Fun Trivia : Did you know Catfish exist in Japanese mythology called Namazu?
Legend has it that there was a giant underground catfish which causes earthquakes and lives under the islands of Japan.
It was believe to be have been spotted at Lake Biwa and there is an Otsu-e painting depicting the creature in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture.
So the producers of Shogun knew what they were doing when they created this scene of Yabu and Ishido about the supersition.
It happened when an eel fisherman reportedly spotted unusual active catfish in a river, followed by an earthquake.
Namazu was considered by the people to be "Yanaoshi Daimyojin" (God of World Rectification), an avenger of social injustice.
They believed the rich hoarded their wealth but were disgorged due to earthquake and redistribute to the people in rebuilding efforts.
Although Ishido repeatedly tries to deny it but you can tell that he is actually terrified knowing that his recent actions were "immoral".
Being born a peasant, he would believe the Namazu but pretend not to care to show his followers that he is not a peasant but a Samurai.
And the fact that Toranaga survived the earthquakes thrice implies that the Gods or Namazu have favored him over Ishido.
Toranaga probably believe in it to, thinking that Anjin is sent by the Gods to protect him. One reason he decides to keep him by his side.
Toranaga, being an opportunist and strategist, takes the earthquake as an omen that those who follow Ishida would be doomed.
Not only is he now a "rebel", being abandoned by the Taiko's heir and consort, Ochiba but also abandoned by the Gods.
Japanese religion and folklore brim with an astounding variety of deities and creatures, products of a polytheistic belief.
Richly varied in appearance and behaviour, this pantheon laid the groundwork for the Kaiju culture of modern era like Godzilla.
Some believe Godzilla to be simply a demonic but some believe it to be a wrath of the Gods sent to punish humans, like the Namazu.
A reason that I've always loved watching Japanese films is that there's always a mix of legends which adds to the mystery.
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here's something stupid: the catcatfish
some quick facts:
they're nocturnal and tend to roam around while awake.
they have keen senses of smell and hearing, but terrible eyesight. despite this, they also have a tapetum lucidum, making their pupils "glow" in the dark.
their fur is short, dense, and oily to waterproof them.
they prefer a diet of mostly meat and are attracted to strong-smelling food like fish, cheese, and anything fermented.
the elongated dewclaw on each front paw is sharp, flexible, and nonretractable. it injects a venom that causes respiratory failure and cardiac arrest in prey and, in extreme doses, humans. veterenarians typically remove the dewclaw venom glands during the neuter/spay procedure.
they grow to an average of 1m and 23kg (3ft and 50lb) but can reach up to double that length and triple the weight!
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Join me in the catfish pile
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Oh thank god they’re no longer obscene!
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Would you be so kind as to draw a fish? Any fish you desire. But it needs legs.
At first I was gonna be really pedantic and do the whole "uh ahkshually every tetrapod I've drawn is technically a fish with legs"
But then I thought about how cool a Madtom with boots would be
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Daily fish fact #734
Squarehead catfish!
They're ambush predators, hiding themselves in the soft substrate of their riverine and pond habitats and using their moveable barbels as bait. They're very dedicated to their disguise, not moving even when touched lightly!
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Catfish stuffed with Cream Cheese, Mozzarella, Spinach & Shrimp. (via Instagram)
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god i love the blue catfish so much. kind of a terrifying superpredator honestly. they like living in muddy water so their eyesight is dogshit, but they've got these huge barbels around their face to feel around, and their whole body is covered in almost two hundred thousand tastebuds to figure out exactly where their prey is, and they've got a special adipose fin to be extra tuned-in to water currents/pressure, and they have super keen senses of hearing at really low AND high frequencies, and they ALSO have a deeply forked tail to decrease drag so they can just cruise around and gulp down literally whatever they want, including other catfish, even in like zero-visibility water where every other animal is basically blind. and they get so fucking stupid huge with this technique that nothing can grab them because they're as big as a person. and if an eagle or something does grab one before it's gotten big enough to be eagle-proof, the catfish has fucking POISON KNIVES on its fins to not only stab things but also envenomate them in the process
you may not like it, but THIS is what peak performance looks like
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