Kinshachi: Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
mNo edit summary |
||
| Line 22: | Line 22: | ||
The most renowned ability of the shachihoko is its control over water. They can store large amounts of water in their stomachs, and can summon rain clouds to create a downpour. Due to these two traits, the Japanese favored them as guardian spirits of water, placing them on the edges of roofs of important buildings. The idea was, should a fire break out in the building a shachihoko was guarding, it would summon rain clouds to help put out the fire. | The most renowned ability of the shachihoko is its control over water. They can store large amounts of water in their stomachs, and can summon rain clouds to create a downpour. Due to these two traits, the Japanese favored them as guardian spirits of water, placing them on the edges of roofs of important buildings. The idea was, should a fire break out in the building a shachihoko was guarding, it would summon rain clouds to help put out the fire. | ||
While shachihoko can be found on palaces, temples, and samurai houses, the golden shachihoko known as kinshachi can only be found on Nagoya Castle. Two kinshachi can be found on its roof, as both a statement of power and to protect the castle from fires. They're so famous that they've become the most | While shachihoko can be found on palaces, temples, and samurai houses, the golden shachihoko known as kinshachi can only be found on Nagoya Castle. Two kinshachi can be found on its roof, as both a statement of power and to protect the castle from fires. They're so famous that they've become the most renowned feature of the castle, and recognised as a symbol of the entirety of Nagoya. | ||
The kinshachi were originally made in the Muromachi Era by melting down gold coins and adding a layer over a base of wood and lead. Over the kinshachi's lifespan, they was melted down three times due to economic struggles; once in 1730, again in 1827, and once more in 1846. During World War II, Nagoya Castle suffered major damage and lost the kinshachi as a result. In 1959, however, they were rebuilt alongside the rest of the castle, much to the delight of the residents of Nagoya. | The kinshachi were originally made in the Muromachi Era by melting down gold coins and adding a layer over a base of wood and lead. Over the kinshachi's lifespan, they was melted down three times due to economic struggles; once in 1730, again in 1827, and once more in 1846. During World War II, Nagoya Castle suffered major damage and lost the kinshachi as a result. In 1959, however, they were rebuilt alongside the rest of the castle, much to the delight of the residents of Nagoya. | ||
Revision as of 23:55, 30 November 2017
| Kinshachi | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 金鯱 | |||
| Character Data | |||
| AKA | Golden Tiger-Headed Carp, Golden Shachihoko
| ||
| Romaji | Kinshachi
| ||
| Debut | Not Featured Yet | ||
| Cryptid Data | |||
| Classification | Mythological Creature
| ||
| Origin | Japanese
| ||
| F.R.A. | Unknown
| ||
| Based On | Carp, Tiger
| ||
| Read More | Shachihoko
| ||
| Conservation | 
| ||
| Kinshachi | KF3 | Gallery |
Kinshachi is a type of Friend that first appeared in the second Parco event.
Series Appearances
| Media | Role | |
|---|---|---|
Origins
A kinshachi is not an animal that exists in the wild, but instead can be found within Japanese mythology. The name 'kinshachi' (金鯱) comes from the characters for gold (金) and 'shachi' (鯱) which is shorthand for 'shachihoko' (鯱鉾). These two characters together mean 'golden shachihoko'.
A shachihoko (lit. 'Killer Whale') is also a mythical being. Despite their name, they are comprised of a tiger's head on the body of a large fish. They like to reside in the colder, more northern waters, and their fins and tails always point upward towards Heaven.
The most renowned ability of the shachihoko is its control over water. They can store large amounts of water in their stomachs, and can summon rain clouds to create a downpour. Due to these two traits, the Japanese favored them as guardian spirits of water, placing them on the edges of roofs of important buildings. The idea was, should a fire break out in the building a shachihoko was guarding, it would summon rain clouds to help put out the fire.
While shachihoko can be found on palaces, temples, and samurai houses, the golden shachihoko known as kinshachi can only be found on Nagoya Castle. Two kinshachi can be found on its roof, as both a statement of power and to protect the castle from fires. They're so famous that they've become the most renowned feature of the castle, and recognised as a symbol of the entirety of Nagoya.
The kinshachi were originally made in the Muromachi Era by melting down gold coins and adding a layer over a base of wood and lead. Over the kinshachi's lifespan, they was melted down three times due to economic struggles; once in 1730, again in 1827, and once more in 1846. During World War II, Nagoya Castle suffered major damage and lost the kinshachi as a result. In 1959, however, they were rebuilt alongside the rest of the castle, much to the delight of the residents of Nagoya.
The kinshachi's fame has also been its own downfall. Due to its golden shell, it's also attracted the attention of thieves, both real and fictional. The most famous example of a fictional thief is of Kinsuke Kakinoki, who attempts to steal the golden scales of the kinshachi by riding a kite to the roof of Nagoya Castle. In real life, a thief tried to make off with 58 of the 110 scales on the bodies of the kinshachi in 1937. He was later caught and arrested when he tried to sell them off.
Trivia
- The two kinshachi on Nagoya Castle have defined genders; a male and a female.
- The 'Rainmaker' weapon in the video game Splatoon is named the ガチホコ in Japan ('Gachihoko' in Japanese, 'Real Earnest Shachihoko' in English). They're modelled after the kinshachi on Nagoya Tower, and helps whoever equips it with torrents of paint as a reference to the mythological beast's water-manipulating powers.
References
Yokai.com. (2017). Shachihoko. [online] Available at: http://yokai.com/shachihoko/ [Accessed 1 Dec. 2017].
Onmarkproductions.com. (2017). Shachihoko or Shachi - Creature with Tiger Head & Fish Body. [online] Available at: http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/shachihoko.html [Accessed 1 Dec. 2017].
Moshimoshimo's Room. (2017). Kinshachi, the golden Shachihoko in Nagoya Castle. [online] Available at: https://moshimoshimo.wordpress.com/2007/08/19/kinshachi-the-golden-shachihoko-in-nagoya-castle/ [Accessed 1 Dec. 2017].
Nagoya Like It Is. (2017). Brief History of Nagoya castle. [online] Available at: https://nagoyalikeitis.wordpress.com/2017/01/03/brief-history-of-nagoya-castle/ [Accessed 1 Dec. 2017].
Nagoyajo.city.nagoya.jp. (2017). Nagoya Castle Official Website. [online] Available at: http://www.nagoyajo.city.nagoya.jp/13_english/index.html [Accessed 1 Dec. 2017].
Sasaguchi, R. (2017). Breathing life into the mythical shachihoko / The Japan Times. [online] The Japan Times. Available at: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2010/01/15/stage/breathing-life-into-the-mythical-shachihoko/#.WiDJHlVl-M8 [Accessed 1 Dec. 2017].
Travelko.com. (2017). Nagoya Castle / Recommended attractions in Nagoya, Takayama(Aichi, Gifu) / TRAVELKO. [online] Available at: http://www.travelko.com/locale/en_US/review/jp_5_y9/sightseeing/spot/128220/ [Accessed 1 Dec. 2017].