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The Bermuda Triangle ranks first when it comes to mysterious places where people vanish. But there is a not-so-reputable location in the Pacific Ocean equally known for stories of strange disappearances and paranormal activity.
Click through this gallery to learn all about the Devil's Sea.
The Triangle sits around Miyake, an island lying 100 km south of Tokyo.
The area has also been dubbed the Pacific Bermuda Triangle because of the “paranormal phenomena” that takes place in its treacherous waters.
The Devil’s Sea's notorious reputation has been around for decades, due to the stories of several ships vanishing there.
According to legends, even the sturdiest vessels aren’t a match for the paranormal force surrounding the area.
In the mid-1950s, many large ships were reported missing, along with their entire crews.
Between 1950 and 1954, nine freight ships reportedly went missing in the Pacific Ocean. Allegedly, they all carried radio transmitters, and there were no documented weather complications.
The Japanese government became suspicious and sent their own team of scientists in the Kaiyō Maru ship, but they never returned either.
The wreck of the Kaiyō Maru was later recovered, but the whereabouts of the 31 crew members was never ascertained.
Other notable events include the story of Kublai Khan, the fifth Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, trying to invade Japan in the 13th century. He ended up losing most of his vessels, along with 40,000 crew members, when crossing the Dragon’s Triangle area, this after two typhoons hit them.
The term “Dragon’s Triangle” actually originates from traditional Chinese fables, which speak of dragons living below the surface.
According to these ancient stories, the dragons would attack the passing boats to satiate their hunger. These fables had an impact on many of the mysterious stories about the Devil’s Sea that eventually went around.
Many set out to discover the mystery of the Devil’s Sea, with theories ranging from electromagnetic disturbances to time warps.
Scholar Ivan T. Sanderson claimed that the Dragon’s Triangle is one of the world’s 12 Vile Vortices.
The theory says that a Vile Vortex is a particular geographic area that is linked to "electro-magnetic aberrations,” which are the cause of unexplained disappearances. The Bermuda Triangle is the most famous of the Vile Vortices.
Then, in 1989, paranormal activity theorist Charles Berlitz wrote a book, claiming the area had an “evil nature” to it, making it unnatural and unstable.
He talked in great lengths about UFOs, and about how strange objects had been reportedly sighted above Japan for centuries.
In order to contradict these illogical theories, American author Larry Kusche published a book in 1995 which he said would provide real answers to the marine mystery.
Kusche’s research concluded that the government’s Kaiyō Maru ship was "demolished by a volcano or tidal wave."
Underwater volcanoes lie along ocean ridges, and they spew lava, carbon dioxide, and other elements into the ocean. They are regularly monitored by scientists.
Kusche also contradicted Berlitz’s information that the missing ships were huge vessels carrying tons, and instead suggested that they were fishing boats.
He also explained that naval resources were scarce or unreliable back in the 1950s, which is why many ships, even the ones carrying radio transmitters, wouldn’t be able to ask for help.
From his correspondence with Japanese naval officials, Kusche concluded that most of the ships had probably wrecked and ended up sinking off the coast of Japan.
He also dug up an important piece of information: the Kaiyō Maru wasn’t sent out to investigate the mysterious disappearances.
Apparently, the Japanese didn’t know there was a global interest in the Devil’s Sea until Kusche contacted the American Embassy in Tokyo.
The area wasn’t even labeled by the government as a danger zone!
The story behind the Dragon’s Triangle (or the Devil’s Sea) gathered so much attention around the world that several theories were conjured, resulting in an entirely made-up story.
The mysterious history behind Japan's Devil's Sea
Know more about Pacific Ocean's Bermuda Triangle
TRAVEL Devil's sea
The Bermuda Triangle ranks first when it comes to mysterious places where people vanish. But there is a not-so-reputable location in the Pacific Ocean equally known for stories of strange disappearances and paranormal activity.
Click through this gallery to learn all about the Devil's Sea.