Hibagon sightings in Saijō, Hiroshima

Record summary

Hibagon was the name given to a reported hairy, ape-like creature associated with Mount Hiba and nearby communities in the early 1970s. Descriptions, sketches, tracks, and alleged sightings generated Japanese newspaper coverage and local investigation, making the episode useful for comparing rural monster traditions with modern media amplification. The creature was never scientifically established, and some reports were attributed to bears, misidentification, hoaxes, or tourism promotion. Exact chronology and the evidential status of individual sightings require checking against contemporary Japanese sources.