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Japan: An 'ox woman' with no arms and deformed but dextrous feet, stringing coins. From the Kaikidan Ekotoba Monster Scroll, mid-19th century.

Japan: An 'ox woman' with no arms and deformed but dextrous feet, stringing coins. From the Kaikidan Ekotoba Monster Scroll, mid-19th century.

The 'ox woman' pictured here was a sideshow attraction at Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine, Fukuoka prefecture, in the mid-18th century. The armless lady entertained audiences by using her peculiar feet to run string through the center holes of coins. The Kaikidan Ekotoba is a mid-19th century handscroll that profiles 33 legendary monsters and human oddities, mostly from the Kyushu region of Japan, but with several from other countries, including China, Russia and Korea. The document, whose author is unknown, is in the possession of the Fukuoka City Museum.

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