The Forgotten Utsuro-Bune of 1799: Japan’s First UFO Encounter?

The 1799 Utsuro-Bune Case: Japan’s Earliest UFO Sighting, Mysterious Woman Encounter, and Forgotten Predecessor to the 1803 Alien Vessel Legend in Edo-Period Folklore

A melancholic, mysterious woman arrived on an extraordinary ship in Japan in 1799 but vanished as quickly as she appeared, leaving her true origin a mystery forever. Who was she?

On the second day of the first month of the year Kansei (1796), a strange foreign-style boat drifted ashore near a place called Koshitō in Kagamiya. The boat featured glass windows arranged in a pattern that was unlike any seen before. 

Inside was found a beautiful woman, seated quietly beside a severed man’s head enclosed in a box that was crafted in an unfamiliar style. 

Although no communication was possible with the woman, whose speech was rapid and harsh-sounding to those who heard it, the village elders seemed to believe that the lady had been exiled and the man had been beheaded as punishment for assassinating their lord, likely as a result of a forbidden love affair.

The matter was reported to the shogunal authorities, but it was deemed unfit for intervention. As a result, the boat was quietly returned to the sea with the woman inside, just as it had arrived.

Translated from the original Japanese by Matus Taratuta©

Our Evaluation of the Alleged UFO Sighting:

Our evaluation of this alleged UFO sighting considers several key factors. Notably, the incident occurred just a few years before the famous Utsuro-bune case of 1803, suggesting that late 18th-century Japan experienced an increase in reports of encounters with mysterious strangers. This story also reflects the anxiety that arose from such encounters.

The boat’s unusual design—especially the glass windows arranged in unfamiliar patterns—and the presence of a silent woman whose behavior seemed detached and odd evoke elements commonly associated with visitations in modern UFO lore. 

While historical records are limited and interpretations remain speculative, the timing and nature of this case suggest that Japan, at the end of the 18th century, may have experienced a wave of unexplained phenomena involving sightings of strange ships.

Whether this was truly an extraterrestrial event or just a myth emerging from fears of foreign influence is difficult to determine. Nonetheless, its similarity to the Utsuro-bune story of 1803 is beyond doubt.

Reference:

日本随筆大成編輯部 編『日本随筆大成』 第2期 8、吉川弘文館、1974年4月10日、347-348頁。