Taxidermy is an art that people have been practicing around the world for centuries. Even if you don’t personally appreciate taxidermy, you’ll still stare at these Japanese pieces.
…That’s because they’re terrifying. For some reason, craftsmen decided to create fictional horrors. Even if they knew that mermaids and these other monsters weren’t real, they were compelled to make them.
Dragons
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Kappa
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A kappa (or “river child”) is a kind of water demon in Japanese folklore. These trickster creatures would embrace mischief and would even pull travelers below the surface of the water.
Another taxidermist’s interpretation of what a kappa’s body would look like.
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Tengu
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Tengu, or “heavenly dog,” is another creature from Japanese folklore. They were believed to be a kind of Shinto god and would take the form of birds of prey. At one time, tengu were viewed to be harbingers of war.
Mermaids
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Some of these taxidermy mermaids date as far back as the 12th century.
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If this what mermaids would have really looked like? No, thanks.
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They sure don’t make mermaid corpses like they used to.
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A piece of modern (but equally strange) Japanese taxidermy.
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I choose you, Pikachu!
(via RocketNews24)
These “animals” are bizarre, but still pretty cool. Who knew that people had such active imaginations so many years ago?
