Just in case you haven’t had the time to pop over to the fabulous Pink Tentacle site to check out there lastest blog, here is a blatant rip-off of their last post. In temples and museums across Japan there are collections of mummified monsters – demons, mermaids etc. Some of them are remarkably convincing such as the three-faced demon head at the Zengyōji temple.
Many of these mummies have interesting histories and I would refer you to the Pink Tentacle site for more exotic examples and information. I particularly like the mermaid mummies. Now how they lured sailors to their deaths with their sexual allure escapes me. There again, I suppose most sirens look a little unappealing after mummification.
I don’t know how these monster mummies where created and I wonder if any are genetic malformations but they are fantastic visions of the supernatural. No wonder Japanese horror movies are so creepy. What’s your favourite?