Jinja-hime

Drypoint etching, 100×150, May 2020

Series: Japanese phantoms

The Jinja-hime, or ‘shrine princess’, is a yokai spirit similar to the Amabie. It has a beautiful woman’s face with two horns, and a dragon’s body with a pike-blade tail. It first appeared from the sea in Hizen Province (now Saga and Nagasaki Prefectures) on April 18, 1819. Like the Amabie, keeping a picture of the Jinja-hime in your home was thought to be effective against plagues.

Available as a postcard!