Turtle of the Undersea Palace

The myth

The turtle is the guide of Urashima Tarō, one of Japan's oldest legends, already mentioned in the Nihon Shoki and the eighth-century Tango no Kuni Fudoki. In the popular version, the fisherman Urashima saves a turtle being tormented by children; in gratitude it carries him on its back to Ryūgū-jō, the dragon god's palace beneath the sea, where Princess Otohime welcomes him. After what seem three years he returns and finds three hundred have passed. In the oldest versions the turtle is the enchanted woman herself, who takes him to the everlasting realm.

Why it has this power

A Rare level-7 Water Beast with 1900 ATK and 2500 DEF: the shell speaks louder than claws, so defense is high. Water and Moon are the path through the night sea; Fox, the enchantment of one who is not what she seems. An ancient rhyme: with Otohime, she opens the palace and calls Ryūjin.

Did you know

The Nihon Shoki records Urashima's departure for the sea realm in the twenty-second year of Emperor Yūryaku, which tradition places in 478.

Connections

• Fuses into: + Otohime, Princess of the Dragon Palace → Ryūjin, Lord of the Tides

Where to get it

• Daily Offering: 0.11% per pack (Rare 2.8% per card)
• Traveler's Pack: 0.69% per pack · 3.6% in the themed pack (Rare 7% per card)
• Bronze Reliquary: 0.78% per pack · 4% in the themed pack (Rare 8% per card)
• Silver Reliquary: 1.3% per pack · 6.7% in the themed pack (Rare 15% per card)
• Golden Reliquary: 2% per pack · 10% in the themed pack (Rare 25% per card)
• Daily Showcase: Shows up on about 1.5% of days · 400 gems
• Craft with card dust: 600 dust
• Crossing of Myths: Can be offered as a reward during a crossing (the card stays in the crossing deck).

Sources

1. Japanese Fairy Tales (Project Gutenberg) — Yei Theodora Ozaki
2. Urashima Taro — Folk Legends, Kids Web Japan — Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (Web Japan)
3. Fudoki — Encyclopaedia Britannica — The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica