This is a netsuke shaped like a mermaid at the Tokyo National Museum. It's 4 to 5 cm long, carved from wood in the 19th century. The carver is unknown.
I was surprised at this netsuke because it's not what I imagined a mermaid to be. (It doesn't look like the Little Mermaid at all!) I googled and was more surprised that in Japan, The Nihon Shoki (The Chronicles of Japan) referred to mermaids as early as in the 6th century. Japan also has a legendary Buddhist nun who lived to 800 years old by eating the flesh of a mermaid. Wow, the concepts of mermaids significantly vary between countries!
A netsuke is a small carved ornament, especially of ivory or wood, worn as part of Japanese traditional dress as a toggle by which an article may be attached to the sash of a kimono (Source: Lexico). If you love netsuke, see this list to see dozens of netsuke items!
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