Umibōzu

The image depicts a large, dark-skinned sea monster with a smooth, round, bald head and prominent, oversized eyes outlined in red and white. It has wide, toothy grins on either side of its face and a pair of thin, long, bright red appendages (or antennae) trailing from its mouth into the water. Its body is mostly submerged, though sharp, fin-like projections or claws are visible around its neck and along its arched back. The creature is surrounded by stylized, frothy ocean waves depicted in muted tones of gray and cream.

The Umibōzu is a well-known yōkai in Japanese folklore, often depicted as a mysterious, gigantic sea-dwelling creature that causes sailors to capsize their ships. This illustration belongs to the 'Bakemono no e' (scrolls of monsters) tradition, which surged in popularity during the Edo period as a way to catalog and visualize the supernatural.