Yamashita Treasure

Maps

2007-07-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

Please click on the image to enlarge

Frog Marker

2007-04-10T23:39:00.004-07:00

These are additional photos from the excavation site. This shows a stone marker formed into a frog facing east. This is located near the actual hole that was dug.

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Additional Photos

2007-03-27T23:16:00.002-07:00

Here are some additional photos from the operation site.

Please click the thumbnails to enlarge the pic.

Here are pictures of the actual hole that we have dug:

Here are the surrounding rocks that are found near the site. Do take note of the symbols/signs/markings carved into the stones:

THE JAPANESE TREASURE SEAL

2007-03-23T21:27:00.000-07:00

THE JAPANESE TREASURE SEAL

http://www.taestensen.com/robert/t_hunt/tseal.htm

The nature of the concrete seal built by the Japanese soldiers during their occupation of the Philippines in WW2 is not just a plain mixture of cement, gravel, sand and water as usually applied in road building or construction of highways. It is perhaps, the most hardened cement concrete one can ever imagine. The presence of affirmative evidence proves that the endurance and hardness of the same is comparable to iron steel. Based on continuing studies and research, there is that enormous amount of silica quartz and pyrites mixed together with undetermined amount of resin adhesive and hardener. There is also an authentic presence of fly ash and intrusion aid. The process of mixture is dry pouring method. The moisture of the soil served as a slowing catalyst.

The concrete slab is the mortar seal of the treasure cache. Its thickness varies from 0.5-5 meters depending on the volume of the treasures buried. The bigger the volume, the thicker the seal is. On the so-called major sites, the thickness would reach a phenomenal height of 8 meters from the ground surface of 20-30 meters deep. Down below, series of rectangular chambers are built in such a manner that is free from collapsing. This is supposedly the spot where the cache are seen crated, stacked in cylinders and lined up in every chamber.

So far, the most updated faster way of breaking the seal open is thru the use of a burning rod. However, this process renders ineffective if the pit is watery. The presence of water cannot be ruled out taking into account a 20-30 meters depth below the ground surface. During the wet season where the sites are filled with water, diggers switch to manual operation using chisels and sledge hammers rendering a slow pace of accomplishment. However, there are those who successfully retrieved and very lucky enough after several years of painstakingly, unimaginable hard job as evidenced by these photos:

To those who had the guts and unending perseverance. CONGRATULATIONS! for a job well done. You really earned it!

1. 2.

Pic 1 hardened cement fortification of the treasure seal. Pic. 2 the pinpointed treasure site.
Click pictures to zoom in.

WWII Treasure: Hazards of Excavation

2007-03-23T21:22:00.000-07:00

WWII Treasure: Hazards of Excavation
from: http://figure.8m.com/hazards.htm

Apart from tropical heat and humidity, one of the most preventative aspects of treasure recovery in the Philippines is the ingenuity of the Japanese engineering of these sites.

Outlined here are some of the hazards that treasure-hunters have encountered while digging for Yamashita's gold.

WATER TRAPS

Sites were often located near a water source such as a pond or river. The burial site would be dug as deeply as possible. Often, this would entail excavation of soil and rock beneath the water table in dryer seasons. Pipes of terra cotta would then be routed into the site, sealed, and filled with water from the source.

Extreme caution must be observed during recovery. An unsuspecting digger can easily break one of the pipes, flooding the chamber with water. Once a pipe is broken, it is very difficult to reseal due to the weight and velocity of the continual flow which can exceed 500 gallons per minute.

EGYPTIAN-STYLE ROCKFALLS

We've all seen the narrow escapes of Indiana Jones in the popular film series. Yes, suspended rock and soil were used by the Japanese as well.

Unfortunately, this type of booby-trap is very difficult to detect in advance. Not only can they result in injury or death, but an excavation can severely be penalized timewise.

SPRINGLOADED BOMB DETONATORS

An unwary digger may also meet his fate with a 1000- or 2000-pound (or smaller yet still deadly) bomb which had been captured from the Allied Forces. Such bombs were often sealed with cosmoline, the thick grease still favored by gun owners for long-term storage and protection from corrosion.

