Japanese mermaids, who are called Ningyo (Ningyo) here, have nothing to do with the European idea of these inhabitants of water elements.
The Japanese Ningyo is not even remotely similar to the long-haired beauty from the Disney fairy tale. And even with Russian mermaids, cunning, cunning, but still beautiful virgins, it is simply impossible to compare her.
The Japanese Ningyo is a mythological animal, a cross between a fantastic monster and a large fish, with teeth as sharp as daggers and even formidable horns on its head.
The Japanese are quite convinced that the remains of this sea lady are located in the Ryuguji Temple in Fukuoka City. Its age is determined approximately by the thirteenth century. According to legend, this mermaid appeared to Prince Shotoku Taishi, walking alone along the shore of Lake Biwa. A disgusting-looking animal suddenly spoke in a human voice and told Shotoku about reincarnation, as a result of which she had, they say, to be a mermaid in this life. But she is already preparing for a new rebirth, and in the next life she will be a man.
Before her death, the mermaid asked the prince to fulfill her last will: to transfer the remains to the temple, so that her body would remind of the frailty of the world and call people to holiness. The prince did so, but the body of the mermaid was then transferred several times from one temple to another, until the remains of this monster ended up in Ryuguji.
According to another version, the bones of this mermaid were found on the shores of the Hakata Bay (Hakata) of the Kyushu island (Kyushu). Seeing them, the local shaman considered it a good omen and ordered to bury the remains of the mermaid in the "underwater palace of the Dragon God." This was seven centuries ago, which is why today only six bones of this mysterious creature have got into the Ryuguji Temple. Scientists still cannot agree on who they belong to. The most orthodox researchers attribute them to the featherless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides) - a rare species of mammals without a distinct dorsal fin. However, for ordinary Japanese, these bones remained the remains of the mythological Ningyo.
By the way, there are other legends about Japanese mermaids, in which this sea creature is always a harbinger of misfortune. In the old days, such remains were often found on the seashore just before the outbreak of war. For this reason, people were afraid and wary of mermaids, and if they accidentally fell into the nets, they immediately threw them back into the water.
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However, there is a legend that one fisherman caught a "fish" with a human face and, without suspecting anything, let it go to prepare the upcoming dinner, as he was expecting numerous guests. To his surprise, none of the guests touched this dish. There was only a sake lover, who cut himself into a drunken drink so that he lost all vigilance, and therefore took some of the strange fish (fried) home and treated his daughter to it. According to legend, the girl tried this dish and has since stopped growing old. She was often seen on the seashore, looking into the endless distance, and as if in a daze. And then the girl disappeared without a trace …