Stonewalling the Ancients: Robert Schoch Continues to Ignore Evidence of Ancient Underwater Stonework at the Yonaguni Monument

by Jock Doubleday

"If all of a sudden I get word and see

good images and convincing evidence
[of] some kind of inscription or carving
on the side of the Yonaguni Monument
that's absolutely, definitively artificial,
I think it'd be great. I'll applaud it. I'll
be on the first plane . . . to go see it."
-- Robert Schoch, 1998
History Channel documentary,
"Japan's Mysterious Pyramids"


*  *  *

This article is a companion article to four other
articles in the Robert Schoch series: 

"The Mysterious Anti-Scientific Agenda of Robert Schoch:

Part 1 - The Bosnian Pyramid Complex"

"The Mysterious Anti-Scientific Agenda of Robert Schoch:

Part 2 - The Yonaguni Monument 与那国記念碑"

"Witchcraft Cartography and Clairvoyant Archaeology:

A Review of Robert M. Schoch's Book,
Voices of the Rocks: A Scientist Looks at
Catastrophes and Ancient Civilizations:

The astounding truth about the Piri Reis map (a truly 
ancient map fragment, on gazelle skin parchment,
which accurately depicts  the continent of Antarctica before
it was covered by ice) and the Yonaguni Monument"

"Nature's Geometry: Is Robert Schoch Right about
the Yonaguni Monument and the Bosnian Pyramids?"

The articles can be found here, here, here, and here, respectively.

*  *  *

Artist's representation of the Yonaguni Monument. (From the History Channel.)

Map of Yonaguni-Jima Island, showing the position of underwater ruins 
(the Yonaguni Monument and the rest of the megalithic complex)
off the coast of the southern side of the island.

Map showing the far-south location of Japan's Yonaguni-Jima Island.

In his own words:
Robert Schoch denies the artificial 
nature of the Yonaguni Monument:

"As difficult as it may be for some to believe, after carefully studying the
Yonaguni Monument I have to report that I do not believe it is an artificial,
human-made structure." - Robert Milton Schoch
(screen-grab from his official web site, August 1, 2015)
Please note that Robert Schoch has ignored other geometrically
shaped features near and next to the Yonaguni Monument.

*  *  *

What is the truth about the Yonaguni Monument?

 

A full video transcript of the documentary, "Was This Japan's Atlantis?"
can be found here.

Text excerpt from the above video, in which the narrator details
some of the features near, or next to, the Yonaguni Monument:
"The entire site stretches for kilometers, but its centerpiece is 300 meters long. To reach the Monument, as it's now known, you need to pass through an archway, a portal, perhaps, to another world, another time. Giant slabs of stone stand at unusual angles, perfectly parallel. Here, what seems to be a drainage ditch, emptying  into a small pool. And here, a space like a room, carved into the recesses of the rock. Nearby are the terraces [of the Monument itself], massive stone steps, all perpendicular. My guide [Kihachiro Aratake] has been diving all over the world for nearly 40 years. He's never seen anything like it. . . . At the base [of the Monument], 25 meters below the surface, is a flat, clear space with stones piled on each side. Aratake-san thinks it was once a bustling boulevard encircling the site. Everywhere you look, there are bizarre shapes and unusual angles."
(Excerpted from the video, "Was This Japan's Atlantis?" starting minute 3:38)

Does this sound like an entirely natural location to you? 

The Sea Floor - Ancient Plazas?
 
The sea bed surrounding the Yonaguni Monument is full of evidence of human geometrical shaping of stone performed a minimum of 9,000 years ago (and possibly much earlier), before the post-ice age sea rose to fully claim this sandstone monument off the coast of the southernmost island in Japan's Ryukyu Islands, Yonaguni-Jima -- or as the locals call it, Dunan.

The following photos show large flat paving stones that might have composed plazas.

Paving stones near the Yonaguni Monument. (Original photo here.)

Paving stones near the Yonaguni Monument. (Original photo here.)

And huge connected holes (below). Why? To support vertical wooden posts? What for?

