Takitaro

Takitaro is a large cryptid fish reported from Otori Pond in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture.

Etymology

There are two theories as to the origin of the name: one is that it is the name of the discoverer, and the other is that it comes from a legend that there is a dragon named Takitaro in Otori Pond.

Description

Takitaro are believed to be over two meters long. Larger estimates place their maximum length at 4 meters long.

The mouth of the takitaro has a long lower jaw, which some witnesses say resembles a rabbit. Its body color is reported as brown and its body surface is slimy. The caudal fin is very large.

It is believed that there is not only one takitaro, but multiple individuals. Its identity is speculated to be Salmonidae.

Sightings

The earliest known record of takitaro is an 1885 account by a man named Taneyasu Matsumori in the book Ryo'u Hakubutsu Zu. In his description of the charr, he wrote that a five-foot fish called takitaro sometimes appears in the Otori River. Taneyasu describes charr as never being larger than one foot, clearly distinguishing between takitaro and charr.

In 1917, when dynamite was used for blasting to construct a sluice gate at Otori Pond, two giant fish floated to the surface. Several workers on the sluice construction took them home and ate them, but it took four days to eat them all.

In 1982, a hiker climbing Mt. Itou looked at Otori Pond from an altitude of 1,250 meters and saw a huge fish on the surface of the water.

In 1983, a full-scale survey was conducted at Otori Pond, and a huge fish shadow was confirmed at a depth of 30 meters and a water temperature of 5 degrees Celsius.

In 1985, a 1.5-meter (5-foot) fish was caught in a fish net and was identified by experts as a fish in the genus Salvelinus, but no further details were available. According to other media, the fish captured at this time was reportedly 70 centimeters long.

In 2001, a 72-centimeter fish, possibly a takitaro, was caught.