The Human-Fish: Animality, Teratology, and Religion in Premodern Japan

This article focuses on the cultural valence of human-fish (ningyo), a hybrid aquatic creature with human face and fish body, in premodern Japan from eighth to nineteenth century. Located at intersection religious, political, scientific discourses, ningyo becomes an exclusive observation point for better understanding mechanisms interweaving mutual fertilization between apparently unrelated semantic fields such as those concerning deities, humans, animals. Although heteromorphic bodies, here symbolized by uncanny physicality ningyo, are usually dismissed marginal elements within broad panorama relevant intel-lectual productions, this study problematizes assumption argues that hegemonic stances constantly validated, or invalidated, according their relationships fringes. Being interstitial entity, is, something lives pleats discourse, is characterized continuous inclusion networks meaning and, same time, doomed perennial exclusion. sheds light hermeneutical dynamics generate exceptionality its never-ending role haunting mediator reality.