I would like to tell you a story, in Japan, there is a tradition that in mid May in the Edo era “Amabie” emerged from the sea and she/he prophesied, “If you show people a picture, a portrait of AMABIE, the plague will subside”. Currently there is a trend in Japan to draw and distribute this “Amabie”. You have nothing to lose, get out your pencils and paints and send your version of AMABIE to me. You can send it to me on instagram at @asvof.
Above is one of my first submission. An AMABIE that definitely means business by Paola Piglia. https://www.instagram.com/paolapigliastudio/
A LITTLE EXPLANATION:
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.
It appears to be a variant of the amabiko (アマビコ, 海彦, 尼彦, 天日子, 天彦, あま彦, also amahiko), otherwise known as the amahiko-nyūdo (尼彦入道), and arie (アリエ), which are depicted as ape-like, bird-like, or torso-less (cephalopod-like), and usually 3-legged.
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;[a] 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 [ja] (woodblock-printed bulletins), where its portrait was printed, and this is how the story disseminated in Japan.[1][2]
So, keep in mind: long hair, a beak, 3 legs and scales from the neck down.
Later,
Diane
