Issie of Lake Ikeda
People at a Japanese crater lake said they saw large humps moving through the water, and a monster craze followed.
What was reported
Lake Ikeda is a large crater lake near the southern tip of Kyushu. In 1978, people at the lakeside said they saw two large humps moving through the water.
The sighting set off a wave of excitement, with a reward offered for photographs, and the creature was named Issie, after Scotland's Nessie. The lake is known for its giant eels, which can grow well over a metre long.
Explanations offered
Most suspect the sightings were of the lake's huge mottled eels, of waves or of boat wakes. No evidence of a larger animal has been found.
- When
- Reported from 1978
- Where
- Lake Ikeda, Kagoshima, Japan
- Witnesses
- People at the lakeside
- Status
- Unconfirmed
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.