The Shiranui Lights
On certain summer nights, lights appear far out on a Japanese bay, multiplying and dancing on the water where there are no boats.
What was reported
On a few nights each year in late summer, people on the shores of the Yatsushiro Sea and the Ariake Sea in Kyushu have long watched for the shiranui, 'unknown fires': lights that appear far out over the water, split into rows and dance along the horizon.
An old legend says the lights guided a legendary emperor's ships safely to shore. They were thought to be lanterns of the dragon god, and fishing was forbidden on those nights.
Explanations offered
Scientists explain the shiranui as a mirage. On calm nights, layers of warm and cool air over the shallow, tidal sea bend and multiply the light from distant fishing boats and shore lights. Fewer sightings are reported today, as there are fewer traditional fishing fires.
- When
- Recorded for over a thousand years
- Where
- Yatsushiro Sea, Kumamoto, Japan
- Witnesses
- Coastal people and visitors
- Status
- Mostly explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.