Underwater city of yonaguni. Yonaguni Monument: a creation of nature or an underwater city? Description of underwater pyramids

Official information
Country Japan
The westernmost (southern) island of the Ryukyu Islands

General information about the island of Yonaguni and the underwater ruins of Yonaguni

Yonaguni Island - the most western territory Japan. The island is located 125 kilometers from east coast Taiwan at the end of the Ryukyu group of islands. The area of ​​the island is 28.88 km² and the population is 1581 (2011). According to the administrative-territorial division, the island belongs to Okinawa Prefecture.
Yonaguni - popular place divers due to the large number of hammerhead sharks that congregate in the surrounding waters in winter period.

In 1985, divers discovered a striking underwater rock formation at the very southern point islands. This so-called Yonaguni monument has stair-like terraces with flat, straight sides and sharp corners. Because of these features, some scientists believe that this is an artificially created (or artificially processed) structure that is thousands of years old.

Terraced formations off the Ryukyu Islands(according to published sources)

"Monument to Yo Naguni" - a massive underwater formation discovered near the Japanese island of Yonaguni, the westernmost of the Ryukyu group of islands. On this moment the origin of these formations is a matter of dispute, there is no agreement on whether they are completely natural formations, or whether they are of partial or complete artificial origin.
Detection
A large population of hammerhead sharks lives in the sea off Yonaguni Island, so you can see divers from all over the world here. In 1986, Kihachiro Aratake (Director tourism association Yonaguni Islands), looking for a good place to observe sharks, noticed a number of single marine formations. By appearance they reminded architectural structures and seemed to have a very definite architectural scheme, somewhat reminiscent of the stepped pyramids of Ancient Sumer.
The center was an architectural structure with a height of 42.43 meters and sides of 183 by 150 m. The structure looked outwardly built of L-shaped rectangular rocks. It consisted of 5 floors. Near the central object there were also small "pyramids" with a height of 10 and a width of 2 meters.
Even if it turned out to be only a game of nature, Aratake 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 Aratake decided to report his find to specialists.
Research
The pyramid was studied in detail only 12 years after its discovery, in 1997, when the Japanese industrialist Yasuo Watanabe sponsored a research expedition. It was headed by someone who accidentally found out about this object famous explorer Antiquities writer and writer Graham Hancock, who invited Boston University professor Robert Schoch, a geologist, was also attended by writer John Anthony West, photographer Santha Faiia, several professional divers and instructors, and a British Channel 4 and Discovery Channel film crew.

Yonaguni Island is the westernmost territory of Japan. It is located on the southwestern edge of the Ryukyu Islands in Okinawa Prefecture, about hundreds of kilometers from Taiwan. direct flight no way from Tokyo. To get to Yonaguni, you need to fly 1500 kilometers south to the capital of Okinawa Prefecture - the city of Naha, then transfer to the plane local airlines and cover another 500 kilometers. The island is not large, its area is about 30 square kilometers, the population is about 1800 people. The main occupations of the inhabitants are breeding of endemic breeds of horses and agriculture, fishing and tourism. The island produces quite strong "flower" sake for Japan - " hana-zake", the usual strength of which is 43 degrees, but sometimes reaches 60 degrees.

