Shachihoko

Shachi on the roof of Nagoya Castle

A shachihoko float used in Karatsu Kunchi festival

A shachihoko (鯱鉾 / 鯱) – or simply shachi (鯱) – is an animal in Japanese folklore 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 roof ornaments (shibi) crafted in the form of a shachihoko, in order to protect them from fire. Those buildings were often made of wood, rendering them flammable.

Dating from as early as the Han dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD), a similar creature known as the Chiwen, one of the Nine sons of the dragon, serves a roughly equivalent function in Chinese architecture and mythology.

鯱 is a kokuji character; when pronounced shachi (鯱), it also means "orca".

See also

• Gargoyle
• Grotesque (architecture)
• Makara (Hindu mythology)
• Onigawara
• Shibi (roof tile)
• Team Shachi (originally Team Syachihoko), a J-pop idol group which formerly used the animal in its name and logo

External links

• Media related to Shachi at Wikimedia Commons