Uwa Sea Monster is a cryptid reported from the Uwa Sea in Japan (the sea between Ehime and Oita Prefectures).
Description[]
In the 1960s, fishermen fishing near Jino-oshima Island saw a mysterious creature with a long neck protruding from the sea surface.
Around April 1975, a large object washed ashore at Jino-oshima Island. However, no one could confirm what it was, and it was not until May 12 that it was discovered to be the carcass of an unusual creature.
The carcass was meticulously measured to be 7 meters long, with a head 30 centimeters long, a neck 1.2 meters long, a body 4.5 meters long, a tail 1 meter long, and four fins 1 meter long. The head resembled a snake or turtle without a lower jaw, and the tail resembled a fur seal. The body was stocky with thick fat, and the exposed bones were cartilaginous and white. The skin had black hair-like tissue, which may have been fat or epidermal tissue loosened during the decomposition of the carcass.
Explanation[]
The discoverer, Miyata, asked the Dogo Zoo what this creature was, and these experts identified it as a pinniped. Miyata preserved the head of the creature, but discarded it about six months later because it had lost water and shrunk to about half its original size.
A marine cryptid, Hassie of Hatouzu, was seen around 2018 in Oita Prefecture, near this sighting location, and may be similar.