Ningyo

Overview

Ningyo pushes through curling waves with a human-like face at the front of a scaled fish body. Long hair sweeps backward from its head, and the mouth is open beneath a prominent nose. A clawed forelimb rests across the water in front. The body curves upward behind it toward a raised fish tail. Fin shapes, repeated scale patterns and spiralling foam fill the page.

The title 人魚 names the human-fish subject. This Japanese illustrated witness differs visibly from a familiar modern mermaid with a woman’s unclothed upper body and a single tail below the waist. Sekien’s being has scales over the trunk and unusual forelimbs. The composition gives a particular historical anatomy, not a universal definition of every tradition translated as mermaid. It supplies no verified promise of longevity or consequence of eating the creature.

Origins & earliest records

Named illustration in Toriyama Sekien’s Konjaku Hyakki Shūi, first published in 1781. The historical Smithsonian Libraries copy is the inspected witness; book publication is not a claim about the earliest oral tradition.

Records & interpretation

Printed name and complete composition individually inspected in an enlarged historical scan. Explanatory prose is not presented as a fully checked transcription.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

1. 01

   Konjaku Hyakki Shūi

   Toriyama Sekien · 1781; historical digitized edition

   Volume 1; IIIF canvas index 13 (zero-based); printed name 人魚.

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

Primary records and illustrations

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

1. Institutional primary-book recordSmithsonian Libraries — historical illustrated volumeResearch access: 2026-10-05
2. Direct primary illustrationNamed primary plate: 人魚Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

Ningyo, named plate by Toriyama Sekien

Printed name 人魚 and composition individually inspected at enlarged resolution. Actual image URL taken from the IIIF manifest.