In 1990, carp in the temple's pond became famous as "human-faced fish," setting off a huge boom with up to 10,000 visitors a day.
Sighting & Incident Site
Zenpoji Temple, Kaibami Pond
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
| Encyclopedia | Jinmengyo (Human-Faced Fish) |
|---|---|
| Location | Yamagata Tsuruoka |
| Type of place | Pond or lake |
| Map position | Approximate position (Municipality), not the exact place |
Fish with markings that look like a human face. In 1990, carp in the pond of Zenpoji Temple in Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture, were featured in magazines and on TV, causing a huge boom with up to 10,000 visitors a day.