Issie
Issie (イッシー, Isshī) is a Japanese lake monster said to lurk in Lake Ikeda on Kyushu Island.[1] It is described as being saurian in appearance. The naming convention is analogous to "Nessie" (the Loch Ness Monster).
 Statue of Issie | |
| Grouping | Legendary creature |
|---|---|
| Sub grouping | Lake monster |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Lake Ikeda, Kagoshima, Kyushu Island |
Mythology
According to mythology, Issie was a white mare who had a little foal and they lived together on the shore of Lake Ikeda. However, when the foal was kidnapped by a samurai and Issie was unable to find it, she jumped into the lake and her despair transformed her into a giant, saurian beast, which since then frequently surfaces, trying to find her lost child.[2]
Evidence
The creature was reportedly photographed in 1978 by a man who went by the name "Mr. Matsubara". Twenty other people reportedly also saw the creature in 1978, which they described as black and having two humps, each about 5 meters (16 feet) long, swimming in the lake water.[2] In 1991, another visitor to the lake caught video footage of supposed animal movement in the lake. According to some interpretations, there is a bizarre-looking creature estimated to be 9 meters (30 feet) in length, but the footage could be of surface-swimming 5-foot eels as well.
See also
References
- Radford, Benjamin (May 5, 2006). Lake monster mysteries : investigating the world's most elusive creatures. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 145–146. ISBN 9780813171302.
- Metropolis, "Fortean Japan", 27 June 2008, p. 12.