At Enjuin temple in Asakuchi city, Japan, there is a famous mascot that attracts tourists from all over. It is a mummy of a creature over 30 cm long with a grimace on its face, sharp teeth, and hands. and hair on the head and eyebrows resemble humans. The lower half of its body is shaped like a fish, giving it the nickname “mermaid”. 

According to legend, it was caught in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Shikoku Island between 1736 and 1741. Local people in the past believed that if they ate the meat of the “mermaid” they would become immortal. This mummy is considered a god and has been respected and worshiped by people for 3 centuries. 

Last year, Kurashiki University of Science and Arts decided to find out the origin of this divine “mermaid” using a CT scanner. 

“Based on our analysis and the history of mummy creation in Japan, we can only conclude that the mermaid mummy was probably man-made,” said Takafumi Kato, a biologist who made work on the project told Vice World News. In other words, this “divine” mummy is actually a doll with completely artificial fish parts.

An X-ray conducted by the university showed it had no spine, ribs or other bones. However, there are parts of its body that belong to fish. Its jaws and teeth were taken from a fish and its arms, shoulders, neck and cheeks were covered with fish skin. The lower body also contains fish bones. Radioactive dating determined this figure was made in the late 1800s.

Hàng chục xác ướp nàng tiên cá khác đã được tìm thấy trên khắp Nhật Bản và được cho là đã được tạo ra trong thời kỳ Edo lịch sử của đất nước, kéo dài từ năm 1603 – 1868. Thời kỳ đó chứng kiến những dịch bệnh hoành hành như đậu mùa và sởi, và những sinh vật này được cho là mang lại may mắn. 

“Các nàng tiên cá Nhật Bản mang truyền thuyết về sự bất tử”, Hiroshi Kinoshita của Hiệp hội văn hóa dân gian Okayama nói với The Sun. “Người ta nói rằng nếu bạn ăn thịt của một nàng tiên cá, bạn sẽ không bao giờ chết”.