Yonaguni Monument

[[File:Yonaguni_Monument_DSC02814_(12737577254).jpg|right|thumb|165px|For every weird, moldy sea floor formation out there, there is an equally weird and moldy crank theory failing to explain it.]]
{{pseudohistorynav}}{{ufology}}
{{cquote|Innocent pile of rocks, or [[Just asking questions|ancient alien base?!]]|||[[Ufologist]]<ref>https://en.gravatar.com/unoufo</ref> Teymur Kasamanli, on the Yonaguni Monument<ref name="UNOUFO">https://unoufo.wordpress.com/2012/08/20/underwater-japanese-pyramid/</ref>}}
The '''Yonaguni Monument''' is a rock formation off the southeast coast of the [[Japan]]ese island of Yonaguni (approximately 110 km east of [[Taiwan]]), part of the Ryukyu Islands chain. The rock formation was discovered in 1987 by scuba divers of the island's local tourist board, who then informed Professor '''Masaaki Kimura''' of the University of the Ryukyus’ marine geology department of their discovery. Kimura is one of the university's most respected marine geologists, who unfortunately also has a penchant for [[pseudoarchaeology]] which he displayed in his studies of the site.

In Japanese, the formation is either known as the {{nihongo|"Yonaguni Island Submarine Landform"|与那国島海底地形|Yonaguni-jima Kaitei Chikei}} or the {{nihongo4|"Yonaguni Island Submarine Ruins"|与那国島海底遺跡|Yonaguni-jima Kaitei Iseki}}, depending on whether or not you're talking to a proper scientist or a crank, respectively.

==Interpretations==
===Architecture===
After the rock formations were discovered by tourist group divers looking for good places to dive with hammerhead sharks, the information was relayed to Masaaki Kimura, a marine geologist at the University of the Ryukyus. Dr. Kimura deduced that the formations must be an example of megalithic architecture<ref>"Deep Secrets". ''[[New Scientist]]''. Vol. 204, Issue 2736. 28 November, 2009. P. 41.</ref><ref name=schoch>[http://www.robertschoch.net/Enigmatic%20Yonaguni%20Underwater%20RMS%20CT.htm "''Yonaguni Enigmatic Underwater Monuments''"] (Robert M. Schoch, 1999)</ref><ref name="ngmyst">Ryall, Julian. [http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/09/070919-sunken-city.html "''Japan's Ancient Underwater "Pyramid" Mystifies Scholars.''"] ''National Geographic''. National Geographic Society, 19 Sept. 2009</ref> that is completely unknown to the rest of the Ryukyu Islands chain. Neither the Japanese government's Agency for Cultural Affairs nor the local Okinawa Prefectural government recognize Yonaguni's structures as important cultural artifacts nor do they fund or carry out research or preservation work at the site.<ref name="ngmyst"/>

===Natural formation===
{{cquote|Our first impression is that it looked much like the Moai on [[Easter Island]]. Then we began to realize it strongly resembled the [[Sphinx]], which guarded the [[pyramid]]s.|||Masaaki Kimura<ref name="Truth"/>, no doubt just before deciding it looked suspiciously like aliens had drawn a giant dick on the seafloor}}
More sane scientists such as geologists {{wpl|Robert Schoch}} of Boston University and Patrick D. Nunn of the University of the South Pacific and archaeologists {{wpl|John Anthony West}} and {{wpl|Richard J. Pearson}} have all variously come to the conclusion that the stone formations off the coast of Yonaguni are natural formations.<ref name="schoch" /><ref name="ngmyst"/> Schoch identified similar structures on the northern coast of Yonaguni and noted that the carvings Kimura claims to have identified are natural erosion.<ref name=schoch /><ref name="natgeo">[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/09/photogalleries/japan-pictures/ "''National Geographic News Photo Gallery: Asian "Atlantis" Shows Strange Structure''"]</ref> In particular, he noted: {{cquote|[The sandstones that make up the Yonaguni formation] contain numerous well-defined, parallel bedding planes along which the layers easily separate. The rocks of this group are also criss-crossed by numerous sets of parallel and vertical (relative to the horizontal bedding planes of the rocks) joints and fractures. Yonaguni lies in an earthquake-prone region; such earthquakes tend to fracture the rocks in a regular manner."|||{{wpl|Robert Schoch}}<ref name="schoch" />}} Schoch also identified the stones that make up the monument as being the same "living" bedrock as the surrounding seafloor.<ref name="schoch" /><ref group=note>For Schoch, this is also something of a [[stopped clock]] moment, given his support of [[Great Sphinx of Giza#Water erosion hypothesis|Sphinx crankery]] and [[Alternate historical chronology#Robert Schoch|''extremely'' ancient human civilisations]], but as with his denunciation of the [[Bosnian pyramids]], there is some pseudohistory and -archaeology that is too cranky, even for Schoch.</ref>

Nunn noted that the natural cliffs above the monument were identical to the formations under the sea surface.<ref>{{cite book |title=Vanished Islands and Hidden Continents of the Pacific |last=Nunn |first=Patrick D. |year=2009 |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |location=Honolulu |isbn=978-0-8248-3219-3 |page=127 }}</ref> Pearson noted that the amount of work allegedly put into the site if it was man-made would also be completely out of the range of technical or physical capability of the small community that lived on Yonaguni Island in either of Kimura's age estimates at 10 thousand or 3 thousand years BP.<ref name="Yonaguni, Japan"/> Schoch and West understood that the so-called "walls" identified by Kimura are simply the result of sandstone strata being shifted about due to seismic activity in the region.<ref name="west">[http://www.robertschoch.net/Diving%20For%20Lemuria%20John%20West%20Colette%20Dowell%20CT.htm "''Diving for Lemuria''"] by John Anthony West (1998)</ref>

