Somewhere in the Skies - The Utsuro Bune Legend and UFOs of Ancient Japan

Episode Date: April 1, 2024

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at: www.betterhelp.com/skies and get on your way to being your best self. On episode 349 of SOMEWHERE IN THE SKIES, Ryan, inspired by a recent trip to Japan, digs deep into the legends and lore of the region. Japan has a long and fascinating history when it comes to UFOs, much of which is intricately documented in sacred and ancient texts. There is also an abundance of history that existed only orally until recent times, including that of the Utsuro Bune legend, when a group of fishermen discover a strange vessel in the water carrying a strange humanoid, unlike anyone they'd ever seen before. However, as you'll soon discover, this is only one of the enigmatic encounters that allegedly took place in Japan. Episode co-researched and written by Marcus Lowth: http://www.ufoinsight.com Patreon: www.patreon.com/somewhereskies PayPal: [e-mail] Website: www.somewhereintheskies.com Store: http://tee.pub/lic/ULZAy7IY12U YouTube Channel: CLICK HERE Order Ryan’s new book: https://a.co/d/4KNQnM4 Order Ryan’s older book: https://amzn.to/3PmydYC Twitter: @SomewhereSkies Read Ryan’s Articles by CLICKING HERE Opening Theme Song, "Ephemeral Reign" by Per Kiilstofte Copyright © 2024. Ryan Sprague. All rights reserved. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/somewhere-in-the-skies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Much of which is intricately documented in sacred and ancient texts. There's also an abundance of history, later documented by researchers, that existed only orally until relatively recent times. And of those stories is the legend of Utsuru Bune. However, this is only one of the NACsure. and intriguing encounters that still fascinates researchers today in the modern world. This is the Utsuro-Bunhe legend and UFOs of Japan. This is somewhere in the skies, with Brian's bread.

According to the most detailed account in the book, Ton Shonsetsu, the incident took place on February 22nd, 1803. On that day, fishermen were working along the shore in Haridori in Hitachi province. However, the day was about to take a most dramatic turn. They would suddenly notice a bizarre and extraordinary object floating on the water, and it was heading in their direction, although it didn't seem to be under any apparent control. Intrigued, the fishermen would reach the boat-like vessel and tow it with them, back to the shore. Using modern measurements, the fisherman would estimate the object was around 10 feet high and almost twice as wide. It was seemingly split into a top half and a bottom half,

with the top made of a red wood-like material, while the bottom was much more metallic and solid. Furthermore, the overall shape was almost identical to an incense burner, known as Kahako, similar to the shape of what in the West was known as a flying saucer. When the fishermen peered inside the windows that appeared to be made of some kind of clear crystal, they would claim that the interior appeared similar to a wooden rice bowl. It's from these details noticed by the fisherman, where the account acquires its name. Utsuro translates to hollow, while Bune translates to boat. so in essence a hollow boat.

The windows themselves were covered with strange bars of an unknown material and were covered over with a fluid-like substance. The fishermen did manage, though, to see more details inside the bizarre floating object. As they looked around the inside of the object, they noticed what appeared to be strange writing on the walls, and it was certainly not anything they could understand. They also noticed a bottle full of water and would appear to be something similar to a cake. There also appeared to be a supply of meat in this apparent stash of food.

Furthermore, the men saw two large pieces of material which were clearly bedsheets. And then they saw a figure, and it appeared to be that of a young woman. The woman was estimated to be around 20 years old. She was, according to the fisherman, very beautiful. Her hair and even her eyebrows were red. However, where her natural hair finished, there appeared to be some kind of extensions, possibly made of white fur.

They also noted how her skin had a particular pink tone to it, lighter than their own. She wore clothes of a material unknown to the fisherman, which were long and smooth, but perhaps most bizarre of all was a strange light-colored box that she would maintain in her grasp throughout the encounter. She would not allow the fisherman to touch the strange box, appearing fearful when they innocently reached toward it. When the woman spoke to them, it was in a language that they had never heard before. From here, it appears that the fisherman, unsure of what to do and perhaps a little unnerved,

seemingly pushed the boat back out to sea and then let the tide take it away. However, other versions of this story claim that the fishermen simply left the boat where it was at the shore, allowing the woman to remain there until she grew old. What is perhaps an interesting detail is the hairstyle of the woman, and more specifically the hair extensions, of all the cultures and their warriors, royals and citizens, These types of extensions and styling was not found in any other records of history. This would lead the fishermen to believe that the woman they had seen and the vessel she appeared in was not from the world as they knew it at the time. Another interesting observation is that the object was discovered on water.

While it didn't appear that the craft was workable, many UFO sightings are seen over or near water. Might this incident be a case of an apparently otherworldly craft becoming crippled and trapped in the water? There is also another intriguing detail to note, not least the color of skin and the smooth clothing of unknown material to the fishermen, given the fabrics available through trade routes stretching to the rest of Asia and all throughout Europe at the time. Of most interest, though, could be the strange box that the woman grasped, grasped onto throughout the exchange with the fisherman. What exactly was the box? And perhaps more importantly, what was in it that she didn't want them to see or touch?

