For centuries the legend of mermaids has permeated the world, especially in regions like Japan where there are so-called mermaid mummies. This is why there are records that mermaid-shaped mummies were venerated in different temples in the Asian country, but little has been known about them. The only thing that is known is the popular belief that gives them great medicinal properties; There are even those who say that whoever eats its meat will obtain immortality. But beyond the legends, scientists want to find out what their body is made of in the first instance, since they have a human-like upper part and a fish tail.
A mummy in the form of a mermaid
After supposedly lying in storage for more than 300 years, a mermaid mummy has been dusted from a box at Asakuchi Shrine in Okayama. Hiroshi Kinoshita, who is a member of the Okayama Folk Society, was the one who discovered the strange mummy inside a box.
Scientists quickly showed interest in revealing what is behind the mummified creature, although they have warned that it is most likely a half-human, half-fish chimera. That is to say, that two bodies of different species were intentionally joined to give the shape of a mermaid, in addition it is also believed that it was adorned with human hair and nails. To verify this theory, researchers have decided to subject it to different analyzes to identify the species involved in the creation of the strange body, just 30 centimeters long.
The priest Kozen Kuida of the Enjuin temple in Asakuchi, was in charge of transferring the mummified body to the facilities of the Kurashiki University veterinary hospital. There he was placed in the tomography room to carry out the pertinent analyzes and discover the mystery behind the small body.
In the same way, DNA samples were also taken that will help researchers determine if it is a species never seen before, or, on the contrary, it is an invention of man. Apparently the results will be released later this year, when the mystery behind Japan’s mermaid mummies is finally uncovered.
300 years old
The rare specimen was supposedly caught in the Pacific Ocean between 1736 and 1741, off the coast of Shikoku. It is not known exactly how it came to the Asakuchi temple, but it is known that the mummy was placed in a glass case 40 years ago for display. After this time, it was decided to protect it to preserve it from the passage of time, until now that it was extracted from its protection to find out what it is made of.
“Japanese mermaids have a legend of immortality. It is said that if you eat the meat of a mermaid, you will never die. There is a legend in many parts of Japan that a woman accidentally ate the meat of a mermaid and lived for 800 years,» Kinoshita explains.
The Okayama Folk Society member also explained that he does not believe it is a genuine mermaid and gives some reasons why the Japanese three centuries ago may have created it. «Of course, I don’t think it’s a real mermaid,» he says. «I think it was made for export to Europe during the Edo period, or for shows in Japan.» What is true is that the legend of the mermaids still survives, not only in regions like Japan, but also in Europe, China and other regions of the world.
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