Shachihoko

The Shachihoko is a mythical creature from Japanese and Chinese myth. They’re known to have a striped tiger head or the head of a dragon. The body is described as resembling a carp covered in poisonous spikes or scales. It’s believed they can crawl onto land to transform fully into a tiger. Carvings of Shachihoko are used similar to Gargoyles in Japan. Duer to their ability to make rain, it was thought their statues deterred fire.

Citations:

Bane, Theresa. Encyclopedia of Beasts and Monsters in Myth, Legend and Folklore. United States, McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers, 2016.

Maberry, Jonathan. Vampire Universe: The Dark World of Supernatural Beings That Haunt Us, Hunt Us, and Hunger for Us. United States, Kensington Publishing Corporation, 2006.