さと

Translation: none; this is her name
Alternate names: Hachimangū no kannushi no musume Sato (“Sato, daughter of the chief priest of the Hachiman shrine”)
Habitat: unknown; possibly the sky
Diet: unknown

Appearance: Sato is a mermaid who was born from the drowned corpse of a seventeen year old girl. She has a long, fish-like body covered in scales, four flipper-like paws, a human-like face with long hair, and two horns protruding from the top of her head. Three jewels hang from her abdomen.

Interactions: Sato is a messenger from the gods, but she has only ever made one appearance to people: in 1819, when she predicted a coming bumper crop and a deadly epidemic. Once she delivered her message, she rose into the sky and disappeared. Afterwards, her image was used by people as a talisman to protect them from disease.

Origin: Sato’s story follows a pattern shared by many prophetic mermaid yōkai collectively known as ryūgū no tsukai, or “messengers from the Dragon Palace.” These stories were transmitted rapidly across Japan starting in 1819, developing into many different variations as they spread.

Legends: Sato was the name of the daughter of the head priest of the Hachiman Shrine in Shimabara Hirano Mura, Hizen Province (today part of Shimabara, Nagasaki Prefecture). In 1813, when she was seventeen years old, Sato drowned in a pond with a circumference of about two kilometers. Her body was never found.

However, on February 26, 1819, her corpse rose to the surface of the pond. Three jewels were attached to her belly. She said, “I am a messenger from the gods. There will be a bumper crop for 8 or 9 years, however an illness will kill 30 to 50 percent of all people. All who see my image will be saved from this disaster.” As soon as she said this, rain began to fall in torrents and black clouds rolled in around her. The water in the pond rose up and Sato ascended into the sky.

Her story and picture were then spread in order to save as many people from illness as possible.