Yonaguni is an underwater city. Japan. Underwater Megalithic Complex Yonaguni (Japan) - Earth before the Flood: Disappeared Continents and Civilizations

It was found in 1985 in pacific ocean. It was sunken underwater city Yonaguni Island, which arose, presumably, due to the constant tsunami experienced by Japan. There is also a hypothesis about the extraterrestrial origin of underwater ruins.

The find was discovered by a scuba instructor who accidentally dived to a depth of six meters near the archipelago. As it turned out later, the giant stone blocks he found with even rectangular edges were nothing more than the underwater city of Yonaguni; Japan immediately published in the newspapers information about the great discovery - the pyramids located at the bottom of the ocean.

Huge ruins were located on an area of ​​​​45,000 square meters. m. The height of the largest pyramid-shaped building was 25 m. Scientists are still arguing about the origin unusual city: some believe that the pyramids have natural origin, others are sure that the underwater structures were once inhabited by an ancient civilization that sank over 5,000 years ago. Professor Kimura for several years created an accurate picture of the flood, until he found similarities with archaeological artifacts found on land. He also explained that the strong current in the place where the Yonaguni pyramids are located did not allow the structures to grow with marine organisms and helped preserve the original appearance of the buildings.

Pyramids of Yonaguni: what do they look like?

Everyone can see the underwater beauty. The city welcomes its guests with a special design - arched gates located between huge boulders.

Next is a huge monument, decorated with triangular structures, in front of which you can see a terrace with hollowed out steps. Around them, a road cleared of stones and boulders is visible. Nature cannot create such an unusual and at the same time strict architecture. What kind of great building it is, until finally it was not possible to find out.

Japanese pyramids

Underwater structures are located at a depth of 30 meters. They are a kind of fence in the form of pyramids with sharp, even edges. On their walls are visible round holes 1.5 - 2 m deep, traces of carving and welding. Some of the pyramids are made of rock, the other of limestone. The process of building giants remains a mystery, as well as the origin of the pyramids in Egypt.

Scientists claim that limestone is a rock that is not found in these places, therefore, the material was brought from another place. This fact gives full right claim that the monument and the pyramids were created by man.

Evidence of the man-made origin of buildings

Mysterious underwater structures are strikingly reminiscent of stairs, houses, roads, pools and temples. Numerous research expeditions have found much evidence that the underwater city of Yonaguni was built by human hands:

1. At a depth of 15 m, Professor Kimura discovered Tostone sculpture with a headdress and long arms like Egyptian Sphinx. The scientist suggested that the figure depicts the king of Okinawa.
2. Embossed hieroglyphs were found on the rocks of the platform, images of animals and tables with symbols . Presumably, these are ancient writings that have not yet been deciphered.
3. Many sunken structures are very similar to historical buildings found on land . They have the same semi-circular terraces and vaults, reminiscent of the entrance to Nakagusuku Castle, owned by ancient emperor in Okinawa.
4. The stone roads are clear straight lines that can be washed out with water.

Assumptions of scientists about the appearance of underwater structures

The debate about the emergence of the city is not over yet. There are the following opinions about its origin:

1. The Japanese scientist Kimura believes that the age of the city is 5000 years . As a result of the strongest earthquake and tsunami that occurred about 2000 years ago, the buildings were flooded with water. Indeed, the settlement is located in a place of increased seismic activity.
2. Boston professor Robert Schoch suggested that the city appeared naturally about 10,000 years ago . Titanic activity caused the cracking of huge blocks of sandstone. By this he explains the smooth edges of the plates. The holes in them are nothing but natural erosion.
3. Some scholars believe that the remains of the city belong to ancient civilization who inhabited these lands not by thousands, but millions of years ago . Then there were no Japanese islands, and the sunken city is part of the mainland. However, at that time, technology by people had not yet been developed to such an extent as to build structures of stone.

After the meeting of the two scientists, another assumption appeared: the monument and the pyramids were formed naturally, and subsequently processed by human hands. As proof, Kimura showed the Boston professor the even edges of the steps and the perfectly finished trenches around the pyramids, since at the first examination Shoch simply did not pay attention to them.

Both versions are not yet 100% confirmed, and the Japanese authorities are in no hurry to include the underwater city in the list of historical heritage sites.

