Tradition: Japanese Mythology
Alternative Names: 奇妙蛇, Strange Snake, Deformed Snake
Category: Turtle
The Myth
The Kimyōja was a strange snake captured in 1906 in Shichigahama Village, Miyagi District, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, by a man named Kan tarō Satō. Its body measured approximately two inches long and one inch wide, while its tail measured seven inches. It was covered in snake scales, and the undersides of its body and tail had the segmented appearance of a snake’s belly.
The creature had unusual appendages: tail-like growths on both sides of its neck and additional limb-like tails extending from either side of its body. Local residents speculated that it might be a hybrid between a softshell turtle and a snake. Newspaper reports stated that it remained alive after being captured. The creature was reported under different headlines, including “Kimyōja” in Shin Aichi, “Deformed Animal” in the Yomiuri Shimbun, and “Strange-Shaped Snake” in the San’in Shimbun.
Sources
“Kimyoja.” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654251.html