Men in Cryptozoology: Brent Swancer
Posted by: Loren Coleman on May 30th, 2010
[Flashback/Flashforward: Here is my (Loren Coleman's) overview of Brent Swancer, first published over a year ago. I suggested to the ownership of Cryptomundo the bringing abroad of Brent as an infrequent writer of blog postings. You have begun to see his output here, now and then, as his teaching schedule allows.]
In another installment of the Cryptomundo series, “Men in Cryptozoology,” today (February 17, 2009) I profile a guest blogger who has become now well-known to readers for his excellent discussions of Japanese cryptids (as Brent Swancer) and long analytic comments (as Mystery Man).
Brent Swancer, pictured near his home, with Mt. Fuji in the background.
Brent Swancer was born in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, in 1973. At a young age, his family moved to California, and he was raised for the majority of his childhood in the multicultural environment of the San Francisco Bay Area.
As a youth, Swancer became fascinated with animals and nature. He enjoyed exploring the local woods, examining lizards and bugs. At zoos or aquariums, he would spend hours staring at the various species, well past the point that most other people wanted to go home.
His interest in nature was fully encouraged by his parents, who would take him on frequent camping, hiking, and fishing trips. They would also give him books on various topics pertaining to the natural world.
Brent Swancer, interviewed for this profile, noted that, “It was through these books that I was first introduced to the world of cryptozoology. My imagination was captured by the works of such authors as you, Loren Coleman and others, like Ivan T. Sanderson, which I read avidly. Cryptozoology further bolstered my already burgeoning interest in the natural world, helping me to forge this fascination into a lifelong pursuit. I have been passionately studying biology and zoology ever since.”
As Swancer began his university years, he found he had to choose a language for a requirement. Not content to take a language in the crowded classes of Spanish and French, he chose something different from what everyone at the time was studying. Swancer picked Japanese, being taught in a small class of 10 students.
It was a choice that was to change the course of his life forever. With great enthusiasm and charm, Swancer’s Japanese teacher painted a spellbinding picture of the country, its culture, and traditions. He found himself captivated by Japan, a country which until then was little known to him. What had started out as a simple class for credits ended up enthralling him, and causing him to go beyond his mere requirements. He took several extra courses in Japanese, and worked as a volunteer English tutor for Japanese students studying abroad.
Upon graduating, Brent Swancer found himself at a crossroads in his life. He writes, “Things were not working out very well career wise at home, and part of me yearned for something different far away. A Japanese friend suggested I try Japan and I made a seemingly whimsical idea become a realistic option.
“In 1996, I left America to pursue a new life overseas in Japan after many false starts and much deliberating. I have been there ever since. Although I have faced many language and cultural hurtles during my long stay, I have always seen it as an ongoing learning process as well as an adventure.
“Over the years in Japan, I studied biology and continued my efforts to learn the finer points of the Japanese language, which I now speak fluently. I have developed an interest in Japanese folklore, and have taken courses on Japanese gardening, karate, and calligraphy, as well. Best of all, I met a beautiful, intelligent woman, fell in love, we married, and today I have a wonderful wife and child.”
Biology, nature, and cryptozoology still remain Brent Swancer’s first intellectual loves. He maintains a special scientific interest in isolated ecosystems such as islands and lakes, and is also particularly interested in rare, unique, obscure, or unusual animals. Although he has a special place in his heart for Japanese cryptids, his cryptozoological interests are quite diverse, running from Sasquatch and giant snakes, to Tasmanian tigers and creatures of the deep. Swancer advocates a critical approach to cryptozoology, and hopes to see it become more accepted as a legitimate scientific field.
Brent Swancer is currently a teacher in Japan. He is also frequently involved in researching the effects of introduced or invasive species on indigenous wildlife in Japan. Swancer juggles his career, research, and various studies with the responsibilities of having a family with a young daughter. He lives in a semi-rural neighborhood outside of Tokyo proper.