Yonaguni today

Yonaguni Island is located 100 km from Taiwan. This is a small island with an area of ​​30 sq. km. with a population of about 2000 people. It can only be reached by air. The island has been a favorite destination for divers for many years. The purest water, bright colors on the pedestals and a mystery found at the bottom attracts divers from all over the world, despite the strongest current in this part of the ocean.

XX century century. They became the underwater city of. Yonaguni, Japan often refers to its archaeological find as the "Japanese Atlantis".

Ancient quadrangular pyramids of various sizes are found not only in Egypt or South America, they are also known in Burma, China and Korea. But perhaps the most interesting discovery of this kind should be considered a pyramid and an amazing temple complex discovered on seabed at small island Yonaguni is in the westernmost part of the Japanese archipelago.

The complex was accidentally discovered in the spring of 1985 by local diving instructor Kihachiro Aratake. Not far from the shore, literally under the surface of the waves, he saw a huge stone monument, stretching to the limits of visibility. Wide flat platforms, covered with an ornament of rectangles and rhombuses, turned into intricate terraces running down large steps. The edge of the object breaks vertically down the wall to the very bottom to a depth of 27 meters, forming one of the walls of the trench that runs along the entire monument.

The structural elements seemed to have a very definite architectural scheme, somewhat reminiscent of the stepped pyramids of Ancient Sumer.

Even if it turned out to be only a game of nature, Arataka would already be lucky - he found an object worthy of surprise even for the most picky tourist. But the abundance of regular geometric shapes made us think about the possibility of their man-made nature, and Aratache decided to report his find to the experts. Japanese newspapers were full of sensational headlines.

Artifacts of Yonaguni

Alas... The scientific community has almost completely ignored these reports. The main reason for this is quite simple: according to the most rough estimates, this complex could rise above the surface of the water at least 10 thousand years ago, when the water level in the oceans was 40 meters lower than the current one. Approximately the same antiquity is evidenced by the dating of the remains of vegetation found nearby, characteristic of dry soil, and not the seabed. Historians have no information about the culture capable of creating such a structure here. Therefore, they preferred to declare the hypothesis of the artificial origin of the underwater Yonaguni monument as mere speculation and write it off as a bizarre game of nature. And quite quickly, the discussion of the find became the property of only esoteric publications, ignored by official science.

Only Masaaki Kimura, a professor at Ryukyu University, took the discovery seriously. And in this, the Monument was very lucky, since Kimura is a recognized specialist in the field of marine geology and seismology. He has been studying the underwater surroundings of Yonaguni for more than 10 years, during which time he has made more than a hundred dives and has become the main expert on the object. As a result of his research, Professor Kimura decided to go against the vast majority of historians and risk his reputation by defending the artificial origin of the Monument.

But, as often happens in such cases, his opinion for a long time remained the voice of one crying in the wilderness...

It is not known how long the "conspiracy of silence" around the Aratache find would have continued if Graham Hancock, a staunch supporter of the hypothesis of the existence of a highly developed civilization in ancient times and the author of a number of books on this topic, had not found out about it.

In September 1997, he arrived in Yonaguni with a film crew. He managed to interest and attract to the trip Robert Schoch, a professor at Boston University, a geologist, best known for his conclusion that the real age of the famous Egyptian Sphinx is much greater than official Egyptology believes. And Hancock hoped that Schoch would confirm the artificial nature of the Arattake find with his authority. But it was not there...

During the first trip in 1997, Schoch did not find unequivocal evidence of the man-made nature of the object. Rather the opposite...

The fact is that the Monument consists of sandstone and sedimentary rocks, outcrops of which are still visible on the coast of the island. Under influence sea ​​waves, rains and winds, they are destroyed in such a way that forms arise like steps and terraces. Nature is not capable of such "whims", but here, in addition, the very structure of the deposits leads to the appearance of almost perfectly straight cracks. Yes, and at angles of 90 and 60 degrees to each other, which contributes to the formation of strict geometric shapes: rectangular steps, triangles and rhombuses..

Nature of Yonaguni - an island, Nature of Yonaguni - monument

Everything seems to speak for the fact that the Monument has natural origin.

This was Schoch's first conclusion, although he took into account that in a few dives one cannot see absolutely everything and it is quite possible to miss some important details. So Shoch decided to meet with Kimura.

The arguments of Kimura, who is more familiar with the details of the object, greatly shattered Shocha's opinion. Moreover, the arguments were supported by photographs of details that Schoch simply did not see during his dives.