1) Upper part of photo: Huge hole linked to another hole; 2) Lower part of photo:
Paving stones with square and rectangular insets. Both features are near
the Yonaguni Monument. (Original photo here.)

Linked holes near the Yonaguni Monument.

"The First Plane I Can Be On"

Notice the date (1997) on the photo of the linked holes directly above. 

In his 1998 appearance on the History Channel documentary, "Japan's Mysterious Pyramids," Schoch makes this interesting final statement (minute 40:05):

Robert Schoch: "If all of a sudden I get word and see good images and convincing evidence that say [Yonaguni discoverer and scuba instructor Kihachiro] Aratake, or Professor Kimura, has found some kind of inscription or carving on the side of the Yonaguni Monument that's absolutely, definitively artificial, I think it'd be great. I'll applaud it. I'll be on the first plane I can be on to go see it." (Boldings mine.)

"Inscription"? "Carving?" 

An inscription or carving in stone can be made at any time and would be evidence of precisely nothing.

Before we get to the obvious fact that what any good ancient civilizations researcher should look for at this site is evidence of megalithic ancient stonework -- which is to say, shaping and moving and placing of large stones, not carvings or inscriptions -- let's see what Dr. Schoch has to say about inscriptions on a ceramic sculpture deep inside a prehistoric tunnel on the other side of the world. 

Remember: This person graduated from Yale. So the tale you are about to hear may seem strange to you, if you believe that modern-day education institutions graduate persons of competence in their field.

Libelous Claims about an Ancient Ceramic Sculpture in Bosnia

Interestingly, for many years Schoch has fallaciously and libelously accused Archaeological Park volunteers of creating modern inscriptions on Ceramic Sculpture K-1, also known as Megalith K-1, in Ravne Tunnel Labyrinth, in the Bosnian Pyramid Complex.

Schoch has asserted, libelously, for years that Archaeological Park Foundation volunteers scratched cryptic symbols into the stone to make the stone look ancient. (Please see Schoch's undated (?) accusatory page on his official web site. Or, here is a screen-grab taken August 1, 2015:)

Robert Schoch libels Archaeological Park Foundation volunteers on his
official web site. Screen-grab taken August 1, 2015 from here.

Ancient impressions in Ceramic Sculpture K-1 (also "Megalith K-1")
in prehistoric Ravne Tunnel Labyrinth in the Bosnian Pyramid Complex.
Photo by Jock Doubleday. Robert Schoch libelously asserts that the
K-1 petroglyphs were carved by volunteers.

Scientist, tourists, and worker surround Ceramic Sculpture K-1
(also "Megalith K-1") in prehistoric Ravne Tunnel Labyrinth in
the Bosnian Pyramid Complex. Photo by Jock Doubleday. Robert Schochlibelously asserts that the K-1 petroglyphs were carved by volunteers.

Scientific equipment measures energy at Ceramic Sculpture K-1
(also "Megalith K-1") in prehistoric Ravne Tunnel Labyrinth in
the Bosnian Pyramid Complex. Photo by Jock Doubleday. Robert Schoch
 libelously asserts that the K-1 petroglyphs were carved by volunteers.

Scientific equipment measures energy at Ceramic Sculpture K-1
(also "Megalith K-1") in prehistoric Ravne Tunnel Labyrinth in
the Bosnian Pyramid Complex. Photo by Jock Doubleday. Robert
Schoch libelously asserts that the K-1 petroglyphs were carved
by volunteers.

Ancient impressions in Ceramic Sculpture K-1 (also "Megalith K-1")
in prehistoric Ravne Tunnel Labyrinth in the Bosnian Pyramid Complex.
Photo by Jock Doubleday. Robert Schoch libelously asserts that the
K-1 petroglyphs were carved by volunteers.

Ceramic Sculpture K-1 (also "Megalith K-1") in prehistoric
Ravne Tunnel Labyrinth in the Bosnian Pyramid Complex.
Photo by Jock Doubleday. Robert Schoch libelously asserts
that the K-1 petroglyphs were carved by volunteers.

