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Ferocious Fiends: 008

Funa-yurei

舟幽霊

Pronunciation:

(FOO-nah YOO-ray)

English Name:

Literally, “Ship-Ghouls”;

Sea Phantoms,

Marine Spirits

Alternate Japanese Names:

Hiki-funandama, Obako, Yobashiri, etc.

Gender:

Male

Height:

Average adult male height

Weight:

Unknown

Locomotion:

Floating, swimming

Distinctive Features:

Skeletal humanoids

Offensive Weapons:

A fisherman’s ladle

Abundance:

Prevalent

Habitat:

Coastal waters, lakes, rivers

Claim to Fame:

The Funa-yurei are the lonely, restless souls of those who have drowned at sea. They rise from the depths as the sun sets, banding together in small groups to seek out and sink the boats of living fishermen and travelers. They are common in coastal waters throughout Japan; in land-locked areas, they are known to prowl lakes and rivers.

According to one tale, the Funa-yurei simply want others to share their sad fate. In other tales it is said that the individual souls cannot leave their phantom boat until they find a living victim to replace them.

They can appear in a range of forms, from fairly healthy-looking individuals to skeletal humanoids clad in tattered and waterlogged clothing, their flesh picked clean by aquatic creatures. From this it could be theorized that the length of time since death affects their outward appearances. In nearly all cases their heads are crowned with white triangular headdresses of the sort used in Buddhist funeral rituals to prepare corpses for their journey to the underworld.

The Attack!

Funa-yurei always appear at twilight or in the predawn hours, often in reduced-visibility conditions such as stormy or foggy weather. Encounters follow a predictable pattern. You are bobbing along in your fishing boat when you notice a faint light approaching you. These lights are often (but not exclusively) accompanied by a steady, rhythmic drumming, creating a processional atmosphere. As the light moves closer, you realize that it’s attached to a small fishing skiff with several individuals aboard. It pulls alongside and something seems amiss. In a ghostly voice, one of the “men” intones, “Ladle. Give me your ladle.”

Do not be fooled by outward appearances. While some Funa-yurei look like reanimated corpses, the recently deceased may look surprisingly like normal humans. The key is to watch the headgear. If the inquisitor is wearing a triangular funeral headdress, you are up the proverbial creek without a paddle: damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Hand over the requested ladle and the Funa-yurei will use it to scoop a tremendous quantity of water into your boat, scuttling it. Refuse—or simply happen to not have a ladle on hand—and they will capsize your vessel in fury. In either case you’re going on a one-way trip to the Japanese equivalent of Davy Jones’ Locker.

Funa-yurei are known to exploit the use of lighthouses (or signal fires in the old days) by generating false lights to confuse and lure fishing vessels farther out to sea. Seasoned navigators know to keep careful watch: the position of human-generated lights remains fixed, but the phantom glow of a Funa-yurei tends to flicker, bob, and weave.

A 19th-century print showing the Funa-yurei in action. Note the ladle.

WEATHER WATCH:

Funa-yurei appearances often accompany strange weather patterns, such as a sunny day suddenly turning cloudy or waves and whitecaps developing in a dead calm. Nights of the full moon and the time period corresponding to the Japanese holiday of O-Bon, the festival of the dead, also raise your likelihood of encountering these yokai.

Surviving an Encounter:

To this very day, many a Japanese fisherman refuses to leave port without a bottomless ladle aboard. You would be advised to do the same. Scoop as they may, Funa-yurei won’t be able to lift any water into your boat.

Yokai Trivia:

So why a ladle? It’s a play on words. Inata, a variation on the Japanese word inada (ladle), is slang for fisherman” in some regional dialects.

Funa-yurei do not necessarily appear in boats. Cases of them surfacing from the sea, either individually or en masse, have been reported as well.

Nearly every fishing village in Japan has its own legends of Funa-yurei claiming family, friends, or neighbors. Even today, there are occasional reports of what appear to be brightly glowing boats effortlessly skimming through waters known to be too shallow for any normal vessel to move.

A traditional ladle. Don’t forget to poke holes in the bottom!