Beginning almost two years ago, as a guest blogger, Brent Swancer’s offerings have been diverse and interesting. As of February 2009, Swancer’s blogging has seen the following output:
Honshu Wolf Survival – March 8, 2007
Cryptomundians talk hybrids – November 26, 2007
Otter Unknown Kappa – March 7, 2008
Tsushima Cat – March 8, 2008
Iriomote Cat – March 8, 2008
Tsuchinoko – October 30, 2008
Tsuchinoko, Part 2 – November 2, 2008
Japanese Sea Lion – November 8, 2008
Japan’s Yeti: Hibagon – November 20, 2008
The Mysterious Ainu – December 6, 2008
The Ainu and the Kennewick Man – December 8, 2008
Akkorokamui – January 18, 2009
Tentacles – January 25, 2009
Yamapikarya Part 1 – February 6, 2009
Yamapikarya Part 2 – February 7, 2009
Brent Swancer is shown with his family – wife Chie and his daughter Jasmine – along with an unidentified cryptid spotted at the 25th celebration of the Japanese version of Disneyland. Unaware of the behavioral characteristics of this cryptid, Brent is very protective of his daughter, who, being a good cryptozooologist-in-training, sported cryptic ears to blend into her surroundings. (Caption by Loren Coleman.)
This post was written by
Loren Coleman no longer writes for Cryptomundo. His archived posts remain here at Cryptomundo.
Boy!
While most of us are remaining cryptids, you may have to change your nom-de-Net, Brent!
(I mean, m_m.
)
Cool story. Great that it worked out. Taking chances can open unexpected doors, as Roger Patterson could tell us.
Thanks for your contributions and your efforts Brent. I’ve read all of the quest blogs that you have authored here and have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them. I look forward to seeing more articles from you. Keep up the good work M_M.
I also think Loren should be applauded for noticing Brent’s talent for research and writing and making it possible for Brent to share that talent, knowledge, and information with us. Both Loren and Brent have provided us all with a great wealth of knowledge and information that we otherwise wouldn’t have such easy access to, so thank you very much guys, I appreciate what you fellas do for us.
M_M’s postings are definitely must-reads.
…And also, it is very reassuring to know that there are geeks out there with big enough pectorals & trapezius muscles, that help to disuade the usual scorn and ridicule that haunts our kind
RPJ – LOL, quit ogling Brent, I think you’re looking just a little too hard.
I also would like to congratulate Brent on his many intelligent, thoughtful, and interesting contributions to Cryptomundo over the years. He is one of the reasons I’m here. I may not always agree with everything he believes but I always enjoy his posts and defense of those points of view anyway. Keep on writing, Brent!
BTW, neither here nor there…
But your wife is hot! Beautiful kid too! You’re a luckyguy!
Thank you for the support everyone! A few thoughts on comments so far.
DWA- Yes, my “mystery_man” handle seems a bit redundant now, doesn’t it?
From now on, think of the “mystery” as “exploring mysteries of the natural world.” That should work, I guess. lol
Red_pill_junky- It’s interesting that you bring that up, because it represents one of my many pigeonhole shaking traits. I have a pretty wide range of often seemingly very opposite interests. While I am a science nut and most definitely would consider myself a geek, there was a time when I actually was actually pretty big time into bodybuilding, which doesn’t really fit into the typical scientist or geek image I guess.
So I’d be spending as much time as possible in the gym between taking courses in things like evolutionary biology and cladistics. I also have been doing martial arts for quite some time, which most people perhaps don’t think of when they talk science. I guess in that respect people are surprised when they meet me because I suppose I don’t really fit the popular image of a teacher and scientist. I still enjoy weightlifting and martial arts, but it’s harder and harder to find time to do it nowadays. I have the same wildly differing range of interests when it comes to stuff like movies and music too. Looking at my DVD or CD collections, you’d never think they were all owned by the same person. 
cliffhanger- Thanks for the kudos and I’m very pleased that you enjoy my postings!
cryptidsrus- I know we differ on our views of some things, but I’m happy that we are always respectful of each other even when we disagree. The commenters on this site in general are very rational and level headed even when arguing, and you are definitely one of those. Thanks for your support and good discussions.
I want to let everyone here who enjoys my postings that I appreciate the support and kind words immensely. I am dedicated to providing good information on the various cryptids I cover and expanding people’s knowledge on these things. I will continue to write these pieces as long as people are interested in reading them. Thank you very much for everyone’s support so far.
Brent that topmost picture, isn’t that the tip of a red tentacle I see out there in the bay?
Thanks for your articles that examine the folklore as well as the science behind some of these cryptids. Very interesting and puts it in a historical context. You have a lovely family as well. Take care.
Thanks for the wonderful bio on Brent Swancer a.k.a. mystery_man Loren. It’s always a pleasure to read his posts as they’re always interesting and give a unique perspective on whatever subject is being discussed. By the way Brent I lived in Japan as an Army brat in Camp Zama many years ago. Cryptids hadn’t caught my attention yet but the ghost stories certainly did.
