Underwater city of Yonaguni Island: Japan. Underwater megalithic complex of Yonaguni (Japan) - Earth before the Flood: disappeared continents and civilizations Underwater pyramids of Yonaguni
An underwater city of an unknown civilization was found in Sochi This is a real sensation for historians and archaeologists around the world Densely packed blocks 30 centimeters thick. Each of them is the correct shape. The paved area disappears into the sand. The steps are clearly visible. Reminiscent of a road going into the depths of the sea... A road... at a depth of 19 meters?! The other day in Sochi there was a presentation of a sensational film from the local studio “SaCo-film”. Spectators left the cinema hall with round eyes: “Can this really happen?!” What is the film about and how did the idea to make it come about? “The sailors of the boat on which we were filming the view of Sochi from the sea for a documentary accidentally mentioned the road at the bottom of the sea,” studio director Olga Sahakyan told us. “And they immediately believed in the existence of this road.” Although there have never been any serious studies in this area and none of the archaeologists have heard of any ancient city.The decision was made instantly - to get to this place at all costs and capture it on film.
But this required underwater video equipment and experienced scuba divers. Everything was found. The crew of the Sochi boat "Triton" together with the film crew began searching for the "sunken city".
“It took four long winter months,” recalls studio art director Igor Kozlov. - The fact is that the Black Sea in winter is not calm and transparent. Storms and currents make underwater photography risky and dangerous. But the filmmakers “re-stirred” the sea and, after repeated dives, obtained the long-awaited footage. The paved section of the block road stretches for more than 10 meters.
The very first to see the remains of the ancient city was the captain of the Triton, Alexander Zinchenko.
- Do you know what’s interesting? You can sail over this place ten times and not see anything,” Alexander shared his impressions. - This is clearly handmade. The fact is that underwater currents either cover the stone road with sand or open it up...
The discovery of the Sochi documentaries is 900 meters away from the shore. According to archaeologists, this may mean that the underwater city is at least three thousand years old. It is very reminiscent of the remains of ancient buildings that were found off the coast of Turkey in the last century. At approximately the same depth.
Who could have lived at that time on the territory of modern Sochi and how did the buildings end up so far from the coast and at such depth? This question haunted the researchers throughout the months of working on the film. They sifted through mountains of articles on archeology, but never found a clear answer. Although…
Off the coast of Turkey in the last century, at approximately the same depth, archaeologists discovered the remains of ancient buildings. The sensational nature of the Turkish find is that historians have given an official conclusion - the settlements found on the bottom of the sea cannot be attributed to any of the known world cultures.
Among other things, the film examined the theme of the homeland of the legendary Golden Fleece from a new angle. The authors prove that the Argonauts mined it not in Georgia, but in Sochi - on the banks of the Mzymta River.
If you thoroughly engage in excavations of an underwater city, this can radically change your view of the distant past of the Black Sea coast. But in order to find out your history, the enthusiasm of single people is not enough.
“We tried to attract the attention of those structures that are obliged by duty to respond to all new archaeological finds,” says Olga Sahakyan. - I don’t want to name the specific names of officials of the regional and federal services for the protection of cultural heritage to whom we contacted. It turned out to be impossible to interest them in a living matter. At best, we received a polite refusal.
What if our underwater city is a fragment of an unknown civilization?
Japan is an island state, which includes an impressive number of islands. Most of them have something unusual. Remember, for example, about the smallest municipality on a volcano island.
Now we will tell you about another Japanese island, located in the westernmost part of the country. This is Yonaguni Island. But we’re not really talking about the island, although it certainly has an attractive island charm. We, like the whole world, were interested in its coastal waters, or rather, what was hidden in them. In the 80s of the last century, something was found off the coast of Yonaguni that challenged world history itself.
The island itself is known among divers as one of the most picturesque diving spots. A large number of hammerhead sharks can be observed in the surrounding area. 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 director of the island’s tourist association), while looking for new dive sites, came across surprisingly smooth and regular stone structures at a depth of several meters. They were very reminiscent of buildings, more likely even pyramids. One of them went down 25-27 meters to the very bottom and had very smooth planes.
Many sources contain such a photo, but in fact there is no such pyramid in Yonaguni. After several dives, it was established that the dimensions of the underwater complex are approximately the following: the central part has a height of slightly more than 40 meters and the base is 180 by 150 meters. The surfaces of the pyramids have steps, diamond-shaped projections and smooth edges. Underwater pyramids are located near the shore at a depth of 25-30 meters.
