Earthquake-causing catfish in Japan

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After the 1855 earthquake in Edo, Japan (modern-day Tokyo), the idea that earthquakes were caused by giant underground catfish spread throughout Japan. According to legend, the catfish (called Namazu) is kept away by a deity named Takemikazuchi. However, when Takemikazuchi slows down in action, a catfish gets stuck on the underside of Japan, causing earthquakes. Recent studies have suggested that actual catfish, albeit not a cause of earthquakes, may be able to predict earthquakes thanks to their extreme sensitivity to electric fields.

Thanks to modern science, we now understand that earthquakes occur when the force from two tectonic plates rubbing against each other overcomes the force of friction, sending waves of energy that ripple through the Earth’s crust.

Before mankind made this discovery, people all over the world had different explanations for what caused earthquakes. One explanation was that giant catfish (known as namazu) were lurking underground and striking the surface to shake the earth.

The legend of an earthquake chaser named Namazu comes to us from the island of Japan, which has always been a hotbed of strange and wonderful legends.

While the majority of people probably don’t actually believe in the giant earth-shaking catfish, many scientists now believe that ordinary catfish have the ability to predict earthquakes.

So, if you’re willing to suspend your disbelief for a few minutes and imagine that we live in a world where the motions of the Earth’s crust are controlled by the motions of a giant subterranean catfish, let’s take a look at the legend of Namazu.

Namazu and Takemikazuchi

To be clear, the word namazu isn’t just a reference to the legendary catfish that controls earthquakes, it’s the Japanese word for catfish. However, there is one specific namazu who blames earthquakes here on Earth’s surface.

The catfish in question is believed to have been subjugated by the god Takemikazuchi, the god of thunder and the god of the sword, under the city of Kashima.

According to legend, Takemikazuchi prevents Namazu from collapsing by keeping it hanging under a giant boulder (known as kaname-ishi or “fixing rock”) or under his sword. When Takemikazuchi leaves its guard, the catfish is able to wrap around it and cause earthquakes by crashing into the islands above it.

Although the legend has existed for centuries, there was one specific event that sparked widespread belief in this myth: the Anse-Edo earthquake of 1855.

Origins of the legend of Namazu

Now, the idea that catfish has anything to do with earthquakes isn’t all that hard to fathom. After all, catfish tend to burrow in the mud, which makes it easy to bond the catfish to the ground.

So, when a catfish fisherman noticed that catfish were very active before the Anse-Edo earthquake of 1855, it made sense to him that the two events were related.

It was from this humble man’s fable, the first recorded claim that catfish could predict earthquakes, that the legends of Namazu are believed to have gained popularity. This myth may have existed long before the earthquake of 1855. However, this event and the story of the fisherman put this legend at the fore in the minds of people in Japan.

According to legend, the Anse-Edo earthquake of 1855 occurred when Takemikazuchi was forced to leave the city and asked Ebisu, the god of hunters and luck, to watch Namazu for him. When Ebisu fell asleep while he was working, a catfish rushed in, causing a horrific natural disaster.

The earthquake, measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale, destroyed the city of Edo (present-day Tokyo) and killed about 7,000 people.

Then, merchants immediately took advantage of the fear of another earthquake by selling woodblock prints called namazu-e (“Catfish Pictures”). The common belief was that people could protect themselves by hanging one of these namazu-e on the roof of their house.

Namazu as community saviors

After the 1855 earthquake (and many others that occurred across Japan in 1854), many people became afraid of catfish and its perceived connection to earthquakes. Meanwhile, others began to revere the catfish as a community savior and wealth redistributor.

The reason for this is that before the earthquake of 1855, members of the elite society of Edo were amassing their fortunes, leaving very little for the lower classes. The massive earthquake forced the elite to redistribute some of their wealth to repair the city.

This led to the people of the lower class getting many jobs, and it also indirectly led to the redistribution of wealth in all classes. In some people’s minds, this has been the catfish’s plan all along.

In this way, Namazu became a kind of working class hero. Namazu-e’s woodblock prints served as a way to protect oneself from and praise Namazu. In fact, some woodblock prints depicted working-class individuals celebrating the giant fish.

Can catfish predict earthquakes?

After the series of earthquakes that struck Japan in 1854 and 1855, the Japanese increased their interest in both catfish and earthquakes, as well as their fascination with the relationship between the two. Scientists are beginning to rethink what causes earthquakes and whether or not catfish can predict them.

Prior to these earthquakes, many Japanese scientists believed that building wells would relieve ground pressure and reduce earthquake hazards. However, since there were abundant subterranean wells in Edo at the time of the 1855 earthquake, they began to rethink the theory.

Another thing that scientists are becoming more interested in is whether or not catfish are able to predict earthquakes.

In the early 1930s, Japanese seismologists Noboru Abe and Shinkichi Hatay began observing catfish. Basically, they tried to replicate the natural living conditions of catfish and then recorded their behavior during times of earthquakes. What they found was very interesting.

Experiments by Noboru Abe and Shinkichi Hatay indicated that catfish can indeed predict earthquakes. Catfish are usually very heavy and stable creatures. Therefore, when experimenters click on the table their tank was on, they usually do not respond in any significant way.

However, studies have shown that catfish will respond more dramatically to taps about six hours before an earthquake. Of the approximately 178 earthquakes that occurred during the study, about 80% of them are believed to have been predicted by catfish.

Since this pioneering study by Noboru Abe and Shinkichi Hatay, many Japanese and foreign researchers have conducted similar research.

Several studies have yielded optimistic results. However, so far, none of it has been conclusive. However, many scientists have a hunch that catfish may be over-sensitive to the shifts in the electric field that allow them to predict earthquakes.

So, while it is unlikely that the subterranean giant catfish is the cause of earthquakes in Japan or anywhere in the world, catfish can be a useful ally in predicting and preparing for earthquakes in the future.

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