The claims of artificially-made stone structures extend throughout the world. A similar formation had previously been discovered in 1968 off of North Bimini in the Bahamas. Here, a series of large stones were thought to have been set down as some sort of wall or pier that has been named "Bimini Road". Geologists identified the formation as being made of a type of naturally forming limestone/sandstone called beachrock which fractures in a way that appears to be large paving stones. That hasn't stopped pseudoarchaeologists from believing it's proof of Atlantis since.

===Ancient aliens/Atlantis/Mu crankery===
[[File:Yonaguni_Monument_DSC02807_(12737575034).jpg|right|thumb|
[[God]]!
 
[[Alien]]s!
 [[Atlantis|Atlanteans]]!]]
{{main|Unidentified submerged object}}
{{cquote|Right off the coast of Japan’s most western island there lies, buried beneath the ocean, [[Not even wrong|incontrovertible evidence]] that [[aliens]] once lived among us. You might not have heard of this [[Crankery|incredible proof]], but [[Conspiracy theory|they don’t want you to know]], [[crank|trust me]].|||Ufologist Teymur Kasamanli<ref name="UNOUFO" />}}
Kimura's [[PIDOOMA|research]] on the formation and his insistence on its artificial origins have led to his hypotheses being promoted by the [[crank|usual suspects]].<ref name="Truth">http://ancientalienstruth.com/the-quest-for-atlantis-yonaguni-monument/</ref><ref>http://www.think-aboutit.com/marine-geologist-discovers-supposed-10000-year-old-yonaguni-monument-dubbed-japanese-atlantis/</ref><ref>http://www.ufodisclosuregroup.com/ufo-stories/ancient-underwater-city-japans-atlantis</ref> Kimura believes he can identify a pyramid, castles, roads, monuments and a stadium. Kimura has also surmised that the site may be a remnant of the mythical [[Mu|lost continent of Mu]].<ref name="mukimura">Masaaki Kimura's "''Mu tairiku wa Ryukyu ni atta'' (''The Continent of Mu was in Ryukyu'')", published by ''Tokuma Shoten'', Tokyo, 1991 (in japanese)</ref>

The Yonaguni Monument has been featured in a number of notoriously [[crank]]y "documentary shows", including in the [[History Channel]] series ''[[Ancient Aliens]]'' (in an episode called "Japan's Atlantis")<ref>[http://www.history.com/shows/ancient-aliens/videos/japans-atlantis Japan's Atlantis]. Ancient Aliens, History Channel.</ref> and ''History's Mysteries'' (in an episode called "Japan's Mysterious Pyramids")<ref>http://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/historys-mysteries/episodes/195612/3/</ref>, both of which allude powerfully to connections to mythical continents such as [[Atlantis]] and [[Mu]], alongside the expected [[Ancient astronauts|ancient astronaut]] [[ufology]]. The crank community sees the location as the prime location to conduct ufology<ref>[https://ufodisclosurestarted.wordpress.com/2013/07/16/the-mystery-of-yonaguni-monument-underwater-structure/ The Mystery of the Yonaguni Monument Underwater Structure]. ufodisclosurestarted.wordpress.com, 16 July 2013.</ref> and/or Atlantis "research",<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/AncientAliens/comments/3qdmvm/could_the_yonaguni_monument_provide_us_clues_to/ Could the Yonaguni Monument provide us clues to finding the lost city of Atlantis?] r/AncientAliens on Reddit, c. 2015.</ref> and indeed as proof of visitation.<ref>http://www.educatinghumanity.com/2012/03/aliens-visited-earth-8-ocean.html</ref>

Believers in [[paranormal]] or [[extraterrestrial]] origins for the site, such as noted crank [[Pseudohistory|pseudoarcheologist]] [[Graham Hancock]],<ref name="Japan's Mysterious Pyramids">''[[History Channel|History Channel]]'': ''Japan's Mysterious [[Pyramid]]s'' (originally aired on 2000-12-11)</ref> argue that while many of the features seen at Yonaguni are also seen in natural sandstone formations throughout the world, the concentration of so many peculiar formations in such a small area is highly unlikely.<ref name="Japan's Mysterious Pyramids"/> They also point to the relative absence of loose blocks on the flat areas of the formation, which would be expected if they were formed solely by natural erosion and fracturing. Robert Schoch has noted that the rocks are swept with strong currents.<ref name="Yonaguni, Japan">''[[New Scientist]]'': [http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427361.500-yonaguni-japan.html "''Yonaguni, Japan''", Issue 2736 (2009-11-25)] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20091128015636/http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427361.500-yonaguni-japan.html archived version] - archived on 2009-11-28, accessed on 2012-10-14)</ref>

==See also==
*[[Baltic Sea thing]]

==External links==
*[https://skeptoid.com/episodes/4220 "''Yonaguni Monument: The Japanese Atlantis''"], ''[[Skeptoid]]''

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Ancient aliens]]
[[Category:Japan]]
[[Category:Pseudoarchaeology]]

Categories: Ancient aliens, Japan, Pseudoarchaeology