It should be noted that there are other recorded incidents very similar to the legend of Utsurubune. There are also several explanations offered as to what the truth behind the strange incidents might be. For example, a legend dating back to the 600s tells of another fisherman called Wakekoro. He would make a similar discovery of a young girl in a vessel almost identical to what was described in the legend of the early 19th century. This time, however, the girl could understand the fisherman and could speak his language. The woman would claim that she was the daughter of the emperor of China. However, due to her stepmother, she had been forced to go into hiding. According to the legend, the fisherman would take care of the young girl and raise her as its own daughter.

The story itself is part of the origin myths of the Kono clan. The young girl, named Princess Wake, is still a source of worship for many on Gogo Island, where she was first discovered by the fisherman. Similar explanations, both at the time and since, have been offered to explain the strange young woman of the Outsuro-Buney legend. According to an elder from the village near the shore where the red-headed woman was discovered floating, it was likely that she was a princess of a foreign realm. This elder would also offer that the woman had likely fleed her country, possibly due to a scandal, most likely an affair outside of her marriage.

Perhaps even more grim is the notion that in the strange box that she held was the head of her executed lover, which would explain why she wished not for anyone to see it. While this story sounds a little bizarre, other similar tales do exist. For example, according to another local legend, a similar aquatic vessel washed up on a shore not far from the area. On this occasion, when locals examine the strange boat-like object, not only did they discover a young woman inside,

but also a board of wood to which was nailed a man's head, presumed to be the woman's illicit lover. Another similar legend contained in the Tone Shosetsu describes the woman as stunningly beautiful. and with extremely pale skin. So are all of these reproductions of the same story, perhaps one that was centuries old even then, or might each have happened as separate, if almost identical incidents,

exactly as recorded? According to a book written in 1844, records of seeing and heard things from Russia, written by Kanamuri Kinkin, It was a tradition among some regions to use white powder to decorate the hair. Perhaps even stranger, according to the legends collected in the book, many native Russian women were known to have strikingly red hair. The records of the investigation suggests that the person may have been a woman of importance,

perhaps royalty, and likely of Russian origin. However, the book also makes the suggestion, that this mystery woman, and indeed the boat in which she was discovered in, was maybe from Britain or even America. The main reason for this was that similar text and symbols described by the fishermen were similar to one's witness on British whaling vessels seen in the region. Whether this mid-19th century investigation is accurate or not is clearly opened a debate. And, indeed, as the decades have gone on, so has the fascination with the Utsuro-Bunin incident.

There are many more contemporary reports and examinations of the incident. For example, historian Yanagida Kuneo suggests that these round vessels were often witnessed on the waters around Japan and in the Far East region for hundreds of years. might it be that the vessel was somehow damaged, hence why it may have been drifting helplessly? Could this vessel have been some sort of escape pod, released from a much larger flying craft, that had perhaps crashed into the waters? Most modern investigations tend to drift toward explaining the encounter as a mixture of legend and myth, but also of broken memories of past events that may have had partial truths to them. Over many years, the account has developed into the most well-known versions that exist today,

and they very well may be correct. However, similar incidents in the same region, while differing in details drastically, perhaps demonstrates that what we call UFOs were very much a part of Japanese culture. hundreds of years before the Utsuro-Bune incident even took place. Perhaps one of the earliest recorded UFO incidents over the skies of Japan occurred almost 600 years earlier in the year 1235. On the evening in question, General Juret Sune had set up camp for the evening with his army. However, not long after doing so, they would witness strange lights in the skies over

head. This bizarre encounter would last for several hours, with the lights dancing in the skies as if in a purposeful and intelligent choreographed way. With the army unnerved by what was happening, the general would gather his best men in order them to investigate the strange lights. Interestingly, the explanation they would offer was just as bizarre. When they claimed that the Strange lights were the result of the wind making the stars sway. Lots of places can expose you to identity theft. Oh, no. That's why LifeLock monitors hundreds of millions of data points a second for threats to your identity,

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And we'll see you somewhere in the ring. Somewhere in the Ring is part of the E1 Podcast Network. Just over half a century earlier, in the year 1180, in the key province of the country, a group of fishermen would witness a bizarre glowing object moving across the skies. Even more intriguing, they would describe the object as a, quote, earthenware vessel, which is essentially a similar shape to a plate or a saucer. The awestruck fisherman would watch the craft for several moments before it shot. off into the distance with great speed and disappeared.

