Kappa Mythology: Mummified Remains of 'Water Demon' on Display in Japan

In primitive Japanese mythology, the Kappa is a 'water demon' that lived in rivers and lakes and grabbed and consumed its prey with its powerful jaws. While many believe that the myth is connected with sightings of the giant Japanese Salamander – a species that is still alive, others believe that the tale is genuine.

Now, interested people have an opportunity to view the strange body parts of Kappa as the demon will be on display on the island of Kyuushuu in Japan for the first time ever, according to Ancient Origins

The Kappa is depicted with a tortoise-shaped body, a beak and limbs of a frog. Though Kappa is a water creature, it is believed that it was occassionally also spotted on land. According to the myth, its cavity needed to be kept wet in order to retain its power whenever the myterious creature used to remain out of waters.

Kappa usually thought to be mischievous trickster that makes strange noises, is also known for drowning people and even kidnapping children and consuming them. The legend of kappa were used by parents to scare children out of water.

Now, believers of kappa can see some of the mummified remains belonging to a Kappa and to find out whether or not the remains belonged to the legendary water creature. The remains include an arm and a foot with their hand attached which are supposed to have been given to the Miyakonijo Shimazu family after a Kappa was allegedly shot dead near a river in 1818. They will now be displayed for the first time at the Miyakonojo Shimazu Residence in Miyazaki region on the Kyuushuu island in Japan.

The remains are not the first of its kind to have been found. Many people have claimed to have seen Kappa mummies, though some are known to have been depicted by Edo-period artists that lived from 1603 to 1867 using parts of creatures that ranged from owls and monkeys to stingrays.

Even after centuries of legendary stories and investigation, scientists have not been able to confirm the existence of the water creature, despite being able to recover numerous bones that are believed to belong to the Kappa.