Namitaro
A giant-fish cryptid said to live in Takanami Pond in Itoigawa, Niigata Prefecture. It is said to be 2 to 4 meters long and is seen as a carp-like fish. One theory is that it is a carp that has lived long and grown huge.
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Legend & Sighting Locations in Niigata
We list 3 places in Niigata where yokai, cryptids and legends are told or sighted, and 3 related encyclopedia entries.
Please note Trespassing on private property or restricted areas is prohibited by law. Please be considerate of local residents.
Positions on the map are a rough guide to the area where a legend or sighting is set. Most pins are placed at representative points of a municipality or prefecture (outside Japan, a city position rounded to about 10 km, or the country), not at the exact place.
Municipality points: Geolonia address data (CC BY 4.0), based on the Address Base Registry (Digital Agency of Japan) / Country points: Natural Earth
Locations in Niigata
Entries Linked to Niigata
Bake-danuki (Shapeshifting Tanuki)
A tanuki (raccoon dog) yokai that tricks people and transforms into people and things. Legends of famous great tanuki abound in Shikoku and Sado, and it is beloved through folktales like Bunbuku Chagama and stories of tanuki drumming on their bellies.
Kasha
A yokai that appears at funerals and graveyards and steals the bodies of the dead. It is said to target the remains of those who did many evil deeds, and is often described as a cat yokai. Its name is said to come from the "fire cart" that carries sinners to hell.