d96.jpg)
![konatsu tunacan konatsu tunacan](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/69/dd/db/69dddb6f0bc2794bf3a6a5e1b65e6e12.jpg)
▼ Amabie fits in perfectly with some of our most current imagery. This image is a sign of the times, with references to the panic-buying of toilet paper and personal hygiene goods. People are even calling on Amabie to help protect them by combining her powers with a more conventional form of protection. The person who sketched this one says it looks like Amabie is modelling for a hair commercial. ▼ A lot of artists are using colour and humour to bring hope to a worrying situation. ▼ And some are more traditionally eerie and yokai-esque than kawaii. ▼ Some are stamped, to more closely resemble the original… Artists everywhere are picking up their art equipment and heeding the yokai’s advice to draw her and “show it to everyone” by sharing images of her widely on Twitter. Now that the coronavirus epidemic has spread to become a pandemic, Amabie’s words are really striking a chord with people around Japan. ▼ The tile block print is now held by the Kyoto University Collection. The image of Amabie that appears on the tile shows the apparition to have long hair flowing down to the ground, a body covered in scales like a mermaid, three legs, and a beak. After venturing out to the spot, the apparition stood before the official, telling them that a bountiful harvest was predicted for the next six years.Īmabie then said: “If an epidemic spreads, draw a picture of me and show it to everyone.” The tile tells the story of how Amabie appeared, during April of that same year, when a government official went out to inspect something that was shining brightly in the sea. Each is known to have a supernatural power, and one that people have found to be particularly appropriate for our times is a yokai called Amabie, who’s said to prevent the spread of epidemics.Īccording to an Edo-period tile block print dated to 1846, Amabie first appeared in the sea by modern-day Kumamoto Prefecture on the southern island of Kyushu. Yokai are supernatural spirits, demons and monsters which have been mentioned in ancient texts for centuries and widely popularised during the Edo Period (1603-1868). People in Japan are turning to the mysterious Amabie to help us through the coronavirus pandemic.Īs countries around the world struggle to control rising cases of coronavirus, people are buying out masks, cancelling events, washing their hands to the tune of “Happy Birthday”, and praying to safeguard themselves and their loved ones.Įvery little bit helps when you’re dealing with a pandemic that’s being described as “the worst public health crisis for a generation”, and here in Japan people are turning to a mysterious yokai from traditional folklore to help ease their worries.