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Paper short abstract:

The resurgence of the supernatural creature Amabie has been one of the more notable reactions to Covid-19 in Japan. This paper will examine how the phenomenon has been appropriated and adapted to the current situation, confluently by the public as well as by religious institutions and the state.

Paper long abstract:

In 1846 a yōkai (妖怪), a female mermaid monster of a sort, appeared to and spoke to an inspecting official in southern Japan. According to the legend she not only foresaw great prosperity for the community but also offered up a magical protective recourse should disease hit (which at the time was cholera).

The idea of this yōkai, whose name is Amabie (アマビエ), found a very fertile ground in March 2020 as Covid-19 reared its ugly head all over the world. What is of particular interest however is how the legend, and the magical power imbued by those who drew or obtained her image, gained not only general popularity but was quickly incorporated into official scripts such as that of the Ministry of Health, on posters which were circulated all through Japan, as well as adopted by official religious establishments and given or sold as official talismans on their behalf.

This paper will follow the development of the legend, from its rebirth and evolution online through to its consequent migration into various angles of society. Drawing on theories of the liminal and of the cultural power of legends, its development will be examined as well as how it got adapted to a different time and society. The pre-existing elements in Japanese society which allow for such an immediate yet farfetched combination will be examined, especially the religious synchronicity which so defines the Japanese religious attitude and quite happily allows for the supernatural to encroach upon the sphere of normalcy.

The connection between a supernatural monster, Twitter and modern day magico religious talismans may seem tenuous to most, yet in the current Japanese cultural climate it is in keeping with tradition and representative of how folklore still lives a good life in modern Japanese society.