Yao Bikuni

One of the famous Japanese folk tales is called "Yao Bikuni". The story tells how a fisherman who lived in the Wakasa province once caught an unusual fish. During all the years in which he had to fish, he had never come across anything like this, so the fisherman invited his friends to visit to taste the meat of the mined creature. One of the guests, however, looking into the kitchen, noticed that the head of this fish resembled a human face, and warned the others not to touch the questionable food. Thus, when the fisherman finished preparing his food and invited his guests to taste the fried ningyo meat, they secretly wrapped it in paper and hid it on themselves to throw it away on the way home. But one man, drunk too much, forgot to throw out the strange fish. He had a young daughter, who, when her father arrived home, demanded some present from him, and he, inadvertently, gave her fried meat. Having regained consciousness, the father tried to stop her from eating strange food, fearing poisoning, but by that time it was too late, the daughter had already eaten everything. And since nothing bad happened to the girl, this person no longer worried about what happened. Years passed, the girl Yao-hime grew up and got married. But after that she no longer grew old; having the same youthful appearance of a 15-year-old girl, while the first husband grew old and died. After many years of unfading youth and repeated widowhood, the woman became a Buddhist nun and traveled to various countries. Finally, she returned to her hometown in Wakas, where she ended her life at the age of 800. A temple was built in her honor.