1. The Yonaguni underwater structure or the “Japanese Atlantis”
Discovered in 1985 by Kihachiro Aratake, a tourist diving organizer, the Yonaguni underwater structure is still the subject of much debate today. Measuring 75 meters long and 25 meters high, it is a set of smooth rock platforms forming a sort of progressive staircase side by side.
It is still difficult today to evaluate its true date of creation, some speak of 2,000 years of antiquity, others of 10,000. But the real mystery which fascinates and gives the reputation of this underwater place is the nature of this place. Was it a prehistoric city dating from the last ice age? Possible explanation if the site dates back more than ten millennia. Or is it simply an atypical rock formation like others currently known across the globe? The mystery persists and until now the nature of this structure remains a great mystery for the scientific community.
2. The three great mysteries of Japanese railways
Still unresolved, these three criminal acts committed between July and August 1949 have the railway sector in common.
The assassination of the railway president on July 5, 1949, Sadanori Shimoyama, marked the beginning of these crimes. While the Americans reorganized the country and forced Shimoyama to lay off 95,000 of the 600,000 employees in the railway sector, his body was found shortly after his refusal of this massive layoff action. His body was in such poor condition that it would be difficult to identify him. The autopsy will nevertheless later reveal traces of blows before his body was placed on the rails. Which confirms the murder trail and rules out the suicide trail.
Ten days later, a train without passengers crashed into Mitaka station, leaving six dead and twenty injured. The four police officers who were assigned to the station at the time abandoned their post, which suggests that they too were partially guilty of this incident. But none of them will be convicted for lack of evidence.
Finally, a month later, on August 17, 1949, a second train derailed in the middle of the night at 3:09 a.m., causing the death of three of the agents present on board the train. Upon investigation it was noted that bolts and nuts had been loosened and some rail fasteners had been removed.
The main suspects in these three attacks remain members of the railway company workers' union and the Japanese Communist Party. But even today the culprits of these three cases have not been found.
3. The oldest novel in the history of humanity
The Tale of Genji is currently the oldest novel we know on Earth. Written in 1010 by Murasaki Shikibu, an aristocrat who lived at the imperial court of Heian (present-day Kyoto), this novel of more than fifty-four chapters has become an icon of Japanese literature both for its antiquity and for its very content. qualitative.
This novel traces the story of Genji (son of an emperor who cannot claim the throne) during the Heian period (794-1185) as well as the different human and sentimental relationships that we could find at the Japanese court. Although no proof has been established to date, it is quite possible that Murasaki Shikibu was inspired by a great statesman of the time: Fujiwara no Michinaga.
However, time has taken its toll on the original copy of this book and at present only five chapters have been found. We owe the entire story to a poet named Fujiwara Teika who luckily took care to copy this book in the 12th century. So although it is unlikely that the forty-nine missing chapters of the original work will ever be found. Researchers from the Reizeike Shiguretei Bunko Foundation found the fifth manuscript of this book in October 2019 in a large chest at Motofuyu Okochi, a descendant of a former feudal lord. Which suggests that other chapters of the oldest novel in the world are still roaming freely in Japan, but where? Impossible to answer at present, but what is certain is that another discovery of this kind would be a great advance both on a literary and historical level.
4. The samurai of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles is in itself a work of art and has already been studied in detail by the greatest historians. However, a surprising discovery was published by a curator during the major restoration of the castle which took place between 2004 and 2007.
It features a Japanese samurai wearing traditional black armor with its respective helmet as well as a bow and arrows. The question therefore is: what is he doing here? While Louis XIV is in power in France, Japan is nearly 10,000 kilometers away and is still a country that opens very little to the world (except with China). Despite extensive research by historians, no trace of the arrival of a Japanese embassy has been recorded, nor even the visit of any samurai.
However, after a long search they ended up finding a black samurai armor similar to that worn by the one in the fresco at the weapons museum. Which explains the fact that this armor could have been painted at Versailles. However, even today there is no explanation that traces the arrival of this armor to the castle, not even a written mention. We are therefore still far from explaining the reason for this painting on the walls of Versailles.
5. The Devil’s Sea or the “Dragon Triangle”
Gigantic waves, underwater earthquakes, hurricanes, fogs and unexpected whirlwinds. Here is a little preview of what the dragon triangle has in store for sailors and aviators who are a little too eager for adventure.
Popularized globally only in the 1960s, unlike its geographic opposite the Bermuda Triangle, the Dragon Triangle is currently one of the most dangerous areas on the planet. For centuries it has been at the heart of countless disappearances of warships and maritime vessels, submarines but also planes. However, the most surprising remains the circumstances of these facts. No call for help received nor ever any wreckage found among the victims, as if the tragic fate of these unfortunate people appeared in a few seconds or minutes at most.
On a local scale, this maritime area has been known by Japanese fishermen as extremely dangerous and deadly for almost a thousand years (even older than the Bermuda Triangle). In 1955 the government decided to send the Kaio Maru 5, an expedition ship to elucidate the mystery of the Devil's Sea. The result of this expedition was a no return for the ship. The entire ship (31 people) died, as did all the scientists on board.
Even today the facts from this area seem very mysterious, no logical explanation has really been attributed to the particular dangerousness of this maritime triangle. Underwater expeditions would be too expensive to undertake when we know that the bottom of the Pacific can go up to 11,000 km deep. The most likely explanation would remain the frequent appearance in this sea of rogue waves or “triangle waves”, both of which are terrible executioners of the seas.
6. The mystery of the ghost feet
Perhaps in 2015 you saw this photo on the networks of a little girl taken by her father in Zushi, Japan, in which mysterious black boots appear while the father testifies: “There is no had no one behind her, if there had been someone I would not have missed seeing them.
Denying any involvement in an internet hoax or any use of editing software like Photoshop, the photo of Martin Springall (the father) quickly became the subject of controversy. Opposing the supporters of a paranormal phenomenon and the other more moderate ones who accuse the father of trying to create a buzz. It's difficult to know where to turn when trying to unravel this mystery. Especially since the geographical context brings a rather special dimension when we know that a samurai cemetery is located right next to where this photo was taken.
However, a clue has been explored and, as there is no more rational explanation, it is probably the one that seems the most plausible today. The boots are said to be those of a coast guard who walked up the hill in the background before coming back down without the father even noticing, thus remaining behind the girl's back. Certainly not very likely, but still more than a samurai resurrection. In the meantime, this photo still remains an unsolved mystery. Hoax, very fast climbing coast guard or immortal samurai, it's up to you to make your choice as to the outcome of this story!
7. The tree with leaves that never fall
Now renamed Sumida, the Honjô district located in Tokyo was at the time a sinister area that was even considered haunted by many. While some told the myths and legends of this unprepossessing place, travelers avoided venturing there at night. This is where the chinpakin tree with leaves that never fall was located, in Matsura's house in the Hiradoshinden estate. Its leaves passed beyond the wall of the enclosure and fell lightly on the path which bordered the banks of the Sumida River.
The owner of this large residence, Lord Matsura, was also very inconvenienced to see his gardener reporting these surprising facts to him. And quickly Matsura began to go to this house as little as possible, associating this anomaly with the possession of the tree with foxes or spirits.
This mystery is actually one of eight others in the Honjô district and even gave birth to a Japanese horror film called Kaidan Honjo Nanafushigi (released in 1957). Even if today we can assure with certainty that this mystery is not the work of demonic spirits, no rational explanation has been established for the particularity of this tree. And unfortunately neither he nor the house survived for further research to be undertaken. However, if you have the opportunity to walk along the river you will see a sign in memory of this tree.
