When a small town wants to put itself on the map, building a “giant bug” isn’t the first idea most consider. Unless, of course, the town is in Japan. The nation that brought us Godzilla and Attack on Titan has crafted a new giant creature for you to fear or fall in love with, depending on your point of view. It’s a five-foot-tall bronze cockroach that looks like it could easily bench 500 lbs., and if you’re not careful, it just might infest your heart.  

Welcome to Kamikitayama. It’s a quiet, scenic mountain village nestled in Japan’s forested Yoshino District in Nara Prefecture. Off the beaten path, it’s not the kind of place the average tourist might put on their to-do list. That has started to change, however, with a steady stream of global travelers and curious young people flocking to the village to check out its most bizarre resident: a giant, muscular cockroach statue named “Gokiburiten.” But who is this muscled insect? And why has he started to go viral? 

Please, don’t pester him

The story began over 25 years ago. Sono, an Osaka-based pest control firm, wanted to do something “off the wall,” according to founder Ryozaburo Minamisono, per Japanes newspaper, The Mainichi. The idea was to build a memorial in honor of the spirits of the pests they had killed. A symbolic offering, perhaps, to balance the scales. Minamisono had also grown up in Kamikitayama and wanted to create something that would draw attention to the village and the Rinsenji Temple, where his childhood friend had formerly been the head priest. This led to the statue’s installation in November 2000.  

Minamisono goes on to share that the company hired sculptor Hiroo Amano to bring the concept to life. Instead of focusing on people’s understandable revulsion to the pest, the artist had grander ideas. Per The Mainichi, Amano drew inspiration from the powerful “mie” poses of traditional Kabuki theater and the intense energy that squatting sumo wrestlers bring to their ring-entering ceremonies. But if you look closer, you’ll start to feel small. Really small. Amano embedded a miniature human city inside the cockroach’s abdomen, noting that he wanted to playfully suggest humans can be parasites too: “When creating this memorial statue, I decided to reverse the roles and depict humans as parasitic on the cockroach,” he said.

“Gokiburiten” sports six limbs, including four insanely powerful humanoid arms that thrust outward in a dramatic pose. If you didn’t know better, you might think it was a new legendary Pokémon. Instead, he’s a sacred cockroach deity designed to make you rethink mankind’s relationship to nature.

No one was checking in, but now they can’t stop checking him out

For over two decades, the statue has sat quietly just outside the temple grounds—something of a local legend. But thanks to people sharing on social media, “Gokiburiten” has taken on a literal life of his own. Travelers from China, Europe, and across Japan are making the two-hour trip from Nara City to pay their respects and snap a photo with the world’s “buffest” bug.

The city of Nara is famous for its well-preserved temples and local deer that bow down to visitors in exchange for treats. (Or, if that doesn’t work, nudge them forcefully with their noses until they comply.)

Kamikitayama Village is more of a trek, but one becoming more popular due to the growing fame of “Gokiburiten.” For the locals, the influx of travelers has brought a growing sense of connection. Miho Kojima, wife of the temple’s former head priest and Minamisono’s childhood friend, told The Mainichi that the statue has become a bridge for conversation between the quiet town and the outside world. “This statue is a source of strength for me,” she shared.

If you’re planning a trip to Japan, you might want to add Rinsenji Temple to your “to-do” list. The crawl over to see “Gokiburiten” should be well worth it. Just leave the bug spray at home. 

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