So, although Schoch has said he'd be on "the first plane" to see carvings on the Yonaguni Monument, it's doubtful he'd actually consider traveling to Yonaguni, since, from the evidence of his reaction to ancient petroglyphs in Bosnia, he could save himself the trouble by simply assuming that the carvings are modern.

Science Is a Harsh Mistress

If an inscription or carving is what Robert Schoch would get on "the first plane" to see, perhaps I should make a small inscription ("Jock hearts science"? . . . "Science is a harsh mistress"?) on the Yonaguni Monument, so that the good doctor will be inspired to return to this remarkable location beneath the great waves at Yonaguni-Jima to take a more sober look, after his first drunken (drunk on ego? drunk on laziness? who knows?) endeavor.

Perhaps instead of inscriptions and carvings, the good doctor might be inspired to return to Yonaguni-Jima to visit underwater ancient plazas and roads near the Yonaguni Monument. Perhaps the good doctor might be inspired to return to see huge, underwater artificially created shapes rising out of  native sandstone. Perhaps he might be inspired to see strange geometric cuts in the submerged bedrock.

None of these features could be created on a tank, or even a few tanks, of oxygen by a vandalous scuba diver. Perhaps some of these features would draw Schoch's attention? 

In fact, no. Robert Schoch has zero interest in any of these features. And we know that without any doubt whatsoever, because all of these features have been discovered near the Yonaguni Monument. In fact, they had already been discovered at the time of Schoch's hapless dives on the Yonaguni Monument in the strong currents of the unpacific Western Pacific. 

Please Note and Let Me Reiterate: Robert Schoch has not gotten on the "first plane," the last plane, or any other plane to return to Yonaguni-Jima to bear witness to, to study in depth, or to even acknowledge the long-documented astounding underwater features near the Yonaguni Monument.

What are these astounding underwater features that were documented before Schoch's first goofy "Hey, I'm a science guy!" arrival at Yonaguni-Jima Island, to the consternation and befuddlement of that great institution, science?

The Twin Megaliths

The Gate, or the Gateway Stones, or the Twin Pillars or the Twin Columns, or the Twin Megaliths as the Monument's discoverer prefers to call them, are sandwiched against the Yonaguni Monument at an odd angle.

The "Gate" or the "Gateway Stones" or the "Twin Pillars"
or the "Twin Columns" or the "Twin Megaliths," next to the
Yonaguni Monument. Photo by Cecelia and Gary Hagland.

The "Gate" or the "Gateway Stones" or the "Twin Pillars" or the
"Twin Columns" or the "Twin Megaliths," next to the Yonaguni Monument.
Original photo by anonymous handle Freediver HD.

The "Gate" or the "Gateway Stones" or the "Twin Pillars" or the
"Twin Columns" or the "Twin Megaliths" next to the Yonaguni Monument.
Original photo here.

What should we make of these two stones -- or what should we make of what is more than likely one stone with a deep machined cut in it? What is this remarkable freestanding stone doing sandwiched between a rock and the hard place of the Yonaguni Monument, which is carved out of bedrock?

Has Robert Schoch mentioned the machined cut in this rock? He has not. Why not? No one knows. Maybe you'd like to write him at his Boston University address and ask.

The Stage

Were the ancients into the theater? We don't know. One day, we may meet them and find out.

Of course, "the ancients" may be, and probably are, many different races/species, terrestrial and extra-terrestrial, who walked and worked on planet earth in many different time periods, and created megalithic structures for many different reasons.

But regardless of the ancients' genetic codes / morphology and their motivations, here we have a feature near the Yonaguni Monument that modern human divers have termed "the Stage."

"The Stage," near the Yonaguni Monument.
(Photo by Cecelia and Gary Hagland.)

"The Stage," near the Yonaguni Monument.
Original photo by Santha Faiia.

Does a good scientist simply ignore this odd feature in the stone landscape in his or her examination of the Yonaguni site?

One would hope not. A detailed photographic and geometric analysis would be required. 

Has Schoch provided any these things? Does Schoch ever mention the Stage in his "analysis" of the Yonaguni Monument.

No. And no.