Yonaguni on the map
- Geographic coordinates 24.435431, 123.011148
- Distance from the capital of Japan Tokyo is about 2100 km
- The nearest airport is located directly on Yonaguni Island, 5 kilometers from the underwater pyramids
This one does not have a specific name. It is usually called the "Pyramids of Yonaguni" 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 underwater complex.
Research of underwater pyramids
An interesting fact is that the Yonaguni Monument somehow did not interest the world’s scientific community. The underwater city has been virtually 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). In addition to professional divers and a Discovery Channel film crew, the expedition included Graham Hancock and Robert Schoch.
Science education theory
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 that can crack, forming regular geometric shapes. Sandstone layers have an interesting property of stratifying at an angle of 90 and 60 degrees to each other. In the process of layering, they form such interesting structures. In addition, earthquakes periodically occur in this corner of the globe, making the sandstone even more susceptible to cracking. However, the expedition members suggested that human influence cannot be completely ruled out. 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
Perhaps the mystery of the pyramids would have been attributed to nature if Masaaki Kimura, a professor at the Japanese University of Ryukyus, had not intervened in the matter. Having immersed himself in the Yonaguni monument and examining it very carefully, Kimura began to insist on the version of artificial origin. He presents a number of facts as evidence.
Scientific controversy
Robert Schoch, who was part of Graham Hancock's expedition, 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 the smooth surfaces, right angles and other structures that are non-standard for nature are the work of man.
For example, this massive formation, nicknamed “Turtle,” contradicts the theory of the natural origin of the complex.
This formation is called the Turtle. Do not forget to read at the end of the article a brief summary of the legend that may be related to the Pyramids 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 come to the conclusion that the entire territory of the pyramids was under water just 10,000 years ago.
This fact challenges the official history, according to which 10,000 years ago man still lived in caves and hunted mammoths. Naturally, he was not old enough to build such pyramids in those days. This leads to the following: either the generally accepted story is not entirely true, or... one of two things. This may be why the scientific community did not take this discovery seriously.
But Masaaki Kimura himself believes that the pyramids are about 5,000 years old, and they only came under water 2,000 years ago due to an earthquake.
Scientists are still arguing about both the age of the find and its 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 searching for ancient civilizations.
It's no secret that there are still unsolved underwater attractions on the planet, such as the famous one.
- The Japanese government has NOT recognized the complex as a cultural heritage site.
- 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
- The number of artifacts found in the complex underwater and on the coast turned out to be approximately the same
- One of the Japanese legends tells about the fisherman Urashima. One day he went to sea as always, but instead of a fish he came across the same turtle three times. And every time he let her go. Desperate, the fisherman sent the shuttle towards the shore, but a large ship appeared on his way. He 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 celebration was held in honor of the fisherman. Urashima spent three whole years in the palace, but he became homesick and decided to return. As a parting gift, Otohime gave him a box that 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 became very sad. Remembering the gift, the fisherman opened the box and immediately turned into a crane. And Otohime turned into a turtle again and went ashore to meet Urashima. This is where the famous Japanese dance of the turtle and crane comes from. 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 Yonaguni in the photo
Straight, level trench 
The Japanese island of Yonaguni, despite its tiny size and small population (a little over 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 Yonaguni). And thirdly, divers from all over the world come here, to the extreme point of the western coast of Japan, to watch hammerhead sharks.
It was thanks to the curiosity of diving enthusiasts that the amazing discovery of the underwater city took place.
History of discovery
In the spring of 1986, experienced driver Kihachiro Aratatake was diving in search of the most suitable places for his team. During one of these dives, he discovered strange structures located at a depth of 10-15 meters. At first, the scuba diver didn’t even know what was what and, by his own admission, was a little scared.
But the very next day, photos of the Yonaguni pyramids appeared in Japanese newspapers. This find 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 installation from the Second World War. It has also been hypothesized that perhaps this is the mythical Lemuria - a continent that supposedly sank in the Indian Ocean. Finally, there were those who believed that the mysterious structures 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 from stone blocks was discovered. Now scientists have reached a unanimous verdict: the monument was undoubtedly created by man, and it was done a very long time ago.
Research of the seabed continued, and several more sites with buildings were discovered located near three islands (Yonaguni, Aguni, Kerama). It was an entire underwater city with buildings, among which the largest were the pyramids off the island of Yonaguni.
What is the underwater city of Yonaguni?
“City” is a very arbitrary name, since well-preserved structures have not yet been discovered. 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 “streets” presumably lead. There are also many caves, peculiar wells and canals.
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 Incan pyramids. There are wide, flat platforms and terraces at different levels. The monument city is surrounded by a “road” and a stone fence. But what is most surprising is that some materials (for example, limestone in the fence) are not found in this area at all.
