A note from the Kumaomoto International しゃちほこ ( or 鯱, if you want to impress your friends and actually means “fish tiger”) Desk (ours are quite ornate): Weblio describes shachihoko as “a fabulous dolphinlike fish, a pair of which are traditionally used to decorate the roof‐ridge of a Japanese castle.” I can relate to this as I have a fabulous catlike dog to decorate my sofa. (Hint: if you get anything, make sure it’s fabulous. You can imagine Kato Kiyomasa ordering the originals: “Make sure they’re fabulous!”)
Anyway, given that Kumamoto Castle has two tenshyukaku, four shachihoko were required, and the final fabulous guy was hoisted into position yesterday atop the smaller tower. Fabulous photos at the link. - William