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I debated giving a day to this monster, but I really liked the concept. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find much in the way of lore. It definitely stems from Japanese mythology and seems to be a yokai. Yet, I found more about it being used in anime, manga, and video games than the actual legend.
So, what is a Kurage-No-Hinotama? Aside from a pain to write, it is also called a fire jellyfish. That’s because it’s a large jellyfish made of flames. This creature floats in the air on seashores and stings anyone who gets to close. It also can be described as an oddly shaped ball of light, which is why many think it is a Japanese version of a Will-o-Wisp. It falls under a category called an Onibi, which is a mysterious and unexplainable floating ball of flame.
The Kurage-No-Hinotama gets mentioned in a collection of strange stories called the Sanshu Kidan. These tales first started being shared in 1764, which was during the Edo Period. I think this collection is most notable for including a forest demon called a Tengu, which is very popular in some veins of fiction. It could be the use of these stories as fiction fodder that resulted in the Kurage-No-Hinotama showing up enough that it gets slightly remembered.
I managed to find one story with this creature. It appearing in Ishikawa Prefecture as a samurai was walking at night. He encountered a flying fireball, which he slashed since it was coming at him. It broke into two and a red creature appeared in its place. It stuck to the samurai’s face like it was made of glue or pine resin before opening its eyes. Being a jellyfish, its body was transparent, so the man could see through its skin. When asked about it, he called it a ‘sea moon’, which is another phrase for jellyfish.
As I said, I couldn’t find a lot on this weird creature. I simply found the idea of a fiery jellyfish floating through the air rather interesting. While it could attack people who got too close, it seems to be more of a roaming phantom. Not that there are tons of stories out there beyond those made from modern day.
Anybody else ever hear about the Kurage-No-Hinotama or have better luck researching it?
Legends of Windemere 
This one would be great to put in a story! Jellyfish are already exotic looking. But a jellyfish with flames would be great!
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It would be amazing to see in person. I wonder if there are species that look like they’re on fire.
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According to Wikipedia: “Rhopilema esculentum, the flame jellyfish.”
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Cool. Seems they’re edible.
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I wonder if they taste like squid. I’m not a big calamari fan.
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Not sure. I’d doubt it. I’m assuming it would have a tingling bite to it.
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This is new to me. Thanks for the introduction, Charles.
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You’re welcome. Went for obscure this year.
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Was a good decision.
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So the samurai ended up with the Kurage just stuck on his face? Ewwww….
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For some reason, I can relate since I’m using a full face mask with my CPAP.
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This one is new to me.
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Same here until I made the puzzle.
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I like this ‘monster.’ Great imaginative concept. Jellyfish live symbiotically with single cell dinoflagellates, which have photosynthetic pigments and use sunlight to produce nutrients for itself and its host.
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I’m curious as to the origin. Though I guess a glowing jellyfish of fire isn’t too hard to imagine.
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