The digger moves an object (sometimes the treasure itself) which activates a spring mechanism. Acid is then leaked onto a copper plate which, when dissolved, triggers a detonator. Or, the digger may not be afforded the luxury of a time delay.

Fortunately, such bombs can be detected a meter or more in advance with the use of modern electronics.

GLASS-ENCASED CYANIDE CAPSULES

Somewhere en route to a treasure, one might encounter a glass cylinder about one liter in volume which is divided into two chambers: one containing liquid sulphuric acid, the other a powder of either potassium cyanide or sodium cyanide. If broken, the resulting mixture yields a very volitile and lightweight yet invisible cloud of hydrogen cyanide gas (HCN) which will quickly interfere with his breathing. The odor is almost imperceptible, but faintly resembles bitter almonds. Within seconds, it becomes difficult to hold one's breath or to breathe normally. Within one minute, respiration stops. Within five minutes, heart failure occurs.

There is no known way to detect these capsules. The most prudent diggers insist on wearing a gas mask with a respirator impregnated with metal salts at all times.

Accessory Stones

2007-03-23T21:03:00.001-07:00

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Stone No. 10 - Stone with engravings

2007-03-23T21:01:00.000-07:00

Stone No. 10 - Stone with engravings
Found at 43 feet.

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Stone No. 9 - Buddha

2007-03-23T20:58:00.000-07:00

Stone No. 9 - Buddha
Found at 36.5 feet.

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Stone No. 8 - Snake with markers

2007-03-23T20:54:00.000-07:00

Stone No. 8 - Snake with markers
Found at 35.5 feet.

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Stone No. 7 - Buddha

2007-03-23T20:51:00.000-07:00

Stone No. 7 - Buddha
Found at 35 feet.

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Stone No. 6 - Face of Person with a sun form and markers

2007-03-23T20:45:00.001-07:00

Stone No. 6 - Face of Person with a sun form and markers
Found at 25.5 feet.

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Stone No. 5 - Fish with mouth open and other markers

2007-03-23T20:41:00.000-07:00

Stone No. 5 - Fish with mouth open and other markers
Found at 21.5 feet.

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Stone No. 4 - Frog with markers

2007-03-23T20:34:00.000-07:00

Stone No. 4 - Frog with markers
Found at 17.5 feet.

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Stone No. 3 - Face of a person with other markers

2007-03-23T20:28:00.001-07:00

Stone No. 3 - Face of a person with other markers
Found at 13.5 feet.

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Stone No. 2 - Face of a person, fish, and flag

2007-03-23T20:23:00.001-07:00

Stone No. 2 - Face of a person, fish, and flag.
Located at 9.5 feet.

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Stone No. 1 - Face of a Person with marks

2007-03-23T20:21:00.004-07:00

Stone No. 1 - Face of a Person with marks.
Found at 5.5 feet.

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All Stones

2007-03-23T20:18:00.000-07:00

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The Excavation Documentation

2007-03-23T19:04:00.000-07:00

Last April 2003 we had actually excavated the site and had reached up to the 65 ft under the ground after going through 5 ft of hard cement. Water level starts at 10 ft. We had found nice forms of sculptured markers (including 2 Buddhas) with sign codes engraved on them. We have found several stone markers at every 4 ft intervals. I have Japanese maps dated 1945 with a guide to unlock the so-called markers/signs. I also have a 1942 code-breaker sheet authored by Gen. Tunjo. Most of the signs/symbols or markers on the code-breaker sheet were actually seen in the actual stones that we have found.

Here are some of the signs/codes that we have encountered:

* = millions buried deposits
M = treasure deposit under water
A = gold and coins deposit
three circles = 3 circles engrave in stones with triple deposits
triangle = gold volume deposits
a chinese character = big amount treasure deposits

We had encountered 3 chemical traps, with the last trap almost killing our excavators. Our site was almost exactly the same with Yamashita Gold excavations that have been documented in the internet. But our stone markers are better sculpted than theirs.

Here is a picture showing our excavation progress:

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** note: the remarks at the right side of the sketch shows marks/symbols found at all sides of a stone marker which are found in order as shown...

This is the first marker made of cement found at 18 inches depth with an attached wire protruding one inch from the ground's surface.