Mighty mermaids
In Japan, many beliefs existed regarding these creatures. They were believed to be wielders of great powers. It was said that helping a mermaid would ensure great fortunes in the future. On the other hand, hurting a mermaid would cause natural disasters such as earthquakes and storms. Despite that, the belief that mermaids bestowed immortality to those who consumed their flesh existed as well, and covering an object with mermaid oil would render it waterproof. All in all, in Japan mermaids were believed to be powerful, rare and extraordinary beings, able to command fate and the elements.
Japan’s mermaids seemed to exist in a state of in-betweenness and the unknown: neither person nor fish, not always easily recognizable as female or male, their existence believed yet not known with certainty, and only ever sighted by people travelling at sea. But the object we are looking at gave the mermaid a physical objectivity, and therefore can be seen as a physical manifestation of this Japanese belief.