The Sea Turtle

A picture paints a thousand words, and this is an amazing photo, considering the technical hurdles to clear in underwater photography. Perhaps nothing need be said, here.

Sea Turtle stone monument at Yonaguni. Original photo here.

But let's make one short statement. If Robert Schoch is correct that the Yonaguni Monument is formed by the natural breaking out of sedimentary sandstone pieces, how does he explain the curved "back" of this feature and the curved "fin"?

Sea Turtle stone monument at Yonaguni.

 
Students of Robert Shoch's writing -- persons such as myself -- have come to expect that there is never an explanation from the good doctor, only conclusion. Never any evidence, only opinion offered as conclusion.

Does Robert Schoch engage what divers at Yonaguni call the Sea Turtle? He does not. Why doesn't he engage it, since he calls himself a scientist? No one knows.

The Loop Road

Finally, we have the Loop Road, a cleared path or road that goes most of the way around the Monument.

The Loop Road is extremely clear evidence of an intelligent hand behind the creation of the Yonaguni Monument -- evidence that Robert Schoch, Yale PhD, ignores.

The Loop Road (photo) and dry-stack stone wall next to the Loop Road (diagram).
Original photo here.

"The image . . . gives a good indication of the state of the structure 

regarding 'rubble', and as can be seen [see photo top left], this 

part of the 'loop road' is almost totally clear of the sort of rubble that 

usually piles up at the bottom of cliffs due to 'natural erosive forces'
[see comparison photo bottom left]. Not only are there many 

rubble-free areas at Iseki Point suggesting that it was artificially made 

and maintained, but there is also evidence of a 'dressed-stone wall'. A 

cross-section of it can be seen in Professor Kimura's diagram . . ."
(Text excerpt quoted from here.)

If Robert Schoch is correct in stating that stones have broken out naturally from the sandstone bedrock (he cannot be correct, because sandstone doesn't break out vertically in straight lines, but let's give him the benefit of the doubt, for a moment) -- if the good doctor with a Yale PhD in geology is correct, then where is all the rubble? Where are all the huge rectangular blocks of sandstone that have naturally broken out? 

We do not find them at the base of the Monument. Perhaps they were spirited off by ghosts long ago.

In fact, what we find at the base of the Monument is a cleared area -- a path, a road. This cleared area, which has been termed the Loop Road, suggests that persons or beings in the ancient past desired to have work space for some task.

What was this task?

"Primitive Ritual"?

Was the Yonaguni Monument designed for ritual?

Modern archaeologists might say so, if indeed they were so bold as to accept the "intelligent hand" hypothesis at the Yonaguni Monument. 

But primitive "ritual" -- the archaeological orthodoxy's favorite "conclusion" (opinion without evidence) regarding the motivation for the construction of sites as intricate, monumental, and mega-megalithic as Göbekli Tepe, for instance (see photo below) -- is fading as a possible general conclusion, as diligent researchers outside of academia probe the mysteries of megalithic sites around the globe.

"Enclosure C" at Göbekli Tepe. Not built by primitive
hunter-gatherers. Not built for ritual purposes. Not painstakingly buried by primitive hunter-gatherers.
Photo by Klaus Schmidt, Autumn 2008.

Clearly, most megalithic sites on earth cannot have been built 1) by primitive human beings 2) for ritual purposes . . . but were built 1) by highly sophisticated ancient engineers 2) as either a) energy machines/amplifiers/mediators, or b) were quarries for any of these.

Quarry

Evidence points to the Yonaguni Monument as a quarry with occasional artwork. 

First: Obviously, the vertical portions of the Monument were cut -- not natural breakings-out of horizontally layered sedimentary sandstone. Horizontally layered sandstone breaks out horizontally, not vertically.

Second: The cut "steps" of the Monument are not of consistent height. 

Third: The cut "steps" of the Monument are often too tall to ascend. No modern human-sized creature could have walked the "steps" in the Yonaguni Monument. Even a giant human would have been confounded by the irregular heights of the "steps."

Steps of irregular height on the Yonaguni Monument.
(Original photo here, taken 2001.)