For all the similarities of the rocks on the island with the Monument, there are very strong differences between them. In a limited area of ​​the Monument, elements of completely different type. For example: edge with sharp edges, round holes, stepped descent, perfectly straight narrow trench. If the reason was only in natural erosion, then it would be logical to expect the same forms in the entire piece of rock. The fact is that side by side are so different elements, is a strong argument in favor of their artificial origin.

Yonaguni - can nature do this?

Moreover, very close, literally a few tens of meters on the same rock of the same rock, there is a completely different landscape. There is no doubt that it was created by nature. But even with the naked eye you can see its sharp difference from the processed part of the rock.

The next argument is that the blocks separated from the rock do not at all lie where they should fall under the influence of gravity. Instead, they are either collected in one place, or absent altogether. As on the "circumferential road", where the debris is removed from the foot of the Monument by 6 meters or more. If the object were created by erosion, then there would be a lot of debris on the bottom next to it, as on the modern shores of the island. But here it is not...

Yonaguni Ring Road

And finally, there are rather deep symmetrical trenches and other elements on the Monument, the formation of which cannot be explained by known natural processes at all.

“After meeting with Professor Kimura,” Schoch wrote later, “I cannot completely rule out the possibility that the Yonaguni monument was at least partially processed and modified by human hands. Professor Kimura pointed out a number of important elements that I did not see during my first, brief visit...".

Upper terrace of the Yonaguni Monument

The meeting of two professional geologists was literally epoch-making for the Yonaguni monument. If earlier Schoch adhered to the version natural nature object, Kimura insisted on its completely artificial origin. As a result of taking into account all the available facts, both specialists agreed on a kind of "compromise", both of them refusing to extreme points vision. They came to the conclusion that the Monument belongs to the so-called "terra-formations", that is, the original natural "blank" was later changed and finalized by human hands. Such "terra formations" are not entirely uncommon, but were quite common in the ancient world...

The materials of the 1997 expedition were included in documentary"Search Lost Civilization", shown by British television and accompanying the release of Hancock's next book "Mirror of Heaven". The film and book received a wide response. The information blockade around the Yonaguni megalith was broken, and science community was forced to respond.

13 years after the opening of the Monument, in July 1998, a decision was finally made on its cross-sectoral scientific research. Led by diver and certified archaeologist Michael Arbuthnot, a group of specialists attempted to solve the mystery of the object. The group included geologists, underwater archaeologists, experienced divers, and even anthropologists with linguists. Shoch was also invited to the expedition, who had the opportunity to satisfy his desire to re-examine the Monument and to be convinced of the fruitfulness of his "compromise" approach with Kimura.

The group members spent 3 weeks diving and exploring. And, perhaps, the opinion of its leader speaks very eloquently about the results of the expedition.

At first, Arbuthnot was skeptical of Kimura's theory of the artificiality of the Monument, but in the course of research he was forced to abandon his skepticism.

“I was convinced that the Yonaguni object was processed by human hands,” he concluded. “We investigated the natural geology around the find, but there are no such uniform external forms, and therefore the likelihood of human processing of the monument is very high. There are also many such details that exclude the version of the object’s formation naturally."

Kimura's report at a conference in Japan in 2001 was a kind of intermediate result of research that continued after the expedition. The general conclusion that the Yonaguni megalith is a trace of an ancient civilization has received the support of most Japanese scholars.

It would seem that the question of the nature of the Monument is closed. However, the scientific community is very inert, and in matters ancient history even conservative. And despite the conclusions of the conference, despite the numerous eyewitness accounts, including geologists, writers, journalists and just amateur divers, until now in the world scientific literature the fact that the Yonaguni Monument is artificial is either simply ignored or attempted to be denied. And as often happens, the most active "refuters" themselves have never seen it with their own eyes...

Yonaguni Island is located in the western part of Japan. Its area is 28.88 square kilometers. The population is about 2,000 people. Yonaguni became famous in the 80s when divers discovered mysterious rocky terraces and ledges resembling pyramids underwater.

The complex was accidentally discovered in the spring of 1985 by a local diving instructor K. Aratak. Not far from the shore, literally under the surface of the water, he saw a huge stone monument. Wide flat platforms turned into interesting terraces running down large steps. The edge of the object was cut vertically down by a wall to the very bottom to a depth of 27 meters, forming one of the walls of the trench running along the entire monument.

