Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: Pigeon Human, Hatojin
Category: Bird
The Myth
The Hato Ningen is a monstrous being said to be born when a human’s brain is exchanged with that of a pigeon. Regarded as a messenger of the demon world, it possesses both human awareness and the savage instincts of a beast.
It is described as an enormous creature about 50 meters long. A single beat of its wings can blow away wooden houses, while a strange beam fired from its mouth causes anything it strikes to explode or melt.
According to the tradition, pigeons captured by monsters grow to gigantic size and cry out, “Koredamona.” Although immensely destructive when enraged, the Hato Ningen is said not to harm children or people who love animals. Because of its overwhelming strength, however, it was often blamed for disasters and persecuted.
One story claims that during the Edo period, a samurai named Ikuma Umenosuke was kidnapped by a Dutch doctor and subjected to an operation in which his brain was replaced with that of a pigeon. After awakening, he transformed into a Hato Ningen, rampaged through Fukuoka, and destroyed the city before the tale was carried back to Yamagata by a traveling merchant.
Sources
Takahashi, Toshihiro. “ハトニンゲン (Hato Ningen).” 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑 (New TYZ Yokai Encyclopedia). TYZ Yokai Blog. Accessed July 27, 2026. https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1020704023.html