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The resemblance of the Dogu statues to many descriptions of occupants is the relevant factor here. It has led some students of the Jomon Era to speculate that the statues might indicate the distant memory of visitors from elsewhere. The headgear with its filter, the large goggles, the necks with wide collars, and the onepiece suits are certainly intriguing. It is a common belief that the term flying saucer was "made in America." Was it not coined by an American businessman in 1947? Was not the first official investigation of the mystery by military Se ev ESOS SOT I a Vn ee ee BO BOTY os Well, yes. But a farmer from Texas described a dark flying object as a "large saucer" as early as January 1878, and ancient Japanese records inform us that on October 27, 1180, an unusual luminous object described as an "earthenware vessel" flew from a mountain in the Kii province beyond the northeast mountain of Fukuhara at midnight. After a while, the object changed its course and was lost to sight at the southern horizon, leaving a luminous trail. "In view of the time which has elapsed since the sighting" — as U.S. Air Force investigators like to say — it would be difficult to obtain additional data today. It is interesting, however, to find a medieval Japanese chronicler speaking of flying earthenware. The Japanese must also recieve credit for having organized the first official investigation. The story is so amusing, and parallels so well the modern-day activities of the U.S. Air Force, that I cannot resist reproducing it here. The date was September 24, 1235, seven centuries before our time, and General Yoritsume was camping with his army. Suddenly, a curious phenomenon was observed: mysterious sources of light were seen to swing and circle in the southwest, moving in loops until the early morning. General Yoritsume ordered what we would now term a "full-scale scientific investigation," and his consultants set to work. Soon they made their report. "The whole thing is completely natural, General," they said in substance. "It is only the wind making the stars sway." My source of information for this report, Yusuke J. Matsumura of Yokohama, adds sadly: "Scholars on government pay are always making ambiguous statements like that!" Celestial phenomena seem to have been so commonplace in the Japanese skies during the Middle Ages that they directly influenced human events. Panic, riots, and disruptive social movements were often linked to celestial apparitions. The Japanese peasants had the disagreeable tendency to interpret any "signs from heaven" as strong indications that their revolts and demands against the feudal system or against foreign invaders were just, and as assurance that their rebellions would be crowned with success. Numerous examples of such situations can be quoted. For instance, on September 12, 1271, the famous priest Nichiren was about to be beheaded at Tatsunokuchi, Kamakura, when there appeared in the sky an object like a full moon, shiny and bright. The officials panicked and the execution was not carried out. On August 3, 989, during a period of great social unrest, three round objects of unusual brilliance were observed; later they joined together. In 1361, a flying object described as being "shaped like a drum, about twenty feet in diameter" emerged from the inland sea off western Japan. On January 2, 1458, a bright object resembling the full moon was seen in the sky, and this apparition was followed by "curious signs" in heaven and on earth. People were "amazed." Two months later, on March 17, 1458, five stars appeared, circling the moon. They changed color three times and vanished suddenly. The rulers were distressed and believed that the sign announced a great disturbance throughout the land. All the people in Kyoto were expecting disasters to follow, and the emperor himself was very upset. Ten years later, on March 8, 1468, a dark object, which made a "sound like a wheel," flew from Mt. Kasuga toward the west at midnight. The combination of the sound and the darkness of the flying object is difficult to explain in natural terms. On January 3, 1569, in the evening, a flaming star appeared in the sky. It was regarded as an omen of serious changes, announcing the fall of the Chu Dynasty. Such phenomena continued during the Sorcerers from the Clouds authorities started in the United States a few weeks later?