Perhaps one of the earliest encounters to be recorded as having occurred in Japan dates back to the year 2357 BC, although we should note that many researchers have tried to find the official surviving documents of the encounter, and having failed to do so has led many to question the authenticity. The incident, however, is recorded in several UFO books, most notably a book called Space Visitors to Ancient Japan by Mikhail Rosenschpitz. The account claims to come from an ancient manuscript named Situkay and tells of a divine man who came out of the sky and descended to Earth. This divine entity would travel in a, quote, monster that was emitting life. which leads many in UFO circles to question if this monster was actually a nuts and bolts flying vehicle, essentially a UFO. Further, according to the legend, the people of the region would worship the man

as a deity, referring to him as, quote, the master. If this account is true, is it possible that this is a case of a, quote, alien visitor, essentially coming to Earth and possibly passing on knowledge and wisdom to those in the region. Basically, could this be an actual ancient astronaut encounter? Indeed, the same author and researcher would tell of another ancient alien encounter in the same book almost 3,000 years after the Divine Man incident. According to the account, in the year 460, in the Katsaragi Mountains in Japan, Emperor Ojo-Hatsusvaka Takunomikoto was hunting in the region when he happened upon a tall man who descended from the sky, and was dressed in tight-fitting clothing as well as wearing a strange hat. The emperor stood and watched the strange man as he landed to the ground. convinced he was witnessing the arrival of God himself.

After several moments, the emperor would approach the mysterious man to ask who he was. According to the legends, the strange man answered, quote, I am the god of visible people. You give me your king's name, and I will give you mine. The emperor gave his name, prompting the tall man to end. that he was, quote, your obedient servant God, Hito Kotamusi. This is said to translate as, quote, goodness which sprays evil with one word. Nothing much is known of the encounter following these events, other than the tall man

vacated his chariot, and then proceeded to go hunting with the emperor. So was this really a god? or is the explanation more likely to be that the emperor, if indeed the story is accurate, stumbled upon a visitor from another world, or perhaps even another time? Like many creation stories of the ancient world, those of Japan speak of a time of the quote, age of the gods, which lasted for seven generations and was responsible for the creation of the world. and essentially the islands we know as Japan,

which the deities who came from the initial three gods were tasked with. According to Japanese mythology, the first emperor, Emperor Jima, was the first human to rule the land and represented the transition between the age of the gods and the age of the empiric dynasties. Emperor Jimu is widely accepted to have become leader around six. 60 BC, which is just under 2,000 years after the Divine Man incident. So is such a story mere legend?

It's perhaps interesting that many ancient cultures, including the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Samarians, all speak of a time when the gods walked the earth and ruled directly. They all also speak of a transferring of power to their chosen human success. those who are given the divine right to rule. Indeed, even as far as the Middle Ages, although more because of the strong connections between ruling families and the church, kings would often claim direct connections to a saint in order that they could state, in turn, a connection to God. Could this suggest that these gods from different countries were of the same civilization, perhaps sent out from a

central point in order to create civilizations and then nurture human rulers, while obviously peer speculation, if this was the case, was Japan a part of that process? The legends and myths of Japan, like many other countries, are vast and voluminous. While the vast majority of these myths are nothing but that, could it be possible? that some, as we find in the mythes and folklore of other cultures, in fact, retellings of encounters with extraterrestrial intelligences.

Might they be remnants of the time when these strange creatures did very much exist? And could they be somewhere still lurking, perhaps halfway between their world and ours? If these creatures are not visitors from another world, then perhaps we should consider, however remote the possibility, that they, including the young woman in the Outsurobune incident, came from somewhere else entirely. Perhaps one notion to consider is that the incident might not be of a lost or forbidden princess

at all. The Russian theories, for example, appear unlikely, as do the connections to Britain and America. Might it be that the woman was very much human, but from a different time or even dimension? Again, this is obviously pure speculation, but could it be that the hair and dress of the woman are not shown anywhere in historical records, because it is in the records of the future still to come? Might this be what happened in the case of Utsuro-Rune, that the vehicle and the occupant Inside, we're from a point somewhere in the future, or from a dimension that exists alongside ours, but for the most part, completely separate from it.

So in conclusion, we are left with more questions. Is this a case of an alien encounter in the early 19th century? And if so, what did it become of the presumed extraterrestrial woman? Of course, it could be that this entire encounter is nothing more than a legend. In a count that might have a part truth to it, but happened many hundreds of years previously, and then retold across generations, what that partial truth might be is perhaps what keeps researchers and investigators coming back to the Utsuro-Buneg incident,

and likely will for decades in centuries to come as we continue to search for answers somewhere in the skies. If you would like to hear a more modern UFO incident that happened in Japan, then hop on over to Patreon or become an Apple Premium subscriber right now and listen to a bonus episode

entitled Abduction in Katami. Trust me, it's a case you've most likely never heard. of and won't soon forget. Visit patreon.com slash somewhere skies or hit the subscribe button on your Apple feed. This episode was written and researched by Marcus Loth. To learn more, visit UFOinsight.com. You can follow us on Twitter at SomewhereSkies. If you have just a few moments, please consider rating, reviewing, and subscribing to Somewhere in the Skies wherever you get your podcasts. It truly helps us gain visibility in finding listeners. Thank you so much for listening. And remember, keep your feet on the ground, but never stop searching. Somewhere in the Skies.

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