The complex includes several temple buildings, dozens of objects resembling houses, and a structure that looks like an amphitheater or stadium. They are located on clearly marked roads. The likeness of statues was also discovered, some archaeologists believe these are 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 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 enormous interest from the scientific community, the first serious expedition took place only 12 years after the discovery of the Yonaguni underwater monument. The study was sponsored by the famous Japanese industrialist Yasuo Watanabe. The expedition was led by the famous antiquities researcher and writer Graham Hancock, and the filming of the working process was entrusted to the Discovery TV channel. After the completion of the expedition, one of the participants, Boston University professor and geologist Robert Schoch, said that he considered the underwater pyramids to be a miraculous structure. He explained this by the properties of the sandstone from which underwater objects are composed. According to the professor, this stone can crack under the influence of natural factors, while forming even angles.
However, the scientist did not rule out the possibility of human participation in the creation of the underwater complex. He suggested that these could be ancient quarries. The fact that people may have been involved in the construction of the 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 printed symbols.
Subsequently, another scientific expedition was organized. This time it was not so pompous, and with a slightly larger number of scientists, since the organizer was Rokyu University. The expedition was led by marine geologist Masaaki Kimura, who became a passionate defender of 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. The creation of the mysterious pyramids was attributed to gods, aliens, and an unknown civilization that lived in these places many millennia ago.
The underwater pyramids of Yonaguni in Japan continue to be explored. And I am sure that many more amazing discoveries await us related to this mysterious corner of the planet.
The history of outstanding archaeological finds takes different forms. Sometimes experts spend decades searching for some treasure or civilization that disappeared from the face of the earth several thousand years ago. And other times, a lucky diver just needs to go underwater with scuba gear and - here you go - 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 in the coastal waters 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, level platforms, covered with patterns of rectangles and diamonds, turned into intricate terraces running down large steps. The edge of the object ended vertically down the wall to the very bottom to a depth of 27 meters.
The diver reported his discovery to Professor Masaaki Kimura, a specialist in marine geology and seismology at the University of the Ryukyu. 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 examined the object. Since then, he has made more than a hundred dives and has become the primary expert on the site.
Soon the professor held a press conference, at which the reporter authoritatively declared: an ancient city unknown to science had been found. Kimura presented photographs of the find, diagrams, and drawings to the attention of the general public. The scientist understood: he was going against the overwhelming majority of historians and risking his own reputation by defending the artificial origin of underwater structures.
According to him, this is a huge complex of buildings, which includes castles, monuments and even a stadium, connected by a complex system of roads and waterways. The massive stone blocks, he argued, were part of a huge man-made complex carved directly 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 planet, ranging from Stonehenge in England and the Cyclopean structures remaining in Greece after the collapse of the Minoan civilization, and ending with the pyramids of Egypt, Mexico and the temple complex of Machu Picchu in the Peruvian Andes.
It is related to the latter by both a characteristic terraced landscape and a mysterious sculpture resembling a human head in a feather headdress, similar to those worn by the inhabitants of pre-Columbian America.
Even the technological features of the structures of the underwater complex are similar to the design solutions that the ancient Incas used to build their cities. This is quite consistent with today's ideas that the ancient population of the New World, which gave rise to the highly developed cultures of the Mayans, 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 problem is in the estimated date of construction of the mysterious city.
It does not fit into modern historical theories in any way. Research has shown that the rock in which it was carved went under water no later than 10,000 years ago, that is, much earlier than the construction of the Egyptian pyramids and Cyclopean structures 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 only knew how to collect edible roots and hunt wild animals.
And the hypothetical creators of the Yonaguni complex at that time could already process stone, owned the appropriate set of tools, knew geometry, and this runs counter to the ideas of adherents of traditional historical science. Indeed, it somehow boggles the mind that the same Egyptians reached a comparable technological level only 5,000 years later! If we accept as truth the arguments of supporters of Professor Kimura’s version, then we will have to greatly rewrite history.
Therefore, until now, most representatives of academic science prefer to explain the incredible relief of the underwater rock off the coast of Yonaguni by the whim of natural elements. According to skeptics, the bizarre rock landscape is due to the physical characteristics of the rock that makes up the rock formation.
This is a type of sandstone that tends to crack along planes, which may well explain the terraced arrangement of the complex and the geometric shapes of the massive stone blocks. But the trouble is that the numerous regular circles found there, as well as the symmetry characteristic of the 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 become a stumbling block for historians and archaeologists. The only thing that both supporters and opponents of the artificial origin of the rock complex agree on is that it ended up under water as a result of some monstrous natural disaster, of which there were many in the history of the Japanese Islands.
