The Bake-kujira (Japanese: 化鯨, ghost whale)[a] is a mythical Japanese yōkai (ghost, phantom, or strange apparition) from western Japan. It is described as being a skeleton whale that is accompanied by unknown fish and weird birds.[1][2] It takes its revenge against people who hunt whales or eat whale meat,[1][3] and does so by cursing them with plagues and fire.[4] It is also known as Hone Kujira (骨鯨, bone whale).[5]
References
Notes
^Alternatively romanized as bakekudira or bake kudira.
^McElroy, D. R. (2020). Superstitions: a handbook of folklore, myths, and legends from around the world. New York, NY: Wellfleet Press. p. 54. ISBN978-1-57715-191-3.
^Roberts, Jeremy (2010). Japanese mythology A to Z (2nd ed.). New York: Chelsea House Publishers. p. 11. ISBN978-1-60413-435-3.