UFO Criticism by JN from Japan - 2006 06 - vol 6 no 1

Magazine Overview

Title: UFO Criticism by J.N. from Japan
Issue: Vol.6 No.1
Date: June 2006
Publisher: Junji Numakawa
Country: JAPAN
Language: English

A Japanese Old UFOlogist

The article begins by introducing Joken Nishikawa (1648-1724), a celebrated astronomer and geographer from Japan's Samurai era, whose book 'Kaii Bendan: Ten-i Hen' (Study of Mysteries: The Volume on heavenly Anomalies) is discussed. Nishikawa's table of contents lists intriguing phenomena such as "The heavens opens," "The moon wanes when it can not wane," "The sun appears at night," "Two suns or several suns appear in a row," and "The heavens rains fish." The author notes that some of these may echo ancient Roman records.

Nishikawa describes "hair-rain" events in Japan and China, which the popular view attributes to "furs of a dragon horse." The author finds this explanation laughable and recounts a childhood experience where fallen hairs were examined and thought to be ears of Susuki grass or Obana grass. When burned, if they smelled like hair, they were considered real hairs; otherwise, they were not. The article suggests these "hair-rain" objects might be stretched lava, known as "Pele's Hair" (associated with Hawaii's fire goddess, as Japan has active volcanoes), or "gossamer" threads from flying spiders. The author finds Nishikawa's records of strange aerial phenomena from Chinese histories amusing but his theories uninteresting. The author posits that future generations might find current UFOlogy valuable primarily as a source of information, even if their theories are considered primitive, and that conscious awareness of limitations can make UFOlogists good advisors.

Notes clarify that #1 refers to Pele being blonde while Japanese goddesses' black hairs are thicker lava threads, and #2 mentions that in the 11th century, Chinese already knew about these white objects, which Nishikawa described as "hairs" rather than "white hairs."

Sky People Comes Back

This section reports on the publication of the 3rd issue of 'Sky People' magazine by the Sky People Association (Tenku-jin Kyokai) in February 2006, after an eight-year interval. The magazine, titled in English, is now in its 7th issue (May) and is printed in color. However, due to being handmade, new issues are sent to only about 10 people.

An article from the 4th issue (February; nominally December 2003), titled "Did Mr. Saburo Sakai, a Samurai of the Sky!, See a Foo Fighter?", is highlighted. Mr. Saburo Sakai, an ace fighter-pilot in World War II, reportedly told Mr. Sato (president of SPA) in August 2000 that he had seen objects resembling a "hito-dama" (fire ball) or a "metal bucket" near his plane. Unfortunately, Mr. Sato could not conduct an interview with Mr. Sakai because of his unexpected passing the following month.

Additionally, the article mentions Mr. Kiyoshi Amamiya (born 1944) participating in the "World UFO Conference" in Dalian City, China, from September 8-10, 2005. His lecture focused on "Dogu," described as spacesuit-like clay dolls from prehistoric Japan. He presented two replicas of Dogu, which attracted many questions from attendees after his lecture.

Flying Sun of Ancient Japan

This section, presented as a "Tsushin" (News) from Amamiya UFO Study Office (No.28, April 2006), reproduces parts of an investigation report titled "The Ship of the Sun": the Ancient Culture of the Kii Peninsula as UFOLOGY See It. This report was written by three young CBA activists and published in 1971. The Kii Peninsula, located in central Japan, is noted for its many old sacred places, including Ise Jingu (the Holy Shrine of the great sun goddess Amaterasu).

During a festival at Izawa no Miya (a shrine belonging to Ise Jingu) in June, the activists observed a festival where a long bamboo pole with two huge fans was raised. The upper fan, round, had a sun design, while the lower, inverted triangular fan depicted a sailing ship. A mythologist interpreted these fans as the "Ship of the Sun," drawing a parallel to ancient Egyptian beliefs about the sun traveling by ship in the air, and suggesting ancient Japanese may have held similar ideas. The myth of a thunderbolt god of Kyoto City using an "Ama no Iwa-fune" (Rock-ship of the Sky) is also mentioned.

Near Izawa no Miya, at Mt. Aomine, an old Buddhist temple (Shofuku-ji) has a large rock believed to emit light to guide ships in distress, possibly representing a merger of Japanese myth and Buddhism. The CBA activists were told by a local woman about "Hiyori Dama" (Fine-weather Ball), a luminous body seen during fine weather. One dusk, she witnessed an orange object with a triangular tail flying low at high speed.

Around 120 kilometers away, at Kumano Nachi Taisha (Great Shrine of Kumano Nachi), a dynamic fire festival in July features twelve red "mikoshi" (palanquins for gods/goddesses). These mikoshi are described as very long boards, with ornaments resembling the Winged Sun Disk of ancient Middle and Near East. From Taiji Town, the authors observed a large, triple concentric circle engraved on a precipice of a rock on the southern sea, questioning its meaning as a 'sun' symbol.

Kumano Nachi Taisha is part of the Kumano San-zan shrines, whose lords are called Kumano Gongen, believed to be Buddhas in disguise. A legend states a gongen appeared as "three moons." An old document from Kashima Jinja in Minabe Town recounts an event in 1707 where a white, round luminous body in a great tsunami protected the town by dividing the tsunami into two waves, carrying the larger wave away, before flying to the holy island of Kashima.

Footnotes provide further context: #1 discusses Kinkichi Musha's view of the 1707 tsunami event, linking it to round lights seen during a 1933 tsunami and suggesting luminous creatures. However, the Kashima Jinja document states the 1707 object was seen in daylight, making luminous creatures unlikely. Musha's argument is based on another document from 1855. These documents are found in Mr. Amamiya's book, 'UFOLOGY Shiryo' (1991).

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The magazine appears to focus on historical UFO and anomalous phenomena research, particularly within Japan. It emphasizes the importance of preserving information from ancient texts and eyewitness accounts, even if the theories derived from them are speculative. The editorial stance seems to value the contribution of historical data to future research, acknowledging the limitations of current understanding while encouraging the collection of credible information. There's a recurring theme of connecting ancient myths, religious practices, and historical events with potential UFO sightings or unexplained aerial phenomena, suggesting a belief that such occurrences have a long history in Japan and possibly globally. The publication itself, despite its limited distribution, aims to share these findings with a dedicated audience.