Palace of legend

In 1985, the Japanese diver Kihakiro Aratake discovered near the island of Yonaguni, the western island Ryukyu archipelago, at a depth of 25 meters, a giant rock formation. At first, he simply called this place the “Ruins” dive point, but very soon disputes began to flare up because of the “ruins”. In the area where the monument is located, lovers of diving in several places to contemplate the games of marine predators, but for decades the mysterious structure remained out of sight of divers. wanted the monument to be discovered by people.The find had a very impressive size: more than 40 meters high, 150 meters wide, 180 meters long.But this is not the main thing.The geometric shapes of the "ruins" are straight lines, wide "streets" with applied markings in the form of strange symbols, even terraces, round holes, a gutter crossing the monument - everything indicated that the mysterious structure, soon all of it is of artificial origin. Recent studies of the "Yonaguni Ruins" have shown that the sunken "city" is at least 10,000 years old. It is older than the Sphinx, which, in turn, is older than the Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Official science refuses to consider the Yonaguni monument as man-made. Indeed, in this case, everything that we know about the history of mankind will have to be reviewed and adjusted: it turns out that on our planet there existed more ancient civilization than all cultures known today, whose representatives could process stone - very skillfully and on a fantastic scale. The Japanese government also does not consider this rock formation to be man-made, and therefore no special funds are allocated for its research and only enthusiasts study the monolith. Suffice it to say that the first serious studies of the Yonaguni monument were carried out only in 1998 (13 years after the discovery) and the experts who took part in the dives sharply disagreed. A diver's acquaintance with the monument begins with the "arched gate" in the southwest complex, through which only one person can swim. Behind them, a fantastic picture opens up before the diver: two seven-meter rectangular stone blocks with perfectly even edges and corners, as if they were cut by a laser on a giant machine tool. Studies have shown that these two blocks consist of a different rock than the Yonaguni monument itself. This means only one thing: the blocks, each of which weigh at least a hundred tons, were brought here from another place. And therefore, these blocks prove the artificial origin of the "ruins", as well as the area on the upper terrace, where almost 70 identical holes seem to be drilled in one row in the stone. The path to the upper terrace leads through the so-called main terrace more than 40 meters long. Its perfectly flat surface and equally geometrically correct steps leading to it also raise suspicions that someone else, besides nature, had a hand in their creation. On the upper terrace there is another object that could hardly have arisen by itself. This is something like a pool, a triangular recess with stepped walls, in one of which two round holes with a diameter of 40 cm and a depth of 2 meters are hollowed out. thanks to which the rocks appear in all their beauty and severity of forms. The world learned about the underwater ruins of Yonaguni thanks to the writer Graham Hancock, author of the novel "Traces of the Gods", in which he tried to prove that in different parts of the Earth in prehistoric times there was a highly developed civilization that gave rise to cultures known to us. By a strange coincidence, this book was published around the same time that the first mention of a mysterious underwater structure at the western tip of the Ryukyu archipelago appeared in the Japanese press. Graham Hancock visited Yonaguni. Having made several dives, the writer gave his assessment of what he saw: the monument was clearly created by man.

One of Japan's most unusual attractions is the underwater terraces near Yonaguni Island in Okinawa. These terraces resemble the creation of human hands, which is why disputes over the origin of the underwater monument have not subsided for more than 30 years.

underwater pyramids Yonaguni are several rocks located at a depth of 25 meters, not far from one of the islands of the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa. The rocks have the form of stepped terraces, platforms and pyramids, striking with smooth and sharp edges.

The mystery of the Yonaguni monument lies in the fact that it is still not clear how these underwater platforms and terraces appeared. Some scientists believe that the terraces are of natural origin, others believe that the monument was created by man.

die-japanreise.de

History of the Discovery of the Yonaguni Monument

The waters near Yonaguni Island have long been popular with divers: many come here to watch the life of a large population of hammerhead sharks. In 1986, Kihachiro Aratake (head of the Yonaguni Tourism Association) was looking for a suitable shark spot. In the process of searching, he noticed several strange formations that resembled architectural structures, like the pyramids of Ancient Sumer.

After some time, the object was investigated by a group of scientists led by Masaaki Kimura from Ryukyu University. In 1997, an expedition was organized to explore the underwater pyramids, in which geologist Robert Schoch of Boston University took part.

Versions of the origin of the pyramids of Yonaguni

Disputes about the origin of the underwater city of Yonaguni have not subsided so far. Masaaki Kimura believes that underwater monuments are of artificial origin: built about 5,000 years ago and were flooded as a result of a tsunami or earthquake about 2,000 years ago. The version is confirmed by traces of processing and notches found on the walls of the platforms, as well as various artifacts found during the expedition.

