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Overview
The jishin-uwo is a vast catfishlike being said in Griffis’s account to carry the world on its back. It is about seven hundred miles long, with its tail at Awomori and the base of its head at Kyoto, placing Japan above it. Large feelers surround its mouth. Their movement signals anger; movements of its head, tail or whole body produce the earthquakes described in the story.
Kashima is assigned to keep it still. He restrains its gills and fin and, when necessary, holds it down with the Kanamé rock. The preceding episode describes that stone as a sword thrust through the earth by Kashima and gradually changed into rock, with its name explained through the rivet holding a fan together. The rock’s origin and its later use to pin the fish belong to the same narrated explanation.
The chapter closes with verses about Kashima’s guard and supposed weather or illness omens derived from the time of an earthquake. Those are reported folkloric explanations, not geology or reliable predictions. The account’s dimensions, geography and catfish comparison are version-specific; its name jishin-uwo is retained without claiming that this short English telling establishes the earliest form of Japan’s earthquake-fish tradition.
Origins & earliest records
Japanese narrative in an English literary collection
Records & interpretation
Full chapter, conclusion and collection preface directly read.
Selected bibliography
Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.
- 01
Japanese Fairy World: Stories from the Wonder-Lore of Japan
XXVI, The Earthquake Fish, pp.223–226
Family & connections
A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.
Primary records and illustrations
William Elliot Griffis, Japanese Fairy World (1887 edition)
English literary collection. XXVI, The Earthquake Fish, pp.223–226
Complete chapter and preface read. The chapter closes with verses about Kashima’s guard and supposed weather or illness omens derived from the time of an earthquake. Those are reported folkloric explanations, not geology or reliable predictions. The account’s dimensions, geography and catfish comparison are version-specific; its name jishin-uwo is retained without claiming that this short English telling establishes the earliest form of Japan’s earthquake-fish tradition.
References
Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.
- Historical English literary retellingGriffis, Japanese Fairy World (1887), XXVI, The Earthquake Fish, pp.223–226Research access: 2026-10-05
Image credits
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