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Currently Playing: Why Does A Ghost Whale Terrorize The Japanese Coast? | Monstrum

Check out Untold Earth on @pbsterra : https://youtu.be/zCplWv60M6A Lore of the ghostly whale skeleton, Bake-kujira, brings an ominous twist to stories of the revered marine giants in Japan. The entity is an omen of misfortune that emerged during the rise of industrial whaling in the 20th century. Is it a simple ghost story, or a warning of ecological collapse? And is Bake-kujira’s legend as relevant now as ever? For audio descriptions, go to Settings - Audio Track - English Descriptive. ***** PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/DonateStoried ***** Written and Hosted by: Dr. Emily Zarka Director: David Schulte Executive Producer: Amanda Fox Executive Producer: Dr. Emily Zarka Producer: Thomas Fernandes Editor/Animator: Ben Harrison Illustrator: Samuel Allan Consultants: Hiroko Yoda & Matt Alt Executive in Charge (PBS): Maribel Lopez Director of Programming (PBS): Gabrielle Ewing Additional Footage: Shutterstock Music: APM Music Produced by Spotzen for PBS Digital Studios. Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/monstrumpbs -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Original artwork by Matthew Meyer: yokai.com/bakekujira, yokai.com/honeonna, yokai.com/gashadokuro, Yokai.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bibliography Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Spirits and Ghosts in World Mythology, McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers, 2016. Davisson, Zack. Ultimate Guide to Japanese Yokai: Ghosts, Demons, Monsters and Other Creepy Creatures from Japan. Japan, Tuttle Publishing, 2024. Holm, Fynn. “The Gods of the Sea: Whales and Coastal Communities in Northeast Japan, c.1600–2019.” The Gods of the Sea, 2023. Howerton, Alex. “Toward a Poetics of Allyship: Rajiv Mohabir’s Radical, Animal Coolitude.” The Society for the Study of Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States, vol. 46, no. 1, Spring 2011, pp. 1-23. McElroy, D.R. Superstitions: A Handbook of Folklore, Myths, and Legends from Around the World. Wellfleet Press, 2020. “Monster Whale.” TYZ, 12 December 2015. Philippi, Donald L. Songs of Gods, Songs of Humans : The Epic Tradition of the Ainu. Princeton University Press, 1979. Ritchie, Hannah. “Global whaling peaked in the 1960s.” Our World in Data, 30 November, 2022. Roberts, Jeremy. Japanese Mythology A to Z. Infobase Learning, 2009. Sellheim, Nikolas, and Jōji Morishita, editors. Japan’s Withdrawal from International Whaling Regulation. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2024. Sutter, Paul S. and Jakobina K. Arch. Bringing Whales Ashore: Oceans and the Environment of Early Modern Japan. University of Washington Press, 2018. Winstanley-Chesters, Robert. “Geographies and Histories of Fish and Fishing.” Fish, Fishing and Community in North Korea and Neighbours, Springer Singapore Pte. Limited, 2019.