Allege Yamashita Treasure Maps are also in circulation around the region of Visayas. However, we cannot confirm the authenticity of these maps if they are legit or fake. You have to know that some Yamashita Treasure maps are fakes where scammers made them and sold them for profit.
In this article, let’s discuss what we need to know about Yamashita treasures hidden in the region of Visayas. Let’s take a short look about the history of the Japanese Imperial Army and their activities in this region especially relating to their hidden treasure loot. Aside from this, is their Yamashita treasure maps.
For those who are new, Yamashita treasure refers to the looted valuable items hidden in the different parts of the Philippines during the previous World War II by the Japanese Imperial Army forces under the command of General Tomoyuki Yamashita. These looted valuable items includes vast amount of gold, silvers, and many other precious items.
The Visayas which is a region of the Philippines is one among the places where the Japanese Imperial Army had occupied and had hidden many of their looted treasures. They had hid them in various locations in order to keep them safe or confiscation by the Allied forces.
So today, many treasure hunters are in search for the hidden Yamashita treasures in various corners of the Visayas region. For this reason, Visayas has become popular and filled with controversial activity where many treasure hunters operated various sites. Some claims that they had successful recoveries while some gave up with huge disappointment.
Japanese Imperial Army Occupation in Visayas
As a treasure hunter, if a certain group of Japanese Imperial Army soldiers stayed on a certain area for some period of time, there’s a high possibility that they had hidden a Yamashita treasure on the site. So when it comes to the Visayas region, history claims that the Japanese soldiers spent a lot of their time in its various areas.
When the Japanese Imperial Army had occupied the Philippine in the Second World War, they had constructed numerous military bases and tunnels throughout the region of Visayas. At first, these tunnels served as their strategic defense and offensive positions, as well as their storage for their supplies. But at the end of their near defeat, they used these tunnels as hiding places for their looted treasures.
Some of the major tunnels constructed by the Japanese soldiers can be found in the islands of Cebu, Bohol, and Negros. One of the most interesting tunnel made by the Japanese soldiers are found in Cebu, particularly in the town of Balamban. This tunnel consists of vast network underground and well fortified.
Balamban tunnels were dug by the Japanese soldiers where they utilized hard limestone rocks which is a very common type of rocks that can be found in the surrounding area. They had designed their tunnels with complexity where it connects to various strategic locations and even equipped with ventilation systems, water sources, and storage chambers.
You may even be surprised to know that were also underground barracks, hospitals, and command posts inside their tunnel networks.
Another major tunnel can be found in Bohol where it connects to the town of Antequera. It is a very complex tunnel system with passages connecting to other tunnels and underground caves. And its primary purpose was that it served as a communication network and storage facilities for their supplies.
There is also another major tunnel in Negros. The Japanese Imperial Army had built these tunnels in the town of Hiboba-an. And these tunnels served as their escape route and so as a storage facility.
Today, some of these Japanese made tunnels in Visayas are now preserved and protected by the authorities. And even converted as tourist attractions such as the Balamban tunnels. However, some of these tunnels remains inaccessible for forbidden for entry. And only few individuals knew about their existence.
Authenticity of Yamashita Treasure Maps in Visayas
When the Japanese Imperial Army had hidden treasure loot, it was a common practice for them to leave clues behind. This was for the reason that they had the plan or intention of coming back for them to recover in the future. Thus, they left behind clues known as Yamashita treasure signs or markers.
Yamashita treasure signs or markers often come in the form of engraved symbols that only few experience treasure hunters can interpret or decode their meanings. These markers are often discovered engraved on surfaces of old large rocks and bodies of old large trees.
Aside from actual treasure signs or markers, the Japanese soldiers had also made sketch maps in which we now refer today as Yamashita treasure maps. In possession of such maps makes it a lot easier to locate the hidden valuable object.
Based on my own personal experiences, treasure deposits with Yamashita treasure maps are those that are composed of large volume deposits. Or, multiple treasure deposits which means that there are several scattered buried treasures around the site.
It is indeed true that the Japanese soldiers did made Yamashita treasure maps and they passed them down to their next generation for them to recover when the right time comes. Some rumors claims that they were sold to some interested treasure hunters. And many other stories came out about the origin of a certain Yamashita treasure map.
Since Visayas is no doubt a region where a lot of Yamashita treasures has been hidden or buried, surely, there are Yamashita treasure maps for each one of them. But the problem now a days with these claimed treasure maps is their authenticity. We really cannot tell if they are legit or fake.
So as a treasure hunter myself, the best and more reliable clues for the hidden Yamashita treasures are the actual markers engraved found around the surroundings of a certain site.
Recovery of Yamashita Treasures in Visayas
Still, there are many treasure hunters who are in search for the hidden Yamashita treasures in the region of Visayas. We all know that there are a lot of controversies for hunting such treasures but there are some groups who claimed that they have uncovered some deposits.
Back in 2017, a certain group of treasure hunters in Cebu claimed that they had uncovered a hidden chamber. And inside this chamber, they were surprised to see that it was filled with gold bars, old coins, and many other valuable objects. Due to this event, many individuals also gained interests to search for their own Yamashita treasures.
Conclusion
Visayas do consists of many complex tunnels which served as the hidden military bases of the Japanese Imperial Army during the Second World War. However, during their near defeat, they had to abandon these tunnels to flee from their pursuers. But before they did, it is believed that they had hidden most of their treasure loot inside the tunnel before their escape.
Due the complex design of the tunnel, surely, the Japanese soldiers had sketch maps for the tunnels’ passages and chambers. So as the locations of their hidden treasure loot.