Asakiyume mita

Amabie (アマビエ) is a legendary Japanese mermaid or merman with 3 legs, who allegedly emerges from the sea and prophesies either an abundant harvest or an epidemic ... An amabie appeared in Higo Province (Kumamoto Prefecture) according to legend, around the middle of the fourth month, in the year Kōka-3 (mid-May, 1846) in the Edo era. A glowing object had been spotted in the sea, almost on a nightly basis. The town's official went to the coast to investigate, and witnessed the amabie. According to the sketch made by this official, it had long hair, a mouth like bird's bill, was covered in scales from the neck down, and three-legged. Addressing the official, it identified itself as an amabie and told him that it lived in the open sea. It went on to deliver a prophecy: "Good harvest will continue for six years from the current year; if disease spreads, show a picture of me to those who fall ill and they will be cured." Afterward, it returned to the sea. The story was printed in the kawaraban (woodblock-printed bulletins), where its portrait was printed, and this is how the story disseminated in Japan.

Here's what that first picture looked like (to me like something a kid would draw in their notebook):



The blog Spoon and Tamago shares several amabie images. Here are two:

By freelance illustrator Sunsuke Sataka:


By manga artist Keiichi Tanaka:


And there are a wealth of people sharing them these days on Twitter:

by Twitter user AutumnWyvern:



by Twitter user Bnmloiu



by Twitter user Mr_ROB0TO



Who else would like to draw the amabie? I'd like to give it a whirl.