The fascinating journey of a mythical catfish: how the Namazu became a working-class icon in world mythology

A traditional Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print depicts a chaotic scene where a giant whale-like creature and a cloud-dwelling figure rain coins and money down on a group of people below, who are scrambling to catch them. The overlaid Japanese text reads '地震よけの歌' (Song to ward off earthquakes), '水あみつびよ' (Water net, catch it), 'いのちとたさくりく' (Life and fortune, catch it), '六分のうちふ' (Six parts of the world), and '入るぞうせんさ' (Enter, seize it).

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