The following photograph-rich article is about the Dragon Gate Carp of the Dragon Gate waterfall in China. This article also features unique traditional popular culture associated with the Dragon Gate Carp in China and Japan.  In addition, varieties of dragon fish and horned fish around the world are featured here. Some of such freaks of nature and/or gaffs (rogue taxidermy artworks) have been featured at sideshows here in America for over a century. This manuscript was produced by Dr. Eriko N. Bond, noted art critic and book author in New York City, as told by Takeshi Yamada. Yamada is one of the most active artists in New York City and has had over 400 fine art exhibitions internationally.

TAKESHI YAMADA

ON

DRAGON FISH & HORNED FISH

Part 3

Real Dragon Fish

In reality, there are many unrelated groups of fish called “dragon” due to some degrees of physical similarities they posses to the mythic dragon creatures (of East and West).

(left) “Saint George Fighting the Dragon” by Raphael. Oil painting on a panel. (16th century, Italy)

            (right) Chinese style (Eastern style) Dragon (9th century, China)

Following is a short list of the fish called “dragonfish” today. Needless to say, even before the appearance of human beings on this planet, there were many species of “dragonfish”  -- we know this as a fact based on the existence of their fossils. Those extinct dragonfish species are omitted here in this version of article.

Leafy Sea Dragon: The leafy sea dragon, Phycodurus eques, is a marine fish related to the seahorse. It is the only member of the genus Phycodurus. These creatures are found around southern and western Australia and generally remain in shallow, temperate waters. Their name comes from their appearance, with long leaf-like protrusions coming from all over the body. These protrusions are not used for propulsion; they serve only as camouflage. Takeshi Yamada saw this very impressive-looking fish among many species of seahorses displayed at the special exhibition at the New York Aquarium in Coney Island area of Brooklyn, New York in the recent year. 

Leafy Dragon

Lionfishes: A Lionfish is any of several species of venomous marine fish in the genera Pterois, Parapterois, Brachypterois, Ebosia or Dendrochirus, of the family Scorpaenidae. The lionfish is also known as the Turkey Fish, Dragon Fish, and Scorpion Fish. This elegant-looking carnivorous sea animal is a very popular pet fish. (Even Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the starship Enterprise featured one in the popular TV series Star Trek, The Next Generation had this fish as a pet in the small aquarium of his ready room.) 

Lionfish

Arowana or Asian Arowana (Dragon fish of wealth): Arowanas, also known as aruanas or arawanas are large freshwater bony fish of the family Osteoglossidae, sometimes known as "bony tongues." In this family of fishes, the head is bony and the elongate body is covered by large, heavy scales, with a mosaic pattern of canals. Chinese Feng Shui considers the Arowana to be the most potent of fish. It is called "Kam Lung Yue" which is Golden Dragon Fish, this name is synonymous with great wealth and abundance. The gold or bronze statue of this fish with a coin in his mouth is often displayed as a good luck charm. Live large arowana are also often displayed as pet fish in large fish tanks at Chinese restaurants in America.

(left) Brass Dragon fish of Wealth                        (right) Osteoglossum bicirrhosum

Barbeled dragonfishes, small bioluminescent deep-sea stomiiform fishes of the family Stomiidae (Barbeled dragonfishes): Stomiidae is a family of deep-sea ray-finned fish including the barbeled dragonfishes and (in the subfamily Malacosteinae) the loosejaws. There are many dozens of species with long bodies and deadly looking big mouths like the dragon in this category.

Dana viperfish, Chauliodus danae grows up to 15cm

Scaly dragonfish, Stomias boa boa

Black Dragonfish (Idiacanthus antrostomus)

Longfin Dragonfish / Arrow Dragonfish (Tactostoma macropus)

Several species of Seamoths, small gasterosteiform fishes of the family Pegasidae.

A large cat fish is also often called Dragon Fish.

Violet Goby (Gobioides broussonenti): This impressive-looking long freshwater fish is native to South Carolina South to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They can be obtained through aquarium clubs and breeders in the United States.

Ryugyo (龍魚, Dragon Fish): The illustration accompanied with detailed physical descriptions shown below is a criptid documented in the ancient Japan. It may be a species of sturgeon according to Takeshi Yamada.

Ryugyo (Collection of Kawasaski City Citizen’s Museum)

This sea monster’s size is Hasshaku or 8-foot (as described in this picture).

Note: In zoological encyclopedias published in the Edo period in Japan, numerous criptids such as mermaids, human-faced fish, kappa etc. are featured as real creatures. Incidentally, Hokusai Katsushika (one of the most famous ukiyoe artists of the time) also produced drawings of those cripids and they are featured in his volumes of publication entitled Hokusai Manga (“Sketches by Hokusai”). For more information about human-faced fish, walking fish, and 12-legged fish and other fascinating species of fish, read an article entitled “Human-faced Fish” by Takeshi Yamada. 

Water-dwelling monsters by Hokusai Katsushika.

“Ningo” (mermaid) is top right. “Kappa” (water spirit) is lower right.

It states “人魚” (mermaid) at the top right but the picture illustrated here is actually a human-faced fish

published woodblock print from a bound book “Hokusai’s Manga”, 1815 (Japan)

Continue to Part 4

Copyright by Takeshi Yamada, Museum of World Wonders in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York, April 2007. Revised in July 2008. All Rights Reserved.    

E-mail: yamada108@verizon.net

Special thanks to Dr. Eriko N. Bond, Lauren D. Travis, Maremi Kakushina and Seara (Sea Rabbit)

Also special thanks to Doug Higley (Senior Proofreader)

http://www.sideshowworld.com/SSA-15.html

http://www.roguetaxidermy.com/members_detail.php?id=528

http://www.horseshoecrab.org/poem/feature/takeshi.html

http://www.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/events/exhibitions/other/worldwonders.jsp