Lurking the halls of Buddhist temples and museums across Japan are a host of monster mummies — the preserved skeletal remnants of demons, mermaids, winged beings, and river imps. Until about a century ago, remains such as these were held as heirlooms of influential families or shown off at carnivals, and popular legend implied that they could cause or cure misfortune. Some of these are obviously hoaxes, the work of artists who altered and combined existing skeletons, while others…are more questionable.
