Mermaids in the spotlight
When the mermaids started to be crafted after having only lived in writings and stories, they immediately captured the curiosity of the people, who surely would desire to see them.
Some of the first to obtain and display mermaids were temples: it is unsure whether or not they were aware of their fake nature. What we know is that they displayed the specimens in the temple buildings, with the first written records of this custom appearing from 1777. It is plausible that temples genuinely collected mermaids for their rarity and value, as well as their powerful reputation. And in addition, there is no doubt that having such creatures on display would attract great amounts of visitors.
However, mermaid-showing was not the prerogative of religious institutions: mermaids also featured in the sideshow attractions known as misemono 見世物, a kind of spectacle that had become popular in the Edo Period (1603-1868). At this time, temples would organize events known as kaichō 開帳, where religious objects from Buddhist temples would be temporarily exhibited to the public. Concurrently, misemono sideshows would be organized to take advantage of the great numbers of visitors attracted by the kaichō. With time, these shows became a staple of urban culture, organized independently of other events.
Misemono were proper freak shows that displayed anything (and anyone) that was deemed able to attract crowds. Amongst exotic birds, mechanical dolls and people with deformities, mermaids were unsurprisingly a staple.
And so, mermaids had become the protagonists of spectacles in Japan, and the same fate awaited them in Europe and North America.