How the sightings began
Hibagon is an ape-like creature reported in 1970 around the Hiba mountains in Saijo, Hiba District, Hiroshima Prefecture (now part of Shobara). Its name comes from Mount Hiba.
Reported features
It was said to be about 1.5 meters tall, covered in dark brown hair, with an inverted-triangle face. Many witnesses said it walked on two legs, and what were said to be its footprints were also reported. It is sometimes compared to Bigfoot.
A town-wide uproar
Because the sightings continued, the Saijo town office at the time set up a post nicknamed the “Ape Section,” and media coverage grew heated. The sightings eventually stopped, but Hibagon is still loved as a local mascot today. One theory is that witnesses mistook wild monkeys or bears for it.