Robert Schoch believes that underwater city"appeared about 10,000 years ago as a result of tectonic activity. According to the scientist, similar "buildings" can be seen on land. The monolith of the monument is made of sandstone, a material prone to cracking along the planes, which explains the smooth edges of the plates. According to the geologist, the holes in the rocks appeared due to natural erosion.

After Robert Schoch met with Masaaki Kimura, his version changed somewhat. Now the geologist believes that the Yonaguni monument was formed naturally, but was later processed by man. He was convinced of this by the sharp edges of the platform-steps, perfectly flat narrow trenches, which the geologist did not pay attention to when personally examining the underwater pyramids, as well as a number of artifacts discovered by Kimura.

There is also a version according to which the age of the underwater city of Yonaguni is about 10,000 years. However, this version is at odds with the generally accepted history of mankind. According to this version, it turns out that the inhabitants of Yonaguni knew how to build such monuments long before the creation of the famous Egyptian pyramids.

Since no version has been proven one hundred percent, the Japanese authorities felt that it was not worth including the underwater pyramids near the island of Yonaguni in the list of cultural and historical heritage sites.

The underwater city of Yonaguni

Today, the Yonaguni underwater monument is very popular with divers. Underwater terraces are not protected by the state, so everyone can visit this unusual attraction, if, of course, they can scuba dive. Divers from all over the world come to take a look at the underwater city, despite the strong current in this part of the sea.

The Japanese island of Yonaguni, despite its tiny size and not a large number of population (a little more than one and a half thousand people live here) was well known even outside the country for several reasons. Firstly, the strongest awamori is produced here. Secondly, this is the only place in the world where a special breed of horses lives (they are called so - yonaguni). And thirdly, here extreme point west coast Japan, divers from all over the world come to watch the hammerhead sharks.

It was thanks to the curiosity of diving enthusiasts that the amazing discovery of the underwater city took place.

Discovery history

In the spring of 1986, experienced driver Kihachiro Aratake was diving in search of the most suitable places for his team. In one of these dives, he discovered strange structures located at a depth of 10-15 meters. At first, the scuba diver did not even understand what was happening and, by his own admission, was a little scared.

But the very next day, photos of the Yonaguni pyramids appeared in Japanese newspapers. This discovery immediately attracted the attention of scientists. One after another, various hypotheses regarding the origin of the structures rained down. Some researchers have suggested that the buildings were erected in ancient times. Others defended the "modern" version, according to which the underwater complex is a sunken defensive object from the Second World War. It was also hypothesized that perhaps this is the mythical Lemuria - a continent that allegedly sank into Indian Ocean. Finally, there were those who believed that mysterious buildings arose as a result of some natural anomalies.

While scientists debated the origin of strange underwater objects, divers continued to explore the bottom. And soon a giant arch built of stone blocks was discovered. Now scientists have made a unanimous verdict: the monument was undoubtedly created by man, and this was done a very long time ago.

The exploration of the seabed continued, and several more sites with buildings were discovered, located near three islands (Yonaguni, Aguni, Kerama). It was a whole underwater city with buildings, among which the largest are the pyramids near the island of Yonaguni.

What is the underwater city of Yonaguni?

“City” is a very conditional name, since well-preserved structures have not yet been found. But underwater finds suggest that there could have been a settlement in this place many thousands of years ago. "Buildings" are objects made of stone blocks, to which, presumably, "streets" lead. There are also many caves, peculiar wells and channels.

The most impressive object is a huge megalith (height - about 20-25 m, width - 150 m, length - 200 m). Its architecture is reminiscent of the Inca pyramids. There are wide flat platforms and terraces on different levels. The city-monument is surrounded by a "road" and a stone fence. But what is most surprising is that some materials (for example, limestone in the fence) do not occur at all in this area.

The complex includes several temple buildings, dozens of objects resembling houses, a structure that looks like an amphitheater or a stadium. They are located on clearly marked roads. A similarity of statues was also found, some archaeologists consider these to be natural formations from shells and other underwater materials.

