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De!nition ADVERTISEMENT REMOVE ADS

by Mark Cartwright Send to Google Classroom:

published on 12 June 2017

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Namazu (aka Onamazu) is the giant cat!sh of

Japanese mythology held responsible for creating
earthquakes. The creature was thought to live
under the earth, and when it swam through the
underwater seas and rivers there, it caused
earthquakes. Subdued by the thunder god
Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto, Namazu, nevertheless,
remains a force to be reckoned with, even if he
can, on occasion, bring good fortune and a
redistribution of wealth as well as devastation.

The Japanese archipelago has su"ered periodic

and devastating earthquakes throughout its
history (10% of the world’s seismic activity occurs
in Japan), and the creation of a monster which
personi!ed these terrible events was a mechanism
which allowed people to explain and justify their
seemingly random occurrence. The cat!sh Namazu
Namazu swimming in the waters deep beneath the by Unknown Artist (Public Domain)

earth is thus an answer to the cause of the movement of the earth. Closely associated
with the thunder gods, Namazu is seen as their counterpart below the earth. There was
also another earthquake god, Nai-no-kami, who appears around the 7th century CE ADVERTISEMENT REMOVE ADS
and later became identi!ed with Namazu. In the Meiji Period (1868-1912 CE) Nai-no-
kami was separated again and given his own personi!cation.

Although Namazu was capable of great destruction, help was at hand from the heroic
thunder and warrior god Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto (aka Kashima Daimyojin), for it
was he who had a special stone, the kaname-ishi ('pinning rock'), and digging down into
the earth he used the stone to weigh down Namazu’s head, restricting his movements
and so limiting the frequency, or at least the intensity, of earthquakes. The 15 cm tip of
this massive stone which still projects through the earth’s surface can be seen at the
Kashima shrine of Hitachi, to the northeast of Tokyo. Thus, there is a popular saying:
“Even if the earth moves, have no fear, for the Kashima kami (spirit) holds the the
kaname-ishi in place” (Ashkenazi, 220).

One legend recounts that Tokugawa

Mitsukuni (1628-1700 CE), perhaps in a !t of
scepticism, attempted to excavate the
kaname-ishi stone and see just how deep it NAMAZU’S EFFORTS
went, but he gave up a#er seven days of MIGHT BRING
digging and a#er he still hadn’t found the DESTRUCTION &
bottom of the stone. Unfortunately, Namazu DESPAIR BUT HE DOES
is not always pinned down for when HAVE A POSITIVE SIDE:
Takemikazuchi-no-mikoto has to attend the THE REGULAR RENEWAL Powered by Mailchimp
annual conference of all the gods at Izumo, OF THE WORLD KNOWN
the cat!sh can squirm a little more than Newsletter
AS YO-NAOSHI.
usual and cause an earthquake or two by
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spread of placing stones similar to the kaname-ishi at shrines to try and prevent or
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Namazu’s e"orts might bring destruction and despair but he does have a positive side.
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The cat!sh represented the regular renewal of the world known as yo-naoshi which was
History Enthusiast
welcomed by the poor as an opportunity to shake up the wealthy classes, redistribute
Teacher
their accumulated riches, and make a new start. This idea became especially popular
Student
following a series of earthquakes in the Edo Period (1600-1868 CE) which many times
Librarian
reduced the haves to the level of the have-nots and provided the poor with a
momentary opportunity to improve their lot in the chaos that immediately followed SUBSCRIBE
such disasters. The yo-naoshi idea includes the hope that the poor will inherit the
wealth of the rich and this role-reversal has meant that Namazu is sometimes
associated with good fortune, or more speci!cally a temporary fortune. This is
manifested in shrines or depots sacred to a local deity with an aspect of Namazu.
Known as kuramaya, people may borrow bowls and utensils from them, but Namazu
will bring personal misfortune if they are not cared for and returned a#er use.

Takemikazuchi and Namazu were popular subjects in Japanese paintings, especially

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ukiyo-e prints, when they were used during the Edo Period as talismans in people’s We are a non-profit
homes to prevent serious earthquakes from striking and invoke Takemikazuchi’s help organization.
should they do so. Images of Namazu are still around today, too, and seen, for
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example, on the digital warning devices produced by Japan’s Meteorological Agency. with cultural heritage and to
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This content was made possible with generous support from the Great Britain Sasakawa
Foundation .

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This article has been reviewed for accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards
prior to publication.

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Bibliography
Ashkenazi, M. Handbook of Japanese Mythology. Oxford University Press, 2008.
Cali, J. Shinto Shrines. Latitude 20, 2012.
Hackin, J. Asiatic Mythology. Literary Licensing, LLC, 2013.
Henshall, K. Historical Dictionary of Japan to 1945. Scarecrow Press, 2013.

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About the Author

Mark Cartwright
Mark is a history writer based in Italy. His special interests include Our Videos
pottery, architecture, world mythology and discovering the ideas that
all civilizations share in common. He holds an MA in Political You can also follow us on

Philosophy and is the Publishing Director at AHE. Youtube!

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Cite This Work

APA Style
Cartwright, M. (2017, June 12). Namazu. Ancient History Encyclopedia. Retrieved from
https://www.ancient.eu/Namazu/

Chicago Style
Cartwright, Mark. "Namazu." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Last modified June 12, 2017.
https://www.ancient.eu/Namazu/.

MLA Style
Cartwright, Mark. "Namazu." Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia, 12
Jun 2017. Web. 25 Nov 2020.

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