One of the most popular genres of reading during the 18th-19th centuries in #Japan was the #kibyoshi - a type of silly, illustrated novel that anyone could afford.

#Yokai and #folklore were a popular subject, and one book even tells of the illegitimate child of Urashima Taro and a fish. So naturally, she was born a #mermaid and called Uondo.

Her story predates Anderson's Little Mermaid by almost half a century!

Read more about Uondo here: yokai.com/uondo

#MastoArt #illustration

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@matthewmeyer I'm just wondering... this Uondo person... how did they do their hair?!

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