Strange creature would have been captured by a fisherman’s net in Japan

Researchers are investigating a strange artifact in Japan. It is the alleged mummy of a mermaid that would have been captured by a fishermen’s net between the years 1736 and 1741 in the Japanese region of Kochi. According to legend, whoever tastes its flesh becomes immortal.

Mermaid Legends in Japan

For the past 40 years, the “mummy” has been on display at a temple in the city of Asakuchi, where it is the object of worship. On the upper part of the body, the creature features a head with hair, torso, two hands that extend towards the face, and the remains of sharp and pointed teeth in its mouth. The lower part is made up of a fish tail (see below or by clicking here).

Now, researchers at Kurashiki University are submitting the alleged remains to CT scans. The most likely hypothesis is that the creature is composed of a seam that joins the torso of a monkey with the tail of a fish. Scientists also collected “mermaid” DNA to find out exactly which species was used to craft the artifact.

“Japanese mermaids have a legend related to immortality,” said Hiroshi Kinoshita of the Okayama Folk Society. “They say that if you eat the flesh of a mermaid, you will never die. There is a legend in many parts of Japan that a woman accidentally ate the flesh of a mermaid and lived for 800 years.”

Similar mummies have already been investigated in the past, both in Japan and in other parts of the world (such as the ones that appear in the image that opens this text and in the photo above) . None of them has been proven authentic. Asakuchi mermaid exam results are expected to be published by the end of 2022.

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