My poster of Japanese prophetic mermaids, the Ryūgū no tsukai (tr. Servants of Ryūgū), arrived (and was promptly framed). Art is by Matthew Meyer, noted Japan folklorist, writer, and illustrator.
Ryūgū no tsukai are servants and messengers of Ryūjin, the god of the sea. These yokai are holy creatures; they appear as really large fish with horns and a human head, along with lots of hair (and sometimes beards), and sometimes swords. The servants' sizes range wildly (5m to 18m long). Many purportedly emit "a luminous glow," too.
According to Meyer, the mermaids' historical affiliation with warning against coming disease and devastation had a large part in their big jump in popularity over the past few years (during and after the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic). Meyer's poster recreates the original ink-brush artwork with a high fidelity to the strangeness and uniqueness of the originals.
The legends (as published in The Palace of the Dragon King by Meyer):
For seven days during April of 1819, a shining creature was seen in the sea off the coast of Tsushima, and people all over the province wondered at it. Eight hundred people from other provinces gathered in one hundred and twenty large boats and fired thirty guns at it all at once, but the thing was not fazed by this.
Within seven days after shooting at it, the creature began to speak, and every night it said this: "I am nothing to be afraid of. I have come here from the Dragon Palace for a reason. One day this year, a great evil disease will come, and people will certainly die. Therefore, I ask you to copy my portrait and spread it around the country. Those who see my picture even once will be spared from this evil disease. It will also serve as an amulet for the safety of the land and for long life." Its body was nine meters long, and its face was about one and a half meters long.
Another ryūgū no tsukai appeared off of Kumamoto. Its body was eighteen meters long and its face was 90 centimeters long. It had two horns, and its back was covered in purple scales. It had six fins, a tail like a goldfish's, and it carried three jewels.
This creature explained that it was a messenger from the Dragon Palace and said, "This year there will be severe epidemic of a great evil illness, and the sick will not be saved. Therefore, in order to save many lives, I have come here to give you this message. All who hear my message are sure to be spared from the disease."
The poster is printed on washi paper, which offers subtler inks, reflects light slightly differently, and has a delightfully unique texture. As you can see, the many variations in the style and appearance of the mermaids shift and change in much the same way the stories told among villagers shifted and changed the more people who heard and shared them (and the more the people surely wanted amulets for their own safety). The largest among these yokai, Onna uo (tr. woman fish) (pictured below, right), has multiple swords on her tail and is said to be 145 meters long!
