Travel to a hidden spot that’s home to a carp with a human face.

Back in the ’90s, a living creature in Japan became a massive sensation around the world, becoming known as “the fish with a human face”.

Unlike a lot of urban legends, this fish was more than just a myth, as it could actually be seen, photographed, and observed, causing a media frenzy that went on for months. Since then, other human-faced fish have been spotted here and there, but the original was said to have lived in Kaibami no Ike, a pond in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture.

Though decades have passed since the original fish’s first sighting, these human-faced fish are believed to bring luck as messengers of the dragon god, so we decided to set out in search of the fish, to see if it was still there.

▼ An artist’s rendering of the fish we were looking for.

The pond is located within the grounds of the ancient Zenpoji Temple, with its entrance being a short distance from the main gate and main hall, along a beautiful mountain incline.

There are signboards along the way to keep you from getting lost, and there’s even a diagram showing the spots in the pond where the fish are most often seen.

The walk to the pond is short but beautiful, with tall trees shading the sky, creating dappled light across the stairs on the path.

After a short time, the path opens up to reveal a large pond with such beauty you could easily believe it was home to a mysterious creature.

This pond is steeped in dragon god legends — it’s said to be connected to the sea underground, and the name “Kaibami no Ike” literally means “shellfish-eating pond”, as it’s believed that the dragon eats clams here.

There’s a well-maintained promenade surrounding the pond, and when we visited there were several groups of visitors but the atmosphere was still quiet and peaceful. Back during the days of the human-faced fish boom, this site had as many as 10,000 daily visitors, despite social media not existing at the time, but now things are much more relaxed.

The first thing visitors should do here is pay their respects at the small “Dragon God Hall” that stands quietly at the edge of the pond, enshrining the dragon god.

Further in, there’s a clear stream where you can partake in the ritualistic cleansing of hands. It’s like a scene straight out a Studio Ghibli movie, with the sound of running water and the sight of fresh green leaves truly making it feel like a sacred place.

After a brief stop here to soak in the beauty of nature, it’s time to head to the pond in search of the human-faced fish. However, with this many carp in the pond, as well as turtles and catfish, the search isn’t so easy.

The pond was filled with dazzling colours as the carp swished back and forth, creating ever-changing patterns of beauty. According to what we’d been told, this human-faced fish had a dull, yellowish hue but none of the ones we saw had the face of a human.

After around 30 minutes of observing the fish, we headed over to a group of people who were tossing carp feed into the water, having purchased it nearby. Edging closer to get a good look at the fish, we still couldn’t see anything that resembled a human face.

Listening to the conversations around us, all we could hear were whispers of “human-faced fish” as people desperately searched for it. However, no matter how hard we looked, nobody was able to spot the fish, so we turned around to head home, deciding to feel content in the fact that we’d at least been able to enjoy the mountain air.

Heading along the promenade again, we couldn’t help but peer into the water as we walked back. There are a couple more spots along the way where human-faced fish are said to appear, and there are platforms where you can feed them.

That’s when we saw a single carp swimming towards us. It wasn’t quite like the golden carp we’d been searching for, but… could it be…

▼ … are you… a human-faced fish?

▼ Indeed it was!

It may not have been the golden fish we’d been looking for, but there was no denying this fish had the face of a human. Though the visual is created when the nostrils resemble eyes and the head markings look like a human nose — some say it’s related to the “pareidolia phenomenon” where people see faces in things like ceiling stains — it really makes you stop and stare as the likeness is astounding.

Feeling a sense of the divine, we were grateful for the pond-side encounter and left with a spring in our step. It just goes to show that good things come to those who wait, and hopefully the reward for that will manifest itself somewhere down the line, as the fish’s good fortune serves to sprinkle a little magic into our everyday lives.

Site information
Zenpoji / 善寳寺
Address: Yamagata-ken, Tsuruoka-shi, Shimogawa, Sekine-100
山形県鶴岡市下川字関根100
Hours: 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Website

Photos: ©SoraNews24
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