Giant Crow

In the TV show, comedian Teruyoshi Uchimura uses a model crow to recreate Wakatsuki's experience of being attacked by a giant crow.

The Giant Crow is an avian cryptid reported from Japan.

Description

The large-billed crow is the larger of the crows commonly seen in Japan. In Hokkaido, the common raven, which can be larger than the large-billed crow, is sometimes seen, but it still only reaches a wingspan of about 1.5 meters. However, there are sighting reports of larger crows in Japan that have not been scientifically discovered.

Sightings and Reports

In the 1980s, somewhere in rural Japan, several kindergarteners were walking home with their childcare worker when a giant crow landed on the road in front of them. It was almost as tall as the kindergartners. After observing the children, the crow took off and disappeared among the trees. This case can be seen on an English language website, but on the other hand, this encounter is completely unknown in Japan, despite the fact that it is said to have occurred in Japan.

In 2016, 2021 and 2024, gravure idol and TV personality Chinatsu Wakatsuki appeared on a TV show and shared her childhood experience of being attacked by a giant crow. According to her account, she was once captured and nearly taken away by a giant crow the size of a one-box car when she was six years old.

The 2024 TV show in which Wakatsuki gave her third testimony also featured former women's soccer player Karina Maruyama, who also shared her experience of encountering a giant crow. According to her report, when she was five years old, she was captured by a crow and lifted about 170 centimeters off the ground.

Explanations

The two reports of sightings of giant crows broadcast on television may have been unintentionally exaggerated in size and experience because they were both childhood experiences. Crows are aggressive during the period when they are raising their chicks and will aggressively attack humans. The experience of being attacked by these crows as a child may have been misinterpreted in terms of size due to mental shock and fear.

Since an adult also saw the giant crow in the 1980s case, this cannot be explained as in the two aforementioned cases. It is possible that the crow is a large stray bird from overseas, or that it is a hoax created in the English-speaking world.