The mysterious 12-inch creature was allegedly caught in the Pacific Ocean, off the Japanese island of Shikoku, between 1736 and 1741, and is now kept in a temple in the city of Asakuchi.
Now researchers from the Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts have taken the mummy for CT scanning in a bid to unravel its secrets.
Hiroshi Kinoshita of the Okayama Folklore Society, who came up with the project, said the bizarre creature could have religious significance.
“Japanese mermaids have a legend of immortality,” he said.
“It is said that if you eat the flesh of a mermaid, you will never die.
“There is a ‘Yao-Bikuni’ legend in many parts of Japan that a woman accidentally ate the flesh of a mermaid and lived for 800 years.
A historic letter dated 1903 – apparently penned by a former owner – was stored alongside the mummy and gives a story about its provenance.
“A mermaid was caught in a fish-catching net in the sea off Kochi Prefecture,” the letter states.
“The fishermen who caught it did not know it was a mermaid, but took it to Osaka and sold it as unusual fish. My ancestors bought it and kept it as a family treasure.”
It’s unclear how or when the mummy came to the Enjuin temple in Asakuchi.
“Of course, I don't think it's a real mermaid,” Hiroshi Kinoshita said.
“I think this was made for export to Europe during the Edo period, or for spectacles in Japan.
“I think it is made from living animals and we would like to identify them by CT scans or DNA testing.
“It looks like a fish with scales on the lower body and a primate with hands and a face on the upper body.”
In Japanese folklore, there exists a creature called the ningyo, which is described as having a monkey’s mouth with fish-like teeth and a body covered in golden scales.
The scientists examining the mummy will publish their findings later this year.
Now researchers from the Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts have taken the mummy for CT scanning in a bid to unravel its secrets.
Hiroshi Kinoshita of the Okayama Folklore Society, who came up with the project, said the bizarre creature could have religious significance.
“Japanese mermaids have a legend of immortality,” he said.
“It is said that if you eat the flesh of a mermaid, you will never die.
“There is a ‘Yao-Bikuni’ legend in many parts of Japan that a woman accidentally ate the flesh of a mermaid and lived for 800 years.
A historic letter dated 1903 – apparently penned by a former owner – was stored alongside the mummy and gives a story about its provenance.
“A mermaid was caught in a fish-catching net in the sea off Kochi Prefecture,” the letter states.
“The fishermen who caught it did not know it was a mermaid, but took it to Osaka and sold it as unusual fish. My ancestors bought it and kept it as a family treasure.”
It’s unclear how or when the mummy came to the Enjuin temple in Asakuchi.
“Of course, I don't think it's a real mermaid,” Hiroshi Kinoshita said.
“I think this was made for export to Europe during the Edo period, or for spectacles in Japan.
“I think it is made from living animals and we would like to identify them by CT scans or DNA testing.
“It looks like a fish with scales on the lower body and a primate with hands and a face on the upper body.”
In Japanese folklore, there exists a creature called the ningyo, which is described as having a monkey’s mouth with fish-like teeth and a body covered in golden scales.
The scientists examining the mummy will publish their findings later this year.
Music: Depth Fuse - French Fuse
Source: The Sun, Asahi, Intojapanwaraku, Ancient Origins
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/patryn.worldlatestnews
Comments
Post a Comment