The structural elements seemed to have a very definite architectural scheme, somewhat reminiscent of the stepped pyramids of Ancient Sumer.

Even if it turned out to be only a game of nature, Arataka was already lucky - he found an object worthy of surprise even for the most picky tourist. But the abundance of regular geometric shapes made us think about the possibility and man-made nature, and Aratache decided to report his find to specialists.

"There is a land of the Gods called Nirai-Kanai, where the ancient Gods live - this unknown distant place is a source of happiness for the whole world."

Alas… The scientific community has almost completely ignored these messages. The main reason for this is quite simple: according to the most rough estimates, this complex could rise above the surface of the water less than 10,000 years ago, when the water level in the oceans was 40 meters below the current one. Approximately the same antiquity is evidenced by the dating of the remains of vegetation found nearby, characteristic of dry soil, and not the seabed. Historians have no information about the culture capable of creating such a structure here. Therefore, the hypothesis of the artificial origin of the underwater monument of Yonaguni was declared mere speculation and everything was written off as a bizarre game of nature. Quite quickly, the discussion of the find became the property of only esoteric publications, ignored by official science.

Only Masaaki Kimura, a professor at Ryukyu University, took the discovery seriously. And in this, the Monument was very lucky, since Kimura is a recognized specialist in the field of marine geology and seismology. He has been studying the underwater surroundings of Yonaguni for more than 10 years, during which time he has made more than a hundred dives and has become the main expert on the object. As a result of his research, Professor Kimura decided to go against the vast majority of historians and risk his reputation by defending the artificial origin of the monument.

Over time, Graham Hancock, a staunch supporter of the hypothesis of the existence of a highly developed civilization in ancient times, and the author of
a number of books on the subject.

In September 1997, he arrived in Yonaguni with a film crew. He managed to interest and attract to the trip Robert Schoch, a professor at Boston University, a geologist, known primarily for his conclusion that

That the real age of the famous Egyptian Sphinx is much greater than official Egyptology believes. And Hancock hoped that Schoch would confirm the artificial nature of the Arattake find with his authority. But it was not there…

During the first trip in 1997, Schoch did not find unequivocal evidence of the man-made nature of the object. Rather the opposite...
The fact is that the Monument consists of sandstone and sedimentary rocks, outcrops of which are still visible on the coast of the island. Under the influence of sea waves, rains and winds, they are destroyed in such a way that forms arise like steps and terraces. Nature is not capable of such "quirks", but here, in addition, the very structure of the deposits leads to the appearance of almost perfectly straight cracks. Yes, and at angles of 90 and 60 degrees to each other, which contributes to the formation of strict geometric shapes: rectangular steps, triangles and rhombuses. Everything seems to indicate that the Monument is of natural origin.

This was the first conclusion of Shoch. although he took into account that in a few dives it is impossible to see absolutely everything and it is quite possible to miss some important details. So Shoch decided to meet with Kimu Roy. The arguments of Kimura, who is more familiar with the details of the object, greatly shattered Shocha's opinion. Moreover, the arguments were supported by photographs of details that Schoch simply did not see during his dives. For all the similarities of the rocks on the island with the Monument, there are very strong differences between them. In a limited area of ​​the Monument, elements of completely different types turn out to be very close to each other. For example: edge with sharp edges, round holes, stepped descent, perfectly straight narrow trench. If the reason was only in natural erosion, then it would be logical to expect the same forms in the entire piece of rock. The fact that there are such different elements side by side is a strong argument in favor of their artificial origin. Moreover, very close, literally a few tens of meters away on the same rock of the same rock, there is a completely different landscape. There is no doubt that it was created by nature. But even with the naked eye you can see its sharp difference from the processed part of the rock.

The next argument is that the blocks separated from the rock do not at all lie where they should fall under the influence of gravity. Instead, they are either collected in one place, or absent altogether. Ka

to on the “circumferential road”, where the debris is removed from the foot of the Monument by 6 meters or more. If the object were created by erosion, then there would be a lot of debris on the bottom next to it, as on the modern shores of the island. And here it is not...
And finally, there are rather deep symmetrical trenches and other elements on the Monument, the formation of which is very difficult to explain by known natural processes.

