Human-Faced Fish Reported Again After 35 Years in Hyōgo and Miyazaki

Human-faced fish living across Japan

The human-faced fish boom that swept Japan from Yamagata began when FRIDAY reported on it in 1990. Thirty-five years later, after our previous article stating that the legendary fish still live in the pond, we received a huge response, including messages saying, “They live in my hometown too.” It appears that human-faced fish are quietly—but certainly—living in more places across Japan than expected. From the many tips we received, the reporter visited Hyōgo and Miyazaki, where the information seemed especially credible.

The first stop was Fukusaki Town in Hyōgo Prefecture, known as the birthplace of Kunio Yanagita, the father of Japanese folklore studies. Inspired by his writings, Tsujikawayama Park is known for its kappa legends—and in the park’s pond, a human-faced fish (pictured above) was discovered in November of last year.

“There were three human-faced fish, and among them the one with a red heart mark near its left fin was especially popular. However, starting in August this year, it suddenly stopped appearing. The heart-marked one still hasn’t been found, but the remaining two are swimming around healthily,” said the Fukusaki Town Community Development Division.

Next, we headed to Sano Shrine (Takaharu Town), located at the foot of the Kirishima mountain range in Miyazaki. There is said to be a human-faced fish living in the pond on its grounds.

Gonnegi (assistant priest) Tameya Ōwaki explains:

“When we added aquatic plants to make the pond a better place for laying eggs, the number of young fish increased. Among them, one became a white human-faced fish. It’s about 50 to 60 cm long. I think it’s the offspring of the white koi and black koi that were already here. At first, I didn’t even realize it was a human-faced fish (laughs).”

Even more surprising, there is said to be a second generation — a smaller, roughly 30 cm fish with similar markings — swimming in the pond.

“There are currently two human-faced fish in the pond. The white one, and a smaller one that looks like its child, with a similar face-like pattern,” Ōwaki says.

Around 30 koi swim leisurely in the pond. Visitors peer into the water and happily remark, “It really does look like a face,” which, Ōwaki says, is a heartwarming sight for the shrine.

“We’d be delighted if people enjoy the human-faced fish as part of their visit. If they feel they’re receiving a bit of good luck from it, all the better.”

According to Hiroshi Furukawa—representative of the online store Nishikigoi.com and an expert in koi breeding—koi have a tendency for their body color to change.

“Koi patterns can change. Water temperature, water quality, feed, environmental shifts, and even stress can cause their coloration to change.”

In other words, the human-faced fish in Hyōgo may have disappeared simply because its markings faded and it became indistinguishable from the other koi. And if that’s the case, it’s not impossible that an ordinary koi might someday change into a human-faced fish.

Thirty-five years after the Heisei-era boom, human-faced fish are once again beginning to show their mysterious form before us.

From the November 28 and December 5, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”