The underwater monument aroused great interest among divers. Many of them, despite the strong currents in this area, dive in order to see this miracle with their own eyes. One of the divers even wrote a book about the underwater city of Yonaguni.

Versions and hypotheses

Despite the great interest from the scientific community, the first serious expedition took place only 12 years after the discovery of the underwater monument of Yonaguni. The research was sponsored by the well-known Japanese industrialist Yasuo Watanabe. The expedition was led by the famous antiquities researcher and writer Graham Hancock, and the shooting of the working process was entrusted to the Discovery TV channel. After the completion of the expedition, one of the participants, professor at Boston University, geologist Robert Schoch said that he considered the underwater pyramids to be a miraculous structure. He argued this with the properties of sandstone, of which underwater objects are composed. According to the professor, this stone can crack under the influence natural factors while forming straight corners.

However, the scientist did not rule out the possibility of human participation in the creation underwater complex. He suggested that these might be ancient quarries. The fact that people could be involved in the construction of objects was also evidenced by new finds during the expedition. In particular, the researchers found a bas-relief of an animal resembling a bull, primitive scrapers, processed stones with holes and applied symbols.

Subsequently, another scientific expedition was organized. This time not so pompous, and with a few big amount scientists, as the organizer was Rokyu University. The expedition was led by marine geologist Masaaki Kimura, who became a passionate advocate for the "man-made" version. He believes that the objects were built about 5 thousand years ago, and the flooding of the place occurred about two thousand years ago as a result of a strong earthquake.

Some other scientists also believe that the underwater city could have been part of Taiwan in ancient times, which was flooded due to some kind of cataclysm.

But there are also many fantastic theories regarding the underwater complex. Creation mysterious pyramids attributed to the gods, and aliens, and unknown civilization that lived in these places many thousands of years ago.

The underwater pyramids of Yonaguni in Japan continue to be explored. And I am sure that many more amazing discoveries related to this await us. mysterious corner planets.

Japan - Island state, which includes an impressive number of islands. Most of them have something unusual. Think, for example, about the smallest municipality on the island-volcano.

Now we will talk about another japanese island located in the westernmost part of the country. This is Yonaguni Island. But we will talk not really about the island, although it certainly has a delectable island charm. We, like the whole world, were interested in its coastal waters, or rather, what is hidden in them. In the 1980s, something was found off the coast of Yonaguni that defied world history itself.

The island itself is known among divers as one of the picturesque places for diving. In the vicinity you can observe a large number of hammerhead sharks. They are mostly harmless to humans (but that doesn't mean they don't attack) and are very graceful. Therefore, many divers come to the island. Yonaguni has special diving schools and its own tourist association. So one day in 1986, Kihachiro Aratake (at that time the director of the island's tourism association), in search of new places for diving, stumbled at a depth of several meters on surprisingly even and regular stone structures. They were very reminiscent of buildings, rather even pyramids. One of them went down 25-27 meters to the very bottom and had very flat planes.

After several dives, it was found that the dimensions of the underwater complex are approximately as follows: central part has a height of just over 40 meters and a base of 180 by 150 meters. The surfaces of the pyramids have steps, diamond-shaped protrusions and even edges. Underwater pyramids are located near the coast at a depth of 25-30 meters.

Yonaguni on the map

• Geographic coordinates 24.435431, 123.011148
• The distance from the capital of Japan, Tokyo, is about 2100 km.
• The nearest airport is located directly on the island of Yonaguni, 5 kilometers from the underwater pyramids

This one doesn't have a specific name. It is commonly referred to as the "Yonaguni Pyramids" or the "underwater city of Yonaguni". But in any case, if you hear a phrase with the word Yonaguni, then most likely we are talking about this particular underwater complex.

Exploration of underwater pyramids

An interesting fact is that the Yonaguni Monument somehow did not interest the world scientific community. The underwater city has been practically ignored by archaeologists. The pyramids were discovered in 1986, the first scientific expedition took place only in 1997. Money for research was allocated by Yasuo Watanabe (a major industrialist from Japan). The expedition, in addition to professional divers and the Discovery Channel film crew, included Graham Hancock and Robert Schoch.

