Mythical Tigerfish

Hello! Another post about Japanese mythology!

If you go to any older building or temple made in the Edo period (1603-1868) in Japan you might find what is called shachihoko on the edges of it. They look like this:

Of course not all of them are golden but they are a unique architectural style to many Japanese buildings.

The shachihoko can also be found in Chinese mythology as well but that’s not surprising since people from China migrated to the island of Japan in the first place. The shachihoko are believed to be able to bring rain so many were put on building for protection from fires. During the Edo period, most buildings were wooden so it makes sense that the people would put up charms against fire.

The shachihoko are said to be half carp half tiger. When it comes on land it turns into a tiger and in the water it is a carp. They are thought to look like this:

There are a lot of carp or koi in Japanese mythology because they are seen as the most inspiring of all fish. This is because they swim up rivers and they don’t give up even if they are pushed back. They are so admired that many get tattoos of them. All the types of koi tattoos can be found here.

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