From Mermaids To Monsters: The Taxidermy Mummies On Show In Japan【Photos】

In the mid-nineteenth century, a showman named P. T. Barnum exhibited an oddity named the Fiji mermaid. Barnum’s mummified mermaid, one of the most famous hoaxes of all time, is widely believed to have been the body of a young monkey sewn onto a fish tail, and had been bought from Japanese sailors for $6,000.

Ningyo (Japanese mermaids – the word literally means “person-fish”) have a long and interesting history, but they aren’t the only ancient fake taxidermy on show in Japan. Across the country are all kinds of other fascinating specimens: “mummies” of tengu, kappa and even dragons.

These oddball objects were popular at Edo-period sideshow carnivals called misemono, but these days we are more likely to see them in temples and museums. Here are four kinds of creepy creatures on show in Japan.

Source: Rocket News 24