Back to Events
Utsuro-bune
Japanese fishermen found a strange vessel washed ashore—round like a rice pot with glass windows and unknown writing. Inside was a beautiful woman with red and white hair, holding a box she wouldn't let anyone touch. They sent her back to sea. The story appeared in multiple sources.
1803
Hitachi Province, Japan
10+ witnesses
Utsuro-bune may be history’s first UFO report.
The Account
1803:
- Hitachi Province coast
- Fishermen found vessel
- Washed ashore
- Unusual construction
- Woman inside
The Vessel
Description:
- Circular shape
- About 11 feet wide
- Glass or crystal windows
- Metallic sections
- Unknown writing inside
The Woman
Who was she:
- About 18-20 years old
- Red and white hair
- Pale skin
- Foreign features
- Couldn’t communicate
The Box
Mystery object:
- Small wooden box
- She protected fiercely
- Never opened
- Unknown contents
- Refused to let go
Multiple Sources
Documentation:
- Toen Shōsetsu (1825)
- Hyōryū Kishū (1835)
- Multiple illustrations
- Consistent details
- Widespread accounts
Interpretation
What was it:
- Early UFO encounter?
- Foreign shipwreck?
- Legend or folklore?
- Ancient astronauts?
- Debated still