Terraced formations near the Japanese island of Yonaguni. The underwater city of Yonaguni in Japan

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 diving under water and - here you are, please - the remnants of ancient city. This is exactly what happened in the spring of 1985, when scuba diving instructor Kihachiro Aratake dived in the coastal waters of a small Japanese island Yonaguni.

Not far from the coast 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 a reporter: an ancient city unknown to science was found. 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, ranging 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 temple complex Machu Picchu 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 the structures of the underwater complex are similar to those constructive solutions that 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 only knew how to 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 runs counter to the 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 as true the arguments of the supporters of the version of Professor Kimura, 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 the artificial origin of the rock complex agree on is that it ended up under water as a result of some monstrous natural disaster, which in the history of the Japanese islands were many.

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 to hit Japan. Perhaps a similar catastrophe destroyed the ancient civilization that built the city near 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. "Most large building 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 excavations on the land.

For example, a semi-circular cutout on a rocky platform corresponds to the entrance to the castle, which is located on land. Nakagusuku Castle in Okinawa has a perfect semi-circular entrance, typical of 13th-century Ryukyu dynasty castles. The two underwater megaliths—huge, six-meter-high, vertically placed rocks side by side—also bear a resemblance to twin megaliths in other parts of Japan, such as Mount Nabeyama in Gifu Prefecture. What does it say? It seems, underground city near the island of Yonaguni was a continuation of a whole complex of ground structures. In other words, in ancient times, the ancestors of the modern Japanese built the islands at their own discretion, 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 early as 10,000 years ago and were wiped off the face of the earth as a result of some kind of catastrophe. And the underwater city of Yonaguni testifies to this.

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.

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. 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.

It does not fit into modern historical theories. Studies have 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.

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 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 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 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.

For example, a semi-circular cutout on a rocky platform corresponds to the entrance to the castle, which is located on land. Nakagusuku Castle in Okinawa has a perfect semi-circular entrance, typical of 13th-century Ryukyu dynasty castles. The two underwater megaliths—huge, six-meter-high, vertically placed rocks side by side—also bear a resemblance to twin megaliths in other parts of Japan, such as Mount Nabeyama in Gifu Prefecture. What does it say? It seems that the underground city near the island of Yonaguni was a continuation of a whole complex of ground structures. In other words, in ancient times, the ancestors of the modern Japanese built the islands at their own discretion, but a natural disaster, most likely a giant tsunami, destroyed the fruits of their labors.

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. Watching hammerhead sharks off the Japanese island of Yonaguni, diver Kihachiro noticed a series of marine formations lying 5 meters under water. Their architecture was like step pyramids. The center was a building 42 meters high. It consisted of 5 floors. Near the central object were small pyramids 10 meters high. The edge of the object broke off vertically down to the very bottom to a depth of 27 meters.

The diver spoke about the find to Professor Masaki Kimura, a specialist in marine geology and seismology. He became interested in the object and made more than a hundred dives, studying the discovered find, 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 the massive stone blocks of Yonaguni were created by hand and cut directly into the rock.

Since then, passions have not quenched 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. Studies have shown that the rock in which this city was cut down went under water no later than 10,000 years ago. That is, Yonaguni is older than the Egyptian pyramids and historical monuments ancient Indians. It is believed that in that era people lived in caves and knew how to collect only edible roots and hunt wild animals. And the creators of the Yonaguni underwater complex at that time processed stone, owned tools, 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 the elements of nature. Skeptics say that the sandstone that makes up the rock formation tends to crack along the planes, which can explain the terraced arrangement of the complex and its geometric shapes. But the correct 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 with is its submersion under water as a result of a major natural disaster, of which there have been many in the history of the Japanese islands. Professor Kimura suggested that there are 10 underwater structures near the island of Yonaguni, and five more buildings are located off the island of Okinawa. The massive ruins cover an area of more than 45,000 m2. Underwater caves near 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 ground structures.

It is interesting to note that some researchers considered the underwater city of Yonaguni to be another proof of the existence of the Lemurian race. If we recall that the continent of Lemuria stretched across the entire Pacific Ocean and included the territory of the islands of Yonaguni and Okinawa, then these ruins may belong to the Lemurians.

A Japanese scientist studying underwater rock formations off the coast of Japan claims that these are traces of the Asian analogue of Atlantis - ancient civilization swallowed up by the ocean 3,000 years ago.

Marine geologist Masaaki Kimura says he has identified the ruins of a city off the coast of Yonaguni Island, on Japan's southwestern border.
Mysterious rocks were found in 1985 by scuba diving tourists. Kimura has worked for decades to prove that these are traces of an ancient city that may have given rise to the legend of the land of Mu, the Pacific equivalent of the legend of the lost city of Atlantis.

“Judging by the design and location of the ruins, the city must have looked like ancient Roman cities,” said Kimura, a professor at Ryukyu University and head of the non-profit Association for the Study of Marine Science and cultural heritage. “I see a statue like a triumphal arch, standing to the left of the Colosseum, and a temple on a hill.”
“According to my estimates, the castle was located right in the center of the city. Many ruins of structures similar to temples, although not as large as a castle, were also found.

The scientist believes that the city was washed away during an earthquake 3 thousand years ago.

However, many scholars dispute his claim, believing that the ruins could have been formed by natural causes such as tidal and volcanic activity. They also say that a few artifacts, such as clay pots or weapons, prove only that people lived among the rocks. formations. Kimura, on the other hand, remains true to her convictions.

"I'm pretty sure this mysterious civilization, lost in a tectonic warp Pacific Ocean" he says.

This island, 4 by 10 kilometers, represents the cultural enclave of Japan in miniature. The small local population with special warmth and awe keeps traditionalJapanese customs.

However, the real highlight of the island is not its people, but its southern, flooded part.It is a plot measuring 100×50 meters and consists of solid stone slabs at right angles. The age of this underwater artifact is estimated by experts at 8000 years, although at that time there were no technologies that allowed such operations to be performed.

Some archaeologists claim that these plates were formed by the action of natural forces, but there are those who oppose, arguing that all these corridors, stairs and platforms simply could not form on their own.

A very remarkable and obviously artificial element are two colossal megaliths at the western edge of the Monument. Their appearance and position evokes associations with the famous Stonehenge. These megaliths are sometimes called "twin pillars". Looking at their strict geometric shape, it is difficult to doubt their artificial origin, especially since the “twins” are not made of the same material as the monument itself, but of limestone.

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 it's not really 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 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.

Such a photo appears in many sources, but in fact there is no such pyramid in Yonaguni.

After several dives, it was found that the dimensions of the underwater complex are approximately the following: the 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. Underwater city has been largely 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. In addition, earthquakes periodically occur in this corner of the globe, 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 of the natural origin of the complex.

This formation is called the Turtle. Do not forget to read a summary of the legend, possibly related to the Pyramids, at the end of the article.

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 also challenges the official story, 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 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 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.

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 about 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, 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

Straight flat trench