Theory of natural education

Graham and Robert put forward the theory that the underwater pyramids of Yonaguni are the result of natural forces. In particular, this is indicated by the composition of the monument. This is sandstone, which can crack, forming regular geometric shapes. Sandstone layers have an interesting property of stratifying at 90 and 60 degree angles to each other. In the process of separation, they form like this interesting buildings. Moreover, in this corner the globe earthquakes occur periodically, as a result of which sandstone is even more prone to cracking. However, the expedition members suggested that human influence cannot be completely excluded. Perhaps these are ancient mines or quarries. But still, the main emphasis was on the natural appearance of the Yonaguni pyramids.

Evidence in favor of the artificial origin of the pyramids

Maybe the secret of the pyramids would have been attributed to nature, if Masaaki Kimura, a professor at the Japanese University of Ryukyus, had not intervened. Having plunged to the Yonaguni monument and examined it very carefully, Kimura began to insist on the version of artificial origin. As evidence, he presents a number of facts.

scientific disputes

Robert Schoch, who was part of the expedition of Graham Hancock, initially adhered to the version of the natural formation of the monument, but after meeting with Professor Kimura, he partially changed his mind. Both scientists agreed on a theory according to which, most likely, the monument itself is of natural origin (that is, no one moved or erected the rock anywhere), but even surfaces, right angles and other structures that are non-standard for nature are already the work of man.

For example, this massive formation, nicknamed the "Turtle", is knocked out of the theory natural origin complex.

Scientists also argue about the age of the underwater city. Analysis of stalactites found in a cave near the pyramids suggests that they are at least 10,000 years old. Since stalactites cannot form in water, we conclude that the entire territory of the pyramids was under water just 10,000 years ago.
This fact challenges official history, according to which 10,000 years ago man still huddled in caves and hunted mammoths. Naturally, before the construction of such pyramids in those days, he "did not grow up." From this it turns out the following: either the generally accepted story is not entirely true, or ... one of the two. Perhaps that is why science community did not take this discovery seriously.
But Masaaki Kimura himself believes that the pyramids are about 5,000 years old, and they were under water only 2,000 years ago due to an earthquake.

Scientists are still arguing about the age of the find, and about the origin.
Be that as it may, the discovery of the Yonaguni pyramids is an important step in the exploration of our planet. After such a discovery, Yonaguni became known not only to all divers and scientists, but also to many lovers of the search for ancient civilizations.
It's no secret that there are still unsolved underwater sights on the planet, such as the famous one.

1. The Japanese government has NOT recognized the complex as a cultural heritage site.
2. Professor Masaaki Kimura has been researching the phenomenon for more than 15 years, and even risking his reputation, he was the first to express confidence in the artificial origin of the pyramids.
3. The number of artifacts found in the complex underwater and on the coast turned out to be about the same
4. one of the Japanese legends tells about the fisherman Urashima. One day he went to sea, as always, but instead of a fish, the same turtle came across three times. And every time he let her go. Desperate, the fisherman sent the boat to the shore, but a big ship. It was sent by Otohime, the daughter of the Dragon Lord of the Seas. It turned out that the turtle is Otohime. She invited Urashima to her palace, located under water. A big feast was held in honor of the fisherman. Urashima spent three whole years in the palace, but became homesick and decided to return. Otohime gave him a parting gift box, which can only be opened at the most difficult moment in life. Returning home, Urashima saw that 300 years had already passed and everyone he knew was no longer in the world. He got very sad. Remembering the gift, the fisherman opened the box and immediately turned into a crane. And Otohime again turned into a turtle and went ashore to meet with Urashima. From here came the famous Japanese dance of the turtle and the crane. Maybe the Yonaguchi Pyramids are the palace of the Lord of the Seas, and the "Turtle" is a monument to his daughter Otohime

Underwater City of Yonaguni in the photo