The Fisherman and the Octopus

Once long ago…

There lived a young man named Saburo. As the third son of a merchant family, he was never expected to inherit the family business. When he came of age, he left home and settled in a small coastal village, where he became a fisherman. The work was tiring and difficult, but in time, Saburo grew to appreciate its humble rhythm.

On one trip, his line snagged on something heavy. Bracing himself, he pulled with all his strength, certain he had hooked a large fish. But when it broke the surface, he found not a fish but a barrel. He hauled it into his small boat and examined it, pressing his ear to the side and knocking against the wood. When he heard movement inside, he pried off the lid—and met with his second surprise of the day.

A bright red octopus crawled out of the barrel, its tentacles clinging to the wood as its strange, almost hypnotic, rectangular eyes fixed on him. The sight was jarring. Saburo considered selling it; octopus was uncommon in the village, and one this large would fetch a fine price. Yet as the two regarded one another, he felt as though the creature was silently judging him, waiting to see what he would do.

With a sigh, Saburo lifted the barrel and tipped it over the side of the boat. The octopus splashed into the sea. A moment later, it rose to the surface, bobbing with the waves, and stared at him in silence before slipping back beneath the water.

Saburo waved goodbye, then glanced back into the barrel. His eyes widened, and a laugh escaped him. It was half full of fish—alive, lively, and none of them touched.

“A boon of the sea,” he murmured to himself as he sailed back to shore.

A month later, while Saburo was at the market buying food for dinner, a woman approached him and took his breath away. Her raven-black hair fell to her waist, with two thick strands framing her face. She wore a crimson kimono patterned with gentle waves and a purple obi adorned with pale flowers. Yet it was her eyes that captivated him most. In the changing light, Saburo could have sworn their color shifted.

She smiled radiantly and introduced herself as Narumi.

Months later, beneath a moonlit sky and with their hands entwined as they walked along the beach, Saburo asked Narumi to marry him. A month later, they were wed.

For a year, Saburo’s life felt blessed. Narumi was kind, gentle, and steadfast. While he worked at sea, she kept their home warm and orderly, and the evenings they shared were filled with quiet happiness. Only one thing seemed strange: whenever Narumi wished to be alone, she would make him promise not to enter the room she was in.

The other fishermen were jealous of him gaining such a beautiful woman, while others were suspicious as they had never seen her in the village before. Rumors spread about who she was, with one believing she only married him to get into his family.

Saburo ignored all this. He rarely talked about his family in private and Narumi never asked. He was content, looking forward to a wonderful future.

Until one day.

One evening, Saburo finished fishing early and wanted to surprise his wife. He approached his home with a gift: a carefully crafted comb he had a local craftsman make, enclosed inside a seashell-like case. Quietly, he opened the door, wanting to surprise her, only to be shocked at what he saw.

There, in the middle of the living room, its multiple arms doing multiple things at once, was a giant octopus. In fact, when Saburo looked at its coloration, it resembled the same octopus that came out of the barrel when he was fishing.

So stunned was he that the case slipped from his hands and hit the ground. The sound caused the creature to pause, slowly turn and look at him. Saburo stared at it and its eyes, which changed color in the light, had an air of grief and sadness.

Quicker than he could react, the octopus surged past him, tentacles dropping everything they held. The man tried to catch it, but it vanished into the ocean before he could. Blinking in disbelief, Saburo rushed into the house and discovered another shocking discovery.

Narumi was gone.

Saburo spent the entire day searching the village like a madman. No one had seen Narumi, and not even the few friends she had could say where she had gone. At last, he returned to his home, which felt cold and hollow without her warmth and smile. There he found her kimono, clutched it to his chest, and wept.

The next day, he searched for her again, but with no better result. During a brief rest, an older fisherman noticed his distress and listened to his story. With a heavy sigh, the old man placed a hand on Saburo’s shoulder and began to tell him an old tale.

He spoke of a yokai called a Tako nyobo—a creature that takes the form of a beautiful woman, though its true nature is that of an octopus. Such beings seek the lives of devoted, domestic wives to human men. But if a husband ever beholds their true form, they are bound to return to the sea and can never be seen again.

Saburo stared at the old fisherman as the truth settled over him, turning his blood cold. Shaking his head, he sprang to his feet and ran home. There he seized his boat and pushed out into the open sea.

For the next year, the villagers saw the same sorrowful routine repeat itself. Day after day, Saburo took his boat out to sea and spent hours calling for his wife.

Most believed grief had driven him mad, while others assumed Narumi had simply abandoned him. Whenever he returned to the village, he looked increasingly disheveled. His hair hung ragged, a small beard had grown unkempt, and his clothes were torn. In his eyes lingered a haunted, sorrowful look.

One day, Saburo’s older brother, Riku, came to see him. Disturbed by the condition Saburo was in, Riku urged him to come home, where he might find purpose again—perhaps even the chance for a new life. When Saburo gave no immediate answer, Riku departed, leaving the offer open should he choose to accept it.