Legend of the Bake-kujira

On a misty, rain-soaked evening along the Shimane Peninsula in ancient Izumo Province (now northeastern Shimane Prefecture), a strange tale unfolded in waters once so rich with cetaceans they were known as the "Sea of Whales." This legend of the Bake-kujira emerged during an era when whale hunting was common practice in the Sea of Japan.

As darkness settled over the coast, local fishermen spotted an unusual white shape approaching from the depths. The massive silhouette resembled a whale, prompting the men to launch their boats in pursuit of what appeared to be a valuable catch. Yet something extraordinary occurred—their harpoons proved utterly ineffective, passing through the creature without effect.

Bewildered by this phenomenon, the fishermen drew closer to examine their quarry. What they discovered defied comprehension: before them floated not a living whale but a complete baleen whale skeleton, pristine and white, moving through the waters despite having no flesh, skin, or apparent life force.

More unsettling still, the waters surrounding this spectral whale teemed with bizarre, misshapen fish unlike any the men had seen before. Strange birds circled above, completing the eerie spectacle. As the tide began to recede, the ghostly whale and its unusual companions retreated to the deep waters, vanishing as mysteriously as they had appeared.

The fishermen returned with tales of a vengeful whale spirit—the Bake-kujira—believed to be the restless ghost of a slain whale returning to haunt its hunters. Following this encounter, the phantom whale was not seen again in those waters.

Nearly a century later, in spring 1983, the legend resurfaced when fishermen at Maenami Fishing Port in Anamizu, Ishikawa Prefecture, hauled up a massive skeleton-like object from waters about 500 meters offshore. Media outlets quickly labeled it "Hone Kujira" (bone whale). Upon examination, however, the object measured only about 5 meters in length with a thickness between 50 and 150 centimeters—dimensions that prompted the local fishing chief to note that a true whale skeleton of corresponding proportions would measure approximately 100 meters long, casting doubt on its cetacean origins.