The world's largest tsunami hit Yonaguni Island on April 24, 1771. The waves reached a height of more than 40 meters. Then the disaster killed 13,486 people and destroyed 3,237 houses.
The tsunami is considered one of the worst natural disasters to hit Japan. Perhaps a similar catastrophe destroyed the ancient civilization that built the city off the island of Yonaguni. Professor Kimura presented his computer model of underwater ruins at a scientific conference in Japan in 2007. According to his assumptions, there are ten underwater structures near Yonaguni Island, and another five similar structures 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 through an extremely slow process. Underwater stalactite caves found around Okinawa indicate that much of the area was once 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 similarities between the underwater structures and those found in archaeological sites on land.
For example, a semicircular cutout on a rocky platform corresponds to the entrance to a castle, which is located on land. Nakagusuku Castle in Okinawa has a perfect semi-circular entrance, typical of castles of the Ryukyu Dynasty in the 13th century. The two underwater megaliths - huge, six-meter tall, vertical stones placed side by side - also bear similarities to twin megaliths in other parts of Japan, such as Mount Nabeyama in Gifu Prefecture. What does this mean? It seems that the underground city off the island of Yonaguni was a continuation of a whole complex of above-ground structures. In other words, in ancient times, the ancestors of modern Japanese built up the islands as they saw fit, but a natural disaster, most likely a giant tsunami, destroyed the fruits of their labors.
One way or another, the underwater city of Yonaguni turns our ideas about historical science upside down. Most archaeologists believe that human civilization arose about 5,000 years ago, but few scientists believe that "advanced" civilizations may have existed as far back as 10,000 years ago and were wiped out by some catastrophe. And the underwater city of Yonaguni testifies to exactly this.
Passions do not fade around the underwater city of Yonaguni. The estimated date of its construction does not fit into modern historical theories.
The underwater city of Yonaguni was first discovered in 1986. While observing hammerhead sharks off the Japanese island of Yonaguni, diver Kihachiro noticed a series of sea formations lying 5 meters underwater. Their architecture resembled step pyramids. The center was a building 42 meters high. It consisted of 5 floors. Near the central object there were small pyramids 10 meters high. The edge of the object dropped vertically down to the very bottom to a depth of 27 meters.
The diver told Professor Masaki Kimura, a specialist in marine geology and seismology, about the discovery. He became interested in the object and made more than a hundred dives, studying the discovery, becoming a real expert in its matters. Soon he held a press conference at which he announced that an ancient city unknown to science had been found - a whole complex consisting of castles, wells, tunnels, stairs, terraces, monuments, a stadium, connected by a system of roads and waterways. All of Yonaguni's massive stone blocks were created by hand and carved directly into the bedrock.
Since then, passions have not faded around the underwater city of Yonaguni. The estimated date of its construction does not fit into modern historical theories. Most archaeologists believe that human civilization arose about 5,000 years ago. Research has shown that the rock in which this city was carved sank under water no later than 10,000 years ago. That is, Yonaguni is older than the Egyptian pyramids and historical monuments of the ancient Indians. It is believed that in that era people lived in caves and knew only how to collect edible roots and hunt wild animals. And the creators of the Yonaguni underwater complex at that time processed stone, owned tools, and knew geometry! This is in no way consistent with the data of traditional historical science.
Many historians are still inclined to explain the incredible relief of the underwater rock off the coast of Yonaguni Island as created by a natural disaster. Skeptics say that the sandstone that makes up the rock formation tends to crack along planes, which could explain the terraced arrangement of the complex and its geometric shapes. But the regular circles and symmetry of stone blocks cannot be explained by this property of sandstone.
The only thing that supporters and opponents of the artificial origin of the underwater city of Yonaguni agree on is that it was submerged under water as a result of a major natural disaster, of which there were many in the history of the Japanese Islands. Professor Kimura suggested that there are 10 underwater structures near Yonaguni Island, and another five structures are located off Okinawa Island. The massive ruins cover an area of more than 45,000 m2. Underwater caves off Okinawa with stalactites indicate that this area was once on land. The underwater city of Yonaguni itself is a continuation of a whole complex of land-based structures.
It is interesting to note that some researchers considered the underwater city of Yonaguni to be further evidence of the existence of the Lemurian race. If we remember that the continent of Lemuria extended over the entire Pacific Ocean and included the territory of the islands of Yonaguni and Okinawa, then these ruins may belong to the Lemurians.
