Issie
 Statue of Issie | |
| Grouping | Cryptid |
|---|---|
| Sub grouping | Lake monster |
| First reported | 1978 |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Lake Ikeda, Kagoshima, Kyushu Island |
| Habitat | Water |
Issie (イッシー Isshī) is a legendary Japanese lake monster; said to lurk in Lake Ikeda, on Kyushu Island. It is described as being saurian in appearance. The name is formed in analogy with "Nessie" (the Loch Ness Monster).
Mythology
According to mythology, Issie was a white mare which 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.
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 about 5 meters (16.4 feet)long, swimming in the lake water.[1] In 1991, another visitor to the lake caught video footage supposedly of a bizarre-looking creature estimated to be 14 meters (45.9 feet) in length.
See also
References
- ↑ Metropolis, "Fortean Japan", 27 June 2008, p. 12.