Shiranui

By Crusader1307

While today, the scientific Community labels ''Shiranui'' as an optical phenomenon once quite common off many Japanese Coastal Communities (as so witnessed for Generations). The phenomenon is (or was) linked to a combination of luminous algae coupled with several forms of aquatic life such as Jellyfish. At specific periods of the season – normally between Summer and Winter, gases released by these creatures rise from the churning tidal movements to form a variety of different colored lights (often described as ''balls''). As reported in the mid-19th Century AD, these ''balls'' would ''hover and dance about the sky'' as if they had ''a life of their own''. Since more ancient times (and reports), many then called Shiranui ''Lamps'' of ''The Dragon God''. It was ''He'' who protected fishermen and sea commerce, using His ''lamps'' to light the way safety. If fact, it was quite a regular pass time to sit and watch the ''living lights'' as they ''rose and fell into The Sea''. Sadly, with industrialization and general pollution levels in The Seas around Japan increasing, the combination of modern chemicals has stopped the cycle of aquatic life that created The “Dragon God's Lamps''. It happens now only sporadically and without as much brilliance as 100 years hence.