![]() ![]() (See pictures of the “Japanese Atlantis” formations.) “One example I have described as an underwater sphinx resembles a Chinese or ancient Okinawan king.” “The characters and animal monuments in the water, which I have been able to partially recover in my laboratory, suggest the culture comes from the Asian continent,” he said. “I think it’s very difficult to explain away their origin as being purely natural, because of the vast amount of evidence of man’s influence on the structures,” he said.įor example, Kimura said, he has identified quarry marks in the stone, rudimentary characters etched onto carved faces, and rocks sculpted into the likenesses of animals. But he changed his mind after his first dive. On hearing about the find, Kimura said, his initial impression was that the formations could be natural. ![]() Some experts believe that the structures could be all that’s left of Mu, a fabled Pacific civilization rumored to have vanished beneath the waves. The district of Yonaguni officially owns the formations, and tourists and researchers can freely dive at the site. Yonaguni Jima is an island that lies near the southern tip of Japan’s Ryukyu archipelago, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) off the eastern coast of Taiwan ( see map).Ī local diver first noticed the Yonaguni formations in 1986, after which a promontory on the island was unofficially renamed Iseki Hanto, or Ruins Point. Neither of the government groups has carried out research or preservation work on the sites, she added, instead leaving any such efforts to professors and other interested individuals. “It’s basic geology and classic stratigraphy for sandstones, which tend to break along planes and give you these very straight edges, particularly in an area with lots of faults and tectonic activity.”Īnd neither the Japanese government’s Agency for Cultural Affairs nor the government of Okinawa Prefecture recognize the remains off Yonaguni as an important cultural property, said agency spokesperson Emiko Ishida. ![]() “I’m not convinced that any of the major features or structures are manmade steps or terraces, but that they’re all natural,” said Robert Schoch, a professor of science and mathematics at Boston University who has dived at the site. “The largest structure looks like a complicated, monolithic, stepped pyramid that rises from a depth of 25 meters ,” said Kimura, who presented his latest theories about the site at a scientific conference in June.īut like other stories of sunken cities, Kimura’s claims have attracted controversy. That’s the belief of Masaaki Kimura, a marine geologist at the University of the Ryukyus in Japan who has been diving at the site to measure and map its formations for more than 15 years.Įach time he returns to the dive boat, Kimura said, he is more convinced than ever that below him rest the remains of a 5,000-year-old city. Submerged stone structures lying just below the waters off Yonaguni Jima are actually the ruins of a Japanese Atlantis-an ancient city sunk by an earthquake about 2,000 years ago. Japan ‘s Ancient Underwater “Pyramid” Mystifies Scholars Watch Part 2 (in Japanese) here (or in French here). Or watch a documentary “the mystery of Yonaguni underwater structure” in Japanese below… You can also watch ABC Australia’s documentary link here or History Channel’s video clips on Yonaguni’s underwater structures go to Youtube in English, or for more comprehensive video footages of the underwater structures watch “the mystery of Japan’s mysterious pyramids” documentary in English: Also found were a triangular bath-pool structure, two post-holes, structure similar to a dance platform inscription, castle entrance gate, ditches, staircases, a turtle-shaped relief rock, terraces and a rock inscription that appears to belong to the ancient Kaida script that was a writing system in use in the Yaeyama Islands and on Yonaguni Island before the introduction of the nation’s education system in Japan.Īccording to Kimura, the ruins date back to at least 5,000 years, based on the dates of stalactites found inside underwater caves that he says sank with the city. In total the ruins cover an area spanning 984 feet by 492 feet (300 meters by 150 meters). ![]() Japanese marine biologist Masaaki Kimura has identified ten structures off Yonaguni and a further five related structures off the main island of Okinawa.The structures include the ruins of a castle, a triumphal arch, five temples, and at least one large stadium, all of which are connected by roads and water channels and are partly shielded by what could be huge retaining walls. One of the greatest mysteries in Japan is the origin and nature of underwater stone structures lying underwater off Yonaguni Island. ![]()
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