“We have worshipped it, hoping that it would help alleviate the coronavirus pandemic even if only slightly,” the head priest said. “I hope the research project can leave (scientific) records for future generations.”^1

Excerpt from the linked content^2 about research^3 at Kurashiki University into the origins of folklore:

>Five researchers from the Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts here and other organizations had been analyzing the mermaid to determine its true identity since February last year.

>The team used X-rays, a high-resolution CT scanner and other modern equipment for the study.

>They said some real biological parts were found in the mermaid.

>For example, the lower body contains bones from perhaps the tail and dorsal fins of a Sciaenidae fish, while the mummy’s jaw was that of a carnivorous fish.

>But they found no major bones in the spine or rib cage. And the jaw was the only bone in the head.

>The body’s interior consisted mainly of a mold of cloth, paper and cotton.

>The head was almost entirely made of cotton, along with plaster and similar materials, they said.

>The surface of the upper body was created with thin layers of paper, with puffer fish skin and animal hair glued to it, according to the study.

> 

>Based on scales peeled from the lower body, the researchers said it is highly likely that the mermaid was created in the late 1880s.

>The researchers tried to conduct a DNA analysis, but no DNA was detected in the mermaid.

>Kozen Kuida, 61, chief priest at Enjuin temple, said after the study that the mermaid mummy will remain a prized possession of the temple.

>“Many people in this area came here and joined hands to pray (to the mermaid), so it holds their thoughts,” Kuida said at a news conference.

>“Now we have learned that it was molded with things that were alive. We want to continue to protect it with great care.”

>How Enjuin temple acquired the mermaid mummy in the first place remains a mystery.

^1 Scientists try to unravel mystery of eerie ‘mermaid mummy’, Kunio Ozawa for the Asahi Shimbun, 19 Feb. 2022, https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14543351

^2 Study finds ‘mermaid mummy’ largely a molded object, Kunio Ozawa for the Asahi Shimbun, 8 Feb. 2023, https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14834950

^3 人魚ミイラの実態解明/圓珠院所蔵『人魚のミイラ』研究最終報告, 7 Feb. 2023, https://www.kusa.ac.jp/news/2023/02/20230207mermaid.html