“After meeting with Professor Kimura,” Schoch later wrote, “I cannot completely rule out the possibility that the Yonaguni monument was at least partially processed and altered by human hands. Professor Kimura pointed out a number of important elements that I did not see during my first, brief visit…”.

The meeting of two professional geologists had for the Yon monument

Aguni is literally epoch-making. If earlier Shoch adhered to the version of the natural nature of the object, then Kimura insisted on its completely artificial origin. As a result of taking into account all the available facts, both specialists agreed on a kind of “compromise”, both of them refusing extreme points of view. They came to the conclusion that the Monument belongs to the so-called "terraforming", that is, the original natural "blank" was later changed and finalized by human hands. Such "terraforming" is not something completely unusual, but was quite common in the ancient world...

The materials of the 1997 expedition were included in the documentary "The Search for the Lost Civilization", shown by British television and accompanying the release of Hancock's next book, "Mirror of Heaven". The film and book received a wide response. The information blockade around the Yonaguni megalith was broken, and the scientific community was forced to react. 13 years after the opening of the Monument, in July 1998, a decision was finally made on its cross-sectoral scientific research. Led by diver and certified archaeologist Michael Arbuthnot, a group of specialists attempted to solve the mystery of the object. The group included geologists, underwater archaeologists, experienced divers, and even anthropologists with linguists. Shoch was also invited to the expedition, who had the opportunity to satisfy his desire to re-examine the Monument and to be convinced of the fruitfulness of his “compromise” approach with Kimura. The group members spent 3 weeks diving and exploring. And, perhaps, the opinion of its leader speaks very eloquently about the results of the expedition. At first, Arbuthnot was skeptical of Kimura's theory of the artificiality of the Monument, but in the course of research he was forced to

abandon your skepticism.

“I was convinced of the handling of the Yonaguni object by human hands,” he concluded. — We have studied the natural geology near the find, but there are no such uniform external forms, and therefore the probability of human processing of the monument is very high. There are also many such details that exclude the version of the formation of the object in a natural way. Kimura's report at a conference in Japan in 2001 was a kind of intermediate result of research that continued after the expedition.

Teruaki Ishi, a professor of geology at the University of Tokyo, determined that the terraces were submerged at the end of the last ice age- about 10 thousand years ago. In this case, the age of the "pyramids" of Yonaguni is twice that of the Egyptian pyramids. Interestingly, the number of artifacts found was about the same on land and under water.

While there were disputes between supporters and opponents of the artificial origin of the Monument, searches in the coastal waters of Yonaguni continued. It soon became clear that this is not the only contender for the title of the ruins of an ancient civilization.

200 meters southeast of the Monument is an object called the Stadium. It really looks like a kind of stadium, representing a clean area about 80 meters in size, surrounded by stepped structures resembling spectator stands.
Although the "tribunes" themselves are very similar to purely natural formations, in

they also meet cut gutters and "paths".

In the end, an object was also found, from a distance something resembling the wheelhouse of a large submarine. But as you get closer to this "cutting house", it turns into ...

7-meter human head!!! She is sometimes referred to as a "moai-like figure" in reference to the statues of distant Easter Island. And if desired, a certain similarity can be found, although very distant.

In principle, the “head” itself may well be a purely natural formation. But it seems that the recesses that form the mouth and eyes show signs of, if not artificial, then clear refinement. In addition, the remains of a bas-relief are visible on the side of the head, in which some catch a detached resemblance to an Indian feather headdress. To be honest, the "similarity" is so-so ... Unless you turn on unlimited imagination ...

In the spring of 2004, a film crew from the program "Underwater World of Andrei Makarevich" visited Yonaguni, and they were able to meet directly with Massaki Kimura, as well as with Kihachiro Aratake, the discoverer of these underwater megaliths, who also acted as a diving guide, showing him almost everything that he was found in the waters off the coast. Thus, the information was obtained from the most first-hand.
As a result of the trip, a two-part film "Secrets of Yonaguni" was created. The film crew of Andrei Makarevich came to the conclusion that the local Monument has clear signs of man-made impact. And to argue that the megalith is of a purely natural origin, only one who has not seen anything with his own eyes can ...

