Shachihoko

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Gryffindor (talk | contribs) at 23:39, 17 January 2018 (→‎External links). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

A shachihoko float used in Karatsu Kunchi festival

A shachihoko (鯱鉾 or 鯱) or shachi () is an animal in Japanese folklore with the head of a tiger and the body of a carp.[1] 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.

When pronounced "shachi", 鯱 also means orca.[2]

A shachihoko decorates the roof of Okayama Castle

References

  1. ^ しゃちほこ (in Japanese). 三省堂 大辞林.
  2. ^ "しゃち" (in Japanese). 三省堂 大辞林.

External links

Media related to Shachi at Wikimedia Commons