A mysterious two-headed bird depicted in a Japanese diary dating from more than a century ago has caught the attention of people yearning for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic, with its image going viral online and inspiring merchandise from rice crackers to T-shirts.
The bird, called “yogen no tori,” introduced by the Yamanashi Prefectural Museum to the public in April, is said to have prophesied a cholera outbreak that swept through Japan in the late 19th century and offered protection to those who prayed to it.
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