There are several different versions of the purpose of the underwater Monument. But closest to the observed features of this ancient monument it turns out that Shoch's version, according to which the Monument served as just a kind of quarry - a rock from which they cut off piece by piece. There was, for example, an artificial gutter cut into the rock mass. At the ends of the gutter, even the markings are clearly visible, apparently intended to continue it. Similar gutters are found not only on the Monument itself, but also on the "Stadium" and next to the underwater "stone head".
Where the huge stone blocks were taken out and what they were built from is unknown.

Maybe for construction mysterious pyramid, which Aratake saw at the eastern cape of the island? .. Due to the strong current and great depth He didn't even take a picture of her. So it is not clear whether this pyramid exists at all ...

At the "Stadium" Kimura, who accompanied the film crew " underwater world”, triumphantly demonstrated a perfectly rectangular hole in a stone monolith, going somewhere deep into an incomprehensible distance. A hole the size of an ordinary brick, if you look at this brick from the end. As if someone was laying some kind of cable here. And this - at a depth of about 40 meters! .. By the way, nearby on one of the terraces of the "Stadium" there was a site that gave the impression of being built of bricks exactly the size of the hole mentioned above.

One of these “bricks”, with the consent of Kimura, was delivered to Moscow, where it was presented to a geologist for identification. Alas, the “masonry” turned out to be an illusion generated by specifically straight cracks in the local rock. "Brick" clearly had a completely natural origin. (At the same time, the “brick” also refuted the version of some members of the expedition, who believed that the underwater objects of Yonaguni could be made of concrete.) Unfortunately, it was not possible to photograph the underwater stalactites, according to which the dating of the Monument was carried out. Just a few years ago, in the cave where these stalactites are located, three Japanese divers got lost and died. And for the Japanese, such a place becomes sacred. And to protect it sacred place from outsiders, they blocked the entrance and placed commemorative sign. After some time, the entrance completely collapsed, crushing the sign that had fallen at the same time and closing it tightly. Nature herself finished what the people who followed local tradition. The underwater stalactite became inaccessible, and only its photographs remained ...

There were some embarrassing moments. During the expedition, it turned out that some photographs of Yonaguni objects published on the Internet were clearly retouched in order to give greater “credibility” to the artificiality of their origin: the edges of the chute on the top platform of the Monument are excessively sharpened; the bas-relief on the “underwater head” is painted on to make it look more like an Indian headdress of bright feathers and the like. Such techniques do not help supporters of the ancient history of Yonaguni underwater objects, but only discredit their arguments and mislead the uninitiated. I had to abandon the version of the artificial origin of the "arched gate". On the Internet, their photos are most often published only from one side and from an advantageous angle so that one gets the impression of their man-made creation by someone from huge stones. However, the view from the other side of the “gate” makes one very, very doubtful about this: nature is capable of even more than that…

At a 2001 conference in Japan, there were reports that a giant stepped structure similar to the Yonaguni Monument had been discovered off Chatan Island in Okinawa; near the island of Kerama there are mysterious underwater "mazes"; and near the island of Aguni, cylindrical depressions similar to those found in the “triangular pool” of the Monument were found. On the other side of Yonaguni, in the strait between Taiwan and China, underwater structures resembling walls and roads were discovered ...

At the moment, these listed objects, unfortunately, lack scientific data. Their research has not really begun yet. But one can hope that it will still take place without such long breaks, as was the case with the Yonaguni Monument, which is still the most exciting find in the region.

Taken from "Discoveries and Hypotheses"

The secret of the underwater city near the island of Yonaguni. The history of outstanding archaeological finds develops in different ways. Sometimes experts spend decades looking for some kind of treasure or civilization that disappeared from the face of the earth several millennia ago. And another time, it is enough for a lucky diver to go down with scuba gear under the water and - here you are, please - the remains of an ancient city appear before his eyes.

This is exactly what happened in the spring of 1985, when scuba diving instructor Kihachiro Aratake dived off the small Japanese island of Yonaguni. Not far from the shore at a depth of 15 meters, he noticed a huge stone plateau. Wide flat platforms, covered with an ornament of rectangles and rhombuses, turned into intricate terraces running down large steps. The edge of the object was cut vertically down by a wall to the very bottom to a depth of 27 meters. The diver spoke about his find to Professor Masaaki Kimura, a specialist in marine geology and seismology from Ryukyu University. The professor was interested in the find, but most of his colleagues were skeptical about it. Kimura put on a wetsuit, plunged into the sea and personally explored the object. Since then, he has made over a hundred dives and has become the site's primary expert.

