Shachihoko

In Japanese mythology, a shachihoko (鯱, shachihoko) is an animal with the head of a tiger and the body of a carp. It was believed that this animal could cause the rain to fall, and as such, temples and castles were often adorned with shibi (鴟尾, shibi) in this shape, in order to protect them from fire.

The above kanji can actually be pronounced in two different ways. When pronounced "shachihoko", it refers to the mystical animal mentioned above. When pronounced "shachi", it means grampus; a dolphin or orca. This is a source of confusion, even among the Japanese.

Its image is widely believed to be based on Makara of Hindu mythology.

References

Much of the content of this article comes from the equivalent Japanese-language article, accessed April 1, 2006.