Steps of irregular height on the Yonaguni Monument.
(Original photo here, taken in 2000.)

It is therefore logical, indeed, scientific -- yes, you and I can be scientists -- universities confer degrees; they don't have a patent on science -- it is logical and scientific to conclude that the Yonaguni Monument is what it looks like: a monumental stone structure left behind after ancient beings cut large blocks of stone from a huge sandstone outcropping. 

Of course, good research continues -- no thanks to Robert Schoch, PhD, whose commitment to anti-science (disinterest in giving evidence for an opinion, interest in the "schmoozing of science") has thrown a gauze, a strange, sticky, difficult goo, over otherwise rational conversation about this site and others around the globe (see, for instance, the Bosnian Pyramid Complex).

Science vs. Clowning Around

Can scientists have differing opinions about the Yonaguni Monument -- and on any other subject in the universe? Of course! 

But it is hoped -- and expected -- indeed, science demands -- that persons who call themselves scientists act as scientists, and not as clowns, when investigating sites as unusual and fantastic as the Yonaguni Monument.

When and if Robert Shoch, Yale PhD, examines the evidence at Yonaguni instead of simply stating conclusions without evidence, then science will have a new servant and a new advocate.

*  *  *

This article is a companion article to four other 
articles in the Robert Schoch series: 

"The Mysterious Anti-Scientific Agenda of Robert Schoch:

Part 1 - The Bosnian Pyramid Complex"

"The Mysterious Anti-Scientific Agenda of Robert Schoch:

Part 2 - The Yonaguni Monument 与那国記念碑"

"Witchcraft Cartography and Clairvoyant Archaeology:

A Review of Robert M. Schoch's Book,
Voices of the Rocks: A Scientist Looks at
Catastrophes and Ancient Civilizations:

The astounding truth about the Piri Reis map (a truly 
ancient map fragment, on gazelle skin parchment,
which accurately depicts  the continent of Antarctica before
it was covered by ice) and the Yonaguni Monument" 

"Nature's Geometry: Is Robert Schoch Right about  
the Yonaguni Monument and the Bosnian Pyramids?"

The articles can be found here, here, here, and here, respectively.

*  *  *

Jock Doubleday on the Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun
August 11, 2011

Jock Doubleday is a playwright and screenwriter
with an interest in ancient civilizations.

In June 2011, he learned about the complex of ancient pyramids, 
tunnels, and other structures in and near Visoko, Bosnia.
In August 2011 he traveled to Bosnia to volunteer on the
Archaeological Park project. He shot and edited 20 videos, created 
archaeologicalpark Youtube channel, organized and introduced the
2nd International Scientific Conference in Visoko, and worked briefly
(for the month of October 2011) as Public Relations Director for the
">Archaeological Park: Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun Foundation, a Bosnian NGO nonprofit organization that oversees excavation on the most active archaeological project in the world. 

Today, he is official videographer and Acting Public Relations

Director for the Foundation. A playlist of many of his videos about the 

Bosnian Pyramid Complex can be found here.

Jacques Cousteau was his idol growing up, and he planned to become 

a marine biologist. His interest in the sciences, especially in biology, 

paleontology, and archaeology, never waned, though he chose to become a  

writer. 

He has written eight feature-length screenplays, 60 plays (including 

two musicals), 200 songs in various genres, a manuscript of 170 poems, 

several stories in the science fiction genre, and four children's stories. He

has written two eBooks on natural health, including a book on natural childbirth,

titled: Spontaneous Creation: 101 Reasons Not to Have Your Baby in a Hospital 
and a book on natural immunity, titled, Into the Labyrinth: Discovering the Truth 

about Vaccination. One of his plays, This Dreamer Cometh, deals specifically with 

the subject of the pitfalls of the academic orthodoxy; it concerns a brilliant graduate student at Tufts University who is jailed and institutionalized for her unorthodox equine field research. 

Mr. Doubleday is available for rational conversations on any subject

and can be contacted at jockdoubleday dottt writer at gmail dottt com

or regarding Foundation business at
jock dottt doubleday at piramidasunca dottt ba.