Back Arts & Culture » [Video] In This Saitama Museum, Rocks With Human Faces Are the Star of the Show

The merit of letting nature be its own artist.

Jinmenseki, or rocks that resemble human faces, have been a longtime source of interest at Chichibu Chinsekikan, which translates to The Chichibu Hall of Curious Rocks. Located in Saitama in Japan, Chichibu Chinsekikan houses over 1,700 rocks that look like human faces, according to Japan Times.

Some of these rocks look like a crying or laughing human face. Some bare resemblances to famous people and are named after them. From political figures like Russia leaders Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin to pop culture icons such as Elvis Presley and Donkey Kong, this quirky museum seems to have it all. 

The museum was founded by Shoji Hayama in 1990. While in his 40s, Hayama started the hobby of collecting rocks that have human faces after a relative sent him a rock that looks like it had eyes and a mouth. Hayama passed away in 2010 at the age of 89 and the museum was then taken over by his daughter — the 69-year-old Yoshiko Hayama. She decided to continue her father's legacy by keeping collecting jinmensenki. Most of the rocks were fetched from the banks of Arakawa river.

Check out the museum in the video below:


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