Ningyo

hairstyle of the Edo Period. , is a creature with both human and fish-like features, described in various pieces of Japanese literature. Though often translated as "mermaid", the term is technically not gender-specific and may include the "mermen". The literal translation "human-fish" has also been applied.

hairstyle of the Edo Period. ]] , is a creature with both human and fish-like features, described in various pieces of Japanese literature. Though often translated as "mermaid", the term is technically not gender-specific and may include the "mermen". The literal translation "human-fish" has also been applied. ==== Etchū Province ningyo, aka Kairai ==== The aforementioned woodblock print from Bunka 2 (1805), entitled " " publicized the appearance of a ningyo also called . It happened on the 5th month of the year, in Yokata-ura, in what is now Toyama Bay. This ningyo was a creature with head of a long-haired young woman's, a pair of golden horns, a red belly, three eyes on each side of its torso, and a carp-like tail end, according to the text of the flier. This mermaid purportedly measured 3 jō 5 shaku or . While the printed illustration only shows one side of the ningyo, the text itself confirms it had 3 eyes on each side of the body. The feature of eyes on the torso is shared by the prediction beast kudan, also known to have appeared in Etchū Province, and the hakutaku (or baize, of Chinese origin), as scholars have pointed out. The flier reports that the people grew frightened, and destroyed it with 450 rifles. Yet the flier also states that "A person who views this fish once will enjoy great longevity, avoid bad turns of events and disasters, and gain luck and virtue".

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1373101271 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.