Japanese Yokai Girls - Ningyo (Honda Koji Shokai)

Honda Koji Shokai presents this figure of Ningyo, part of the Japanese Yokai Girls collection, standing approximately 70mm tall. The figure represents a creature from traditional Japanese folklore reimagined in collectible form. In Japanese mythology, ningyo are mermaid-like creatures that bear little resemblance to their Western counterparts. Rather than seductive sirens, traditional ningyo are described as hideous, otherworldly beings that are more fish than human, with deformed fish-like faces or human torsos featuring long, bony fingers and sharp claws. They range in size from that of a human child to a large seal. Ningyo sightings date back to some of the earliest written histories of Japan, with the first recorded accounts appearing in the Nihon Shoki around 619 CE. The flesh of a ningyo is said to grant eternal life and youth, but these creatures can place powerful curses on those who attempt to harm or capture them, with some legends telling of entire towns destroyed by earthquakes or tidal waves after a fisherman brought one home. This figure from Honda Koji Shokai stands at approximately 70mm and presents the ningyo as part of a Yokai Girls themed collection.