Lost Treasures of Japan - Yamashita Gold and Awa Maru

Do you know about the various lost treasures that Japan has? In this article, we will talk about the lost treasures of Yamashita and the shipwrecked Awa Maru, Tokugawa, as well as other treasures buried throughout Japan.

Japan is filled with lost treasures from the clans and Daimyos from the long wars that took place between the 12th and 19th centuries. In 1963, one of these treasures was found worth over 10 billion yen. So this article is no joke!

Many other treasures have been found over the years valued between 10 to 100 thousand yen. These places are called Maizoukin Densetsu [埋蔵金伝説] which literally means legend of the buried treasure.

During World War II alone, there were 50 reports of discovered treasures. Often, they were ancient coins of gold, copper, and other artifacts found in excavations and public works. Now let’s start talking about the greatest lost treasures of Japan!

The Lost Treasure of General Yamashita

It’s not One Piece, but a Japanese man hid a treasure, a fortune of inestimable value. In this article, we will talk about General Yamashita who hid his treasure somewhere in Asia and has not been found to this day.

Around World War II, Japan accumulated various treasures and riches from over 12 countries in Asia. For years, there were rumors involving a treasure estimated in billions of dollars composed of gold bars and precious stones.

The legend says that General Yamashita Tomoyuki hid part of the treasure in the mountains of Luzon in the Philippines and imploded a tunnel with tons of dynamite to hide the gold bars and precious stones.

Despite General Yamashita being captured by the Americans and surrendering on September 2, 1945, nothing was revealed about the treasure. Members of his army were tortured to find out the location of the treasure, but nothing was discovered.

Anthropologist experts say that it is nothing more than an urban legend, even though the Japanese were in the Philippines around 1941. They say that many knew about the location of the treasure but were killed during the war.

Many treasure hunters and pirates searched for Yamashita’s Gold for several years, but many gave up and caused only archaeological damage. This legend even generates conspiracy theories involving the Philippine government hiding the entire treasure.

Rumors circulate that the treasure was found in 2017 along with a video, but the video is probably fake and the treasure remains lost. Filipino folklore is filled with legends of hidden treasures, which strengthens the legend.

Awa Maru – The Shipwrecked Treasure of Japan

The lost treasure of Yamashita is not the only treasure in Japan. The Awa Maru was a Japanese ocean liner that sank with over 5 billion in wealth during World War II.

The construction of the Awa Maru was between 1941 and 1943, in Nagasaki. It was initially designed for passenger transport, but at the beginning of World War II, it was taken over by the Japanese Navy.

Its purpose was to serve agents and military personnel, but rumors claim that it carried a great fortune. On March 28, 1945, the ship reportedly left Singapore but was intercepted on April 1 by torpedoes.

Of the 2004 passengers, only one survived. If there was indeed any treasure, it still remains lost at the bottom of the sea or has it been found by some explorer? We will never know…

Buried Treasure TOYOTOMI HIDEYOSHI and Tokugawa

There is another legend that says there is a treasure buried in Tokugawa’s house for over 250 years during the Edo Period. These were the war funds used by the shogunate for emergencies after the chief minister Bakumatsu was assassinated in the Sakuradamon incident.

It is believed that there are over 400 Kobans coins that were hidden and converted could be worth several billion yen. In the 90s, a TV program used an excavator to dig a hole in the ground at the site, which was ridiculed but also gave a big boost to the legend of the buried treasure in Japan.

There is another legend that claims that Toyotomi Hideyoshi had a treasure estimated at over 200 trillion yen buried in some tunnel in southwestern Japan in Hyogo. The treasure is called Tadakinzan and it is a silver mine.

Part of this treasure is from the disputed Tenshou Ooban which claims to have 112 tons of gold, 30,000 kan, and 410 million ryo, the name of the coins of the time. Will someone find this treasure or is it just urban legends?

Other Lost Japanese Treasures

Honjō Masamune – A famous and legendary samurai sword created by master Goro Masamune between 1288 and 1328. This sword has been passed down for several centuries from Shogun to Shogun and is considered an artifact of inestimable value.

Kusanagi is another sword and one of the three lost treasures of Japan of inestimable value and great importance in Japan’s history. You can read our article that talks in detail about these lost treasures by clicking here.

Takeda Shingen was responsible for creating Japan’s first large-scale gold mine. He boasted of having the largest fortune and created the country’s first gold coins called Koushoukin. It is unknown where he hid his fortune.

Minamoto no Yoshitsune was dethroned by his older brother and fled to Hokkaido. He is said to have a large amount of gold dust hidden somewhere. It is unknown if this legend is true, like all legends lol.

Did you know about these lost treasures of Japan? Do you know other legends? If you liked the article, share it and leave your comments. Thank you and see you next time!