Soon the professor held a press conference, at which he authoritatively declared to the reporter: an unknown to science was found ancient city. Kimura presented photographs of the find, diagrams, and drawings to the attention of the general public. The scientist understood that he was going against the vast majority of historians and was risking his own reputation by defending the artificial origin of underwater structures. According to him, this huge complex buildings, which includes castles, monuments and even a stadium, connected by a complex system of roads and waterways. Massive stone blocks, he argued, are part of a huge man-made complex, cut right into the rock. Kimura also found numerous tunnels, wells, stairs, terraces, and even one pool.

Since then, scientific passions have not subsided around the underwater city off the coast of Yonaguni. On the one hand, these ruins are very reminiscent of megalithic structures in other parts of the world, starting from Stonehenge in England and the cyclopean buildings that remained in Greece after the collapse of the Minoan civilization, and ending with the pyramids of Egypt, Mexico and the Machu Picchu temple complex in the Peruvian Andes. It is related to the latter by a characteristic terraced landscape and a mysterious statue resembling a human head in a feather headdress, similar to those worn by the inhabitants of pre-Columbian America. Even the technological features of buildings underwater complex similar to those constructive solutions, which the ancient Incas used in the construction of their cities. This is quite consistent with today's ideas that the most ancient population of the New World, which gave rise to the highly developed cultures of the Maya, Incas and Aztecs, came from Asia. But why do scientists argue so fiercely about the Yonaguni complex and there is no end in sight to the discussions? The whole snag is in the estimated date of construction of the mysterious city.

It does not fit into modern historical theories. Studies have shown that the rock in which it was cut down went under water no later than 10,000 years ago, that is, much earlier than the construction Egyptian pyramids and cyclopean buildings of the Minoan era, not to mention the monuments of the ancient Indians. According to modern ideas, in that distant era, people huddled in caves and could only collect edible roots and hunt wild animals. And the hypothetical creators of the Yonaguni complex at that time were already able to process stone, owned the appropriate set of tools, knew geometry, and this is contrary to ideas of adherents of traditional historical science. Indeed, it somehow does not fit in my head that the same Egyptians reached a comparable technological level only 5,000 years later! If we accept the arguments of the supporters of the version of Professor Kimura as true, then we will have to rewrite history great.

Therefore, until now, most representatives of academic science prefer to explain the incredible relief of the underwater rock off the coast of Yonaguni as a whim of natural elements. According to skeptics, the bizarre stone landscape arose due to the physical characteristics of the rock that makes up the rock formation. This is a kind of sandstone, which tends to crack along the planes, which can fully explain the terraced arrangement of the complex and the geometric shapes of massive stone blocks. But the trouble is that the numerous regular circles found there, as well as the symmetry characteristic of stone blocks, cannot be explained by this property of sandstone, as well as the strange binding of all these forms to one place. Skeptics have no answers to these questions, and therefore the mysterious underwater city off the coast of the Japanese island of Yonaguni has long been a stumbling block for historians and archaeologists. The only thing that both supporters and opponents of artificial origin agree on rock complex: he ended up under water as a result of some monstrous natural disaster, which in history Japanese islands there were a lot.

The world's largest tsunami hit the island of Yonaguni on April 24, 1771. The waves reached a height of over 40 meters. Then, 13,486 people died from the disaster, 3,237 houses were destroyed. The tsunami is considered one of the worst natural disasters that has overtaken Japan. Perhaps a similar catastrophe killed ancient civilization who built the city off the island of Yonaguni. Professor Kimura in 2007 presented his computer model of underwater ruins at a scientific conference in Japan. According to his assumptions, there are ten underwater structures near the island of Yonaguni, and five more such buildings are located off the main island of Okinawa. The massive ruins cover an area of ​​more than 45,000 square meters. Kimura believes the ruins are at least 5,000 years old. His calculations are based on the age of stalactites found in underwater caves, which Kimura believes sank with the city. Stalactites and stalagmites form only above water in an extremely slow process. Underwater caves with stalactites found around Okinawa indicate that at one time most of this area was on land. “The largest structure looks like a complex stepped monolithic pyramid rising from a depth of 25 meters,” Kimura said in an interview. Over the years, he created a detailed picture of these ancient ruins, until he discovered the similarity between underwater structures and those found in archaeological sites on land.