Akkorokamui

Akkorokamui

Akkorokamui is a giant octopus-like monster from Ainu folklore. The Ainu people live in Hokkaido, Japan. They tell stories about Akkorokamui. According to these stories, Akkorokamui lives deep in Uchiura Bay in Hokkaido.

People say that Akkorokamui can grow very big — as large as one hectare. These stories show how the Ainu people share tales about powerful creatures.

Nomenclature

In the Ainu language, the word for octopus is at-koro-guru, meaning "something with thin strands". This relates to the name at-kor-kamuy, a special spirit with many tentacles.

The monster is sometimes written in kanji as 大章魚, meaning "giant octopus". Another Ainu word for octopus is atuina, meaning "sea-ritual decor". People have shared stories about this creature for many years, calling it atui-na or akkorokamui.

Legend

The akkoro kamuy is a giant octopus from old stories. It is said to live in Funka Bay, also called Uchiura Bay. Legends say it can grow very big, as large as one hectare, which is about 110,000 square feet. It was thought to be able to swallow whole ships.

There are different tales about how this monster came to be. One story says it was once a huge spider that caused trouble in a village. People asked the sea god Repun Kamuy for help, and the spider changed into the giant octopus. Another story tells of a goddess who lost a special piece of clothing in the sea, and it turned into the octopus. No matter the story, the akkoro kamuy was seen as a powerful creature.

Rātoshikamui

A giant octopus named Rātoshikamui appears in Ainu stories. Its name means "many-tailed god" in the Ainu language. This octopus was known as the strongest creature in the sea.

Old tales from the Ishikari area tell of Rātoshikamui meeting another powerful creature, the huri kamui, a giant bird that ruled the land. They fought to see who was stronger. The octopus sprayed ink and tried to pull the bird into the water. The bird tried to lift the octopus out. Neither could win, and they ended in a draw. This struggle gave the area around the Ishikari River its name.

Similar creatures

Funka Bay has stories about another giant sea creature called the atuy kakura, a special kind of sea cucumber also known as fujiko. Legends say this sea cucumber changed shape after a woman's clothing fell into the water. It uses its mouth to hold onto floating wood and can sometimes flip over fishing boats that get too close.

Another story tells of the atuy kor ekas, a giant red monster said to live near Muroran. There is also the repun ekas, a huge sea monster said to eat whales. In one story, two fishermen were swallowed by this monster but managed to start a fire inside it, which made the monster spit them out. After their adventure, the men's hair fell out and they became bald.

In Shinto

The giant monster Akkorokamui from Ainu folklore is now part of Shinto beliefs. It is seen as a spirit called a kami. Akkorokamui can help heal and share knowledge, but it is also unpredictable and sometimes harmful. Many shrines in Japan honor Akkorokamui and other sea spirits.

People who honor Akkorokamui often give it gifts like fish and shellfish because it loves the sea. They believe that by showing respect to Akkorokamui, they may receive healing, especially for injuries or marks on the body.

In popular culture

In the Bob's Burgers episode "Flu-ouise", Louise Belcher has toys named after famous creatures from Japanese stories. One toy is an octopus called Akkoro Kamui. These toys come to life in a dream Louise has when she's sick. Akkoro Kamui even sounds like Louise's mom, Linda. The toys also appear in The Bob's Burgers Movie.