Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternate Names: Mermaid, human-fish
Category: Mermaid
The Myth
In ancient times, strange beings were said to appear in the waters of Japan—creatures neither fully human nor fully fish.
The Nihon Shoki tells that in the year 619, during the reign of Empress Suiko, a human-like creature appeared in the Gamo River in Ōmi Province. In another account, a fisherman from Settsu caught something in his net that was neither fish nor human. These were said to be ningyo.
In Ise Province, a fisherman once drew up a fish with a human head. When people approached it, the creature cried and made sounds like a person. Those who cut and ate its flesh found it delicious, and no harm came to them.
Ningyo were sometimes washed ashore or caught in nets. Because they were rare, they were offered as gifts to powerful lords. One caught in Bungo Province in 1559 was presented to the shogun.
They also appeared in temple legends. At Kannonshōji Temple in Ōmi, it is said that a fisherman who had committed murder in a previous life was reborn as a hideous ningyo. Prince Shōtoku built a temple there in response to its prayer for salvation.
Another tale tells of Yao Bikuni, a woman who ate ningyo flesh and gained extraordinary longevity.
The appearance of a ningyo was often taken as an omen. When one washed ashore in Akita in 1213, a diviner declared it a sign of war. That same year, rebellion broke out. When another was seen in Tsugaru in 1222, prayers were offered, yet unrest followed.
Some said killing a ningyo brought disaster. In Wakasa Province, a fisherman slew one, and soon a great storm and earthquake destroyed the village. The creature was believed to have been a messenger of a sea deity.
At other times, a ningyo was considered auspicious. One that washed ashore in Hakata was taken as a sign of long life for the nation and believed to be a messenger from the Dragon Palace. It was buried, and the temple there was named Ryūgū-ji.
In later times, stories spread that seeing a ningyo’s image could ward off illness, and that its flesh could grant long life. Even so, whether blessing or disaster, the ningyo remained a mysterious being of the waters—human-faced, fish-bodied, and never entirely of this world.
Gallery
Sources
tyz-yokai.blog.jp contributors. (n.d.). Ningyo. In tyz-yokai.blog.jp, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1077741608.html
Interpretive Lenses
Religious Readings
- Christian Ascetic Deep Dive
Philosophical Readings
- Nietzschean Deep Dive
Psychological Readings
- Jungian Deep Dive
Esoteric Deep Dive
- Hermetic Deep Dive
Political / Social Readings
- Marxist Deep Dive
Other
- How to Invite The Ningyo