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Hōnengyo

The Hōnengyo or Hounengyo (豊年魚, It means fruitful year fish or good harvest fish in Japanese.) is an aquatic cryptid, reported from Osaka, Japan.

Sightings and Reports[]

In early June 1866, a strange creature appeared in the Yodo River flowing through Osaka Prefecture, and newspapers of the time reported it.

According to the caption on the painting depicting it, it is 2.3 meters long and weighs 75 kilograms, and its overall shape resembles that of a weasel and its limbs resemble those of a turtle. It is also said that the creature was black, had moss on its back, and its eyes were like mirrors.

The creature has appeared before and was named Hōnengyo because of the bountiful harvest that has occurred since the creature was sighted. Contrary to this description, no record of the creature's appearance prior to 1866 has been found. This could have been a hoax in the press or a reference to some material that no longer exists but was still accessible at the time.

Explanations[]

Also in 1866, Osaka Prefecture reported the Osaka Castle Monster, which had a dinosaur-like appearance. The Osaka Castle Monster was most likely a giant salamander released into the moat. Therefore, it is possible that Hōnengyo is a hoax created and inspired by the discovery of the Giant Salamander at Osaka Castle.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • In recent years, the topic has come up frequently on Twitter (X) and elsewhere, and it has become a standard practice to joke that this is a case of Godzilla's appearance whenever it is mentioned. Several figures and illustrations based on Hōnengyo have also been produced in conjunction with this joke.


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