I wish you and your beautiful family the best in life and look forward to more of your great posts.
Wonderful! I read everything that is posted here and I always enjoy your interesting, and unique posts.
I’ve always wanted to visit Japan. Ever since I read Yoshikawa’s epic “Taiko” I have been extremely fascinated with that period of Japanese history.
Alligator- You know what, I think you’re right! That is a tentacle out in the bay. Photographic evidence of the Akkorokamui. Excellent.
mfs- I’m not nearly as into ghost stories as cryptozoology, but I know what you mean. Japan has some extremely creepy ghost stories, and TV shows about alleged ghost encounters are very popular here as well. Japanese ghost movies (such as the original “Ring,” or “Juon” (known as the American remake “The Grudge,”) are some of the most unsettling and downright scary you’re likely to see. Thanks for your kind words about my postings by the way.
Uriah- I’m very pleased you enjoy my posts. I also am a bit of a Japanese history buff myself, and I can agree with you that that is a fascinating period in history. You really should make it around to Japan someday, it is a land full of fascinating history and mysteries. You will not be disappointed.
I’d like to express my gratitude to you, the readers of Cryptomundo, for your words of support. It really means a lot to me that my work is being enjoyed. The positive comments here so far are reassuring and it makes me very happy to know that my contributions here are so appreciated. I am going to do my best to keep it up.
mfs – you should check out “Kwaidan” (ghost story) a 1964 Japanese film. An anthology of four stories from Japanese folklore collected Lafcadio Hearn (1850-1904) I caught it on the Independent Film Network one night. Really creepy, eerie and the sets were very surreal but somehow believable. All the stories were set in ancient times and a couple had what I would call “Twilight Zone” endings. Produced by Toho Corporation, the people that brought us Godzilla and Rodan
Alligator- Thanks for reminding me of “Kwaidan”. I do have the anthology on vhs. I watch it every now and then for a good “scare.”
I think there’s a tendency in cryptozoological subjects to think of mysteries in terms of the mythic or super-natural, but Mystery Man consistenty brings the reality of the natural and the cultural, as well as the history and mystery together while not diminishing any of those apsects and frequently stimulating great insight and appreciation for all of them. A real win win situation, and I think you can tell we’re eagerly anticipating more. If you ever find yourself working living in the bay area once again I have no doubt those skills would find a great home with the Golden Gate National Parks or the Cal Academy of Sciences where I first gained an appreciation for reality based interpretation of the world around us. Cheers.
OMG! Are you kidding me? I did not even connect the two names. Mystery_man is Brent! The funny thing is, as mystery_man knows, I love his postings as mystery_man. And I liked Brent’s special posts here too. I never connected the two because I thought of them as two distinct individuals! I am laughing at myself and with you Brent, I mean Mystery_man, or whoever!
I am always going to refer to you as Mystery_man though because of the friendship we developed here at Cryptomundo. To me, you will always be Mystery_man!
With that being said, fantastic story. You know MM, sometimes in life, there are choices that we make, then send us off in an unexpected direction. But looking back on those choices later in life, it is as if they were destined to occur. Just look how great life has turned out for you!
You followed your unexpected passion and it led you on a fantastic journey. At the end of that golden road, you found the rainbow. And I bet your wife would back me up on this–at the end of the rainbow was the pot of gold, who is now your wife!
And your duaghter is just beautiful! I would be protective of her as well. It looks as if you have about 10 years left to refine your training in karate! LOL You are living in the right place to do that.
Anyway Mystery_man, it is great to have you onboard here at Cryptomundo. I always look forward to your posts, whether you are posting as Mystery_man or Brent.
Keep up the good work!
Thank you for the support as always. I really do appreciate do kind words. I will keep trying my best to bring what I can to this field and the discussions here.
Dogu4- I was deeply moved by your words of praise. Thank you very much. That is exactly how I try to approach this field and it is good to know that I may be succeeding to some extent. I very much appreciate your words of support.
photoexpert- Yes, I’m Brent, we’re one and the same, although I guess that takes away some of the mystery from mystery_man.;) But of course you can call me mystery_man if you like. That is how you originally knew me so no worries. Either is Ok by me! Always appreciate your input here and many thanks for the kind words about my posts.