studio ghibli - A fish with a [human] face will bring a tsunami. Is this an actual Japanese wives' tale?

In the movie Ponyo when Sōsuke brings the fish he rescued to the nursing home his mom works at and shows it to the old ladies in wheelchairs, the grumpy old lady screams that a fish with a [human] face will bring a tsunami and demands he throws it back into the ocean.

Is this a real Japanese wives' tale, or just a quirk of this movie?

Answer

It's probably a Ningyo.

From the linked Wikipedia article:

Ningyo (人魚, "human fish", often translated as "mermaid") is a fish-like creature from Japanese folklore. Anciently, it was described with a monkey’s mouth with small teeth like a fish’s, shining golden scales, and a quiet voice like a skylark or a flute. Its flesh is pleasant-tasting, and anyone who eats it will attain remarkable longevity. However, catching a ningyo was believed to bring storms and misfortune, so fishermen who caught these creatures were said to throw them back into the sea. A ningyo washed onto the beach was an omen of war or calamity.

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