Hibagon
.jpg) Japanese book cover depicting the Hibagon | |
| Grouping | Cryptid |
|---|---|
| Sub grouping | Hominid |
| Similar creatures | Bigfoot, Yeti |
| Other name(s) | ヒナゴン (Hinagon) |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Mount Hiba, Hiroshima Prefecture |
| Habitat | Forest |
The Hibagon (ヒバゴン) or Hinagon (ヒナゴン) is the Japanese equivalent of the North American Bigfoot or the Himalayan Yeti. Sightings have been reported since the 1970s[1] in "forested, mountainous areas of the country" around Mount Hiba in the Hiroshima Prefecture.[2]
History of the Hibagon
The Hibagon is described as a "black creature with white hands and large white feet, standing about five feet tall.", and has been said to resemble a gorilla.[3]
"The Hibagon has a large nose, large deep glaring eyes and is covered with bristles. Theories to account for this cryptid range from a gorilla, a wild man, or a deserter from the Japanese chefs, to an individual ravaged by atomic radiation from the nuclear attack on Hiroshimaa."
A sighting from 1972 reports that the creature "has a chocolate brown face and is covered with brown hair ... [and] is said to have 'deep glaring eyes', in two reports by a Mr. Sazawa and a Mrs. Harada, the creature took no hostile action and fled from four armed residents intent on hunting it."
Japanese Boy Scouts, "claim to find footprints 25 cm (10 in) long and 15 cm (6 in) wide."
As with "most hominid cryptids, the Hibagon is said to have a most unpleasant stench, like a dead human body."[4][5]
Popular culture
- The Hibagon was the featured cryptid in the American animated television series The Secret Saturdays episode "The Vengeance of Hibagon." This version of the Hibagon is depicted to be larger than its usual description.
- The Hibagon is one of six cryptids sought by comedian and journalist Dom Joly in his travel book Scary Monsters and Super Creeps.
- In Dragon Quest the monsters known as "brainy badboons" are called ヒババンゴ (Hibabango) in japanese, referencing this creature.
See also
- List of topics characterized as pseudoscience
- Bigfoot, a similar creature reported from North America
- Yeti, a similar creature reported from the Himalayas
References
- ↑ see entry ヒバゴン in Digital Daijisen
- ↑ Coleman, Loren; Huyghe, Patrick. "Hibagon". Archived from the original on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 2005-10-25.
- ↑ Newton, Michael (2005). "Hibagon". Encyclopedia of Cryptozoology: A Global Guide. McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 195. ISBN 0-7864-2036-7.
- ↑ Bord, Janet; Bord, Colin (1981). Alien Animals. Stackpole Books. p. 258. ISBN 0-8117-2181-7.
- ↑ Metropolis, "Fortean Japan", 27 June 2008, p. 12.