Scientists from Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts have delved into the enigmatic origins of the Enjuin “mummy,” a curious object found in a box at the Enjuin Temple in Asaguchi, Okayama Prefecture, Japan. The object was accompanied by a note claiming it was a “mermaid caught in a net off the sea off of Tosa” during the Genbun era.
Despite rampant speculation, the team sought to unravel the mystery with a series of tests, including X-rays, computed tomography (CT) scans, radiocarbon dating, and DNA analysis, among others.
The results were surprising, to say the least. While the lower half of the object featured fins and skeletal elements, pufferfish skin, and scales dating back to the late 1800s, the upper half was comprised of paper, cloth, cotton padding, and a plaster-like substance.
While the team discovered that the hair came from a mammal and the nails from animal keratin, the Enjuin mummy was far from a genuine mermaid. Similar “mermaids” have been studied in the past, including a fish with a wire and wood torso, adorned with human hair, and the infamous “Fiji Mermaid,” which was a monkey’s top half sewn to a fish’s bottom half.
As for the Enjuin mummy, the head priest at the temple expressed hope that the research would leave scientific records for future generations. The team’s report will go down in the annals of science, revealing that the object is, in fact, an amalgamation of disparate animal parts crafted to appear as a mysterious and exotic creature.
is it real??
Folk lores and religions all do this