The mystery of Yonaguni Island: who built the underwater city off the coast of Japan

The scientific world has not yet reached a consensus on the origin of this mysterious object. Although more than 30 years have passed since the discovery of underwater stone structures near Yonaguni Island, there are still more mysteries than answers around this place.

A sensational find, as often happens, was discovered quite by accident. Kihachiro Aratake worked as a diving instructor in the area of the southern Ryukyu Islands and during one of the dives discovered strange cliffs that closely resembled man-made structures. A lover of sea diving told the find to the world, and scientists, journalists and all people who were not indifferent to the find rushed to the southern coast of Yonaguni Island.

Stone formations have a stepped shape resembling a pyramid. The foundation of the structure is a stone slab, its dimensions are approximately 200 by 150 meters. Stone terraces and platforms with traces of processing led scientists to think about the man-made origin of the object. In favor of this version is the fact that there is a stone road around the structure and there are fences made of limestone blocks. According to Masaki Kimura, a scientist who spent many years researching the underwater pyramid, this kind of limestone is not characteristic of this region and was most likely brought here specifically for construction.

In addition to neat stone blocks folded in the form of steps, round holes, traces of stone carvings, images of animals and even mysterious letters, which could not be decoded, were found under the water near Yonaguni Island. According to Professor Kimura, this is nothing but the remains of an ancient city that was under water as a result of a devastating earthquake. It should be noted that this place is one of the most seismically active regions in the world, so the version with the earthquake seems quite plausible. In addition, on the neighboring islands there are other structures that have common features with the underground city, for example, parts of the stone castle of Nakagusuku.

According to Professor Kimura, the age of the underground structure is at least 10,000 years. He made such conclusions on the basis of a study of the cave, which was discovered near the mysterious city. There are stalactites in the cave, which, as you know, can only form in the air. That is, the cave was once also on land, and after flooding, which occurred as a result of rising sea levels or a catastrophic earthquake, it was under water. The age of stalactites, according to analyzes, is at least 10,000 years.

A number of skeptics continue to claim that the underwater monument is of natural origin, although it has traces of manual processing. But in the same region, several more underwater stone structures were discovered, which are not yet well explored and are waiting in the wings. But in any case, we are talking about an ancient civilization that owned the art of stone processing and writing, which so far could not be deciphered. Be that as it may, the underwater pyramid off the coast of Yonaguni Island can tell a lot about the history of this region.