Ningen - Japanese Cryptid

[zorgon]

Ningen - Japanese Cryptid

Ningen  is a 1962 Japanese film directed by Kaneto Shindo, and starring Taiji Tonoyama, Kei Sato, and Nobuko Otowa, produced by Shindo's company Kindai Eiga Kyokai. The story is based on a work Kaijinmaru by Yaeko Nogami, itself based on a true story.

Plot

A ship loses all means of navigation in a storm. The crew become increasingly desperate as food and water run out. The captain, Kamegoro (Taiji Tonoyama), prays to the sailor's god Kompira to rescue them and rations their food and water. His grandson, Sankichi (Kei Yamamoto), follows his grandfather, but the other two crew members, Hachizo (Kei Sato) and Gorosuke (Nobuko Otowa) rebel and insist on eating their rations of food all at once.

In a vision, Kamegoro sees Kompira, who promises to deliver rain. Then rain comes and the threat of dying of thirst is gone, but there is no food. Each member of the crew revisits pleasant times, which are recreated as flashbacks in the film. Kamegoro also has less pleasant memories of his war service, where he saw another soldier turn to cannibalism. After weeks of hunger, Hachizo and Gorosuke think of killing and eating Sankichi. They trick him with the promise of food and then kill him with an axe. Kamegoro goes to find him. Hachizo tries to fight but they are both weakened by hunger. Gorosuke repents and begs for forgiveness. They bury Sankichi at sea.

Kamegoro lies to the two remaining crew members that he has had another vision of Kompira, who has blown a ship from San Francisco off course with a typhoon so that it will find them. A ship which genuinely has been blown off course exactly as Kamegoro says then appears. They are rescued. While recovering on the deck of the ship, Gorosuke goes into a mad dance, falls into a cargo hold, and dies. Then Hachizo also commits suicide, leaving only Kamegoro alive.

Ningen From Wikipedia

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'Ningen' humanoid sea creatures of the Antarctic

Over the past few years, rumors have circulated in Japan about the existence of gigantic humanoid life-forms inhabiting the icy waters of the Antarctic.

Hello Ningen

Reportedly observed on multiple occasions by crew members of government-operated "whale research" ships, these so-called "Ningen" (lit. "humans") are said to be completely white in color with an estimated length of 20 to 30 meters. Eyewitnesses describe them as having a human-like shape, often with legs, arms, and even five-fingered hands. Sometimes they are described as having fins or a large mermaid-like tail instead of legs. The only visible facial features are the eyes and mouth.

Artist's rendition of a Ningen standing upright

According to one account, crew members on deck observed what they initially thought was a foreign submarine in the distance. When they approached, however, it became clear from the irregular shape of the thing that it was not man-made -- it was alive. The creature quickly disappeared under water.

Ningen or Iceberg?

For the most part, the existence of the Ningen is considered an urban legend. Much of the information about this rumored creature can be traced back to a series of posts on the 2channel forums, written by a person describing the experience of a friend employed on a government "whale research" vessel. (Read the full Japanese text of the original story that first appeared on a 2channel forum.)

The popular thread attracted the attention of many readers from outside the 2channel community, and the November 2007 issue of MU magazine, a Japanese publication devoted to the study of paranormal phenomena, featured an article about the Antarctic humanoids.

The article speculated on the possibility of unidentified creatures inhabiting the southern seas, and it included a Google Maps screenshot showing what looks like a Ningen in the South Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Namibia.

Link:

To date, no solid evidence has been presented to confirm the existence of the Ningen. The government is believed to have kept detailed records of the sightings, but they have released no information to the public and have reportedly instructed eyewitnesses to remain silent.

Two videos claiming to show Ningen under water have been posted on YouTube.

Ningen sightings seem to occur most frequently at night, making them all the more difficult to photograph. In still images, the sea cryptids mostly just look like icebergs, though it is said that their smooth, human-like skin can be seen when the photographs are enlarged.

Artist's rendition of a mermaid-like Ningen

In any case, no convincing photographs have been made public, either because they do not exist or because, as some argue, the government does not want to invite undue scrutiny and tarnish the scientific reputation of the whale research program.

'Ningen' humanoid sea creatures of the Antarctic

[zorgon]

The Ningen: Myth, Monster or Make Believe?
Aug 17th in Cryptozoology & Modern Mysteries by Rob Morphy


The ocean's vast, mysterious depths are full of enigmatic oddities that have never seen the light of day, but while there are few who would deny that the seas are teeming with as yet undiscovered life-forms, most would be reticent to admit that there are any truly gargantuan species waiting to be found in the fathomless deep... Nevertheless, it would seem that the inscrutable Ningen is just such a creature.

A LEGEND IS BORN:

While the first known reports of theses mammoth monstrosities are apparently untraceable; it is accepted that the Ningen did not gain any real notoriety until a description of these creatures appeared online in a popular Japanese forum known as 2channel. The individual posting claimed to have been working on a "government whale research vessel," when one of these creatures rose up from the depths.

According to the account, the anonymous crew member — along with fellow researchers — scrambled up onto the deck to catch a glimpse of what they initially thought was a "foreign submarine" floating on the horizon. However, as the research vessel approached the object it became evident that they were not dealing with a machine-tooled structure, but a living, breathing, behemoth. The crew stared in awe at this biological anomaly until it submerged moments later.

There are persistent rumors that suggest that members of this research team managed to snap a series of extraordinary photos of the "thing" during their brief encounter, but these images were allegedly suppressed in order to spare the government funded research team the shame — and financial ruin — of being associated with this unusual event.

WATER DEMONS

But if it turns out that we're not dealing with giant fish, then maybe it's something distinctly more supernatural, such as...



From the turtle-shelled primate known as the Kappa to the pachyderm-like Baku, Japanese folklore is chock full of amazing creatures that fall under the heading of Y?kai. The Y?kai are a class of mystical creatures, many of which bear animal-like features.

Perhaps this predominately Japanese phenomenon is not so much a cryptozoological mystery as it is a paranormal one. It's worth considering the fact that every report I've come across regarding Ningen are Japanese in origin. This might suggest that Ningen are some sort of supernatural Y?kai-like entity that is — for reasons beyond my comprehension — choosing to show itself exclusively to the seafarers of Japan. Who knows? Arguably, stranger things have happened.

U.S.O.

Okay, let's abandon the paranormal for a moment and head over to the hyper-technological, so we can ponder the theory that these allegedly living organisms might actually be some form of bio-mechanical...



USOs (Unidentified Submersible Objects) are the aquatic equivalent to UFOs. Said to be able to soar through the air and plunge below the ocean's depths with equal ease, these strange "vehicles" have been reported entering and leaving the seas by none other than Christopher Columbus, and sightings continue to this day.

While most people presume that USOs are a highly technological mode of transportation that either hails from another world or was constructed by a marine dwelling species more advanced than our own, there are some who have considered the possibility that these objects might actually be alive. It seems improbable, but perhaps the oddly shaped Ningen are what people mistakenly assume are the underwater craft referred to as USOs or, stranger yet, maybe Ningen — who seem to be so stiffly "swimming" in the videos purporting to show them — are, in reality, living machines.

The Ningen: Myth, Monster or Make Believe?

The Ningen: Japan's Sea Monster



"Ningen": a bizarre Japanese cryptid

[zorgon]

Mystery of the Ningen

Ningen Sighting : Sagami Bay, Japan Aug 23 2010

by MysteryHistoryTV

[Ellirium113]

Artist's rendition of a Ningen standing upright

Looks like a photoshopped front end of a cat...

  LMAO that reminds me of this picture: