On March 24, 1975, shortly after 9:00 PM, photographer Giichi Shioda reported seeing a small shadow-like object or figure hovering above the ground near a coastal landfill in Kawanoe, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. During the sighting, he experienced a severe headache—a symptom he would report again during the events of March 31.
On the night of March 30, Shioda returned to the area and observed a pink luminous object hovering above the ground for roughly 30 seconds before it silently disappeared.
On March 31, Shioda returned with several cameras and a tripod. Shortly after 11:00 PM, the severe headache returned. Believing something was about to happen, he readied his camera. Soon afterward, flashing white, blue, and red lights appeared roughly 100 meters away, moving vertically and horizontally and accompanied by a high-pitched electronic sound.
Camera: Nikkormat EL Lens: Nikkor 200 mm Aperture / shutter speed: Unknown
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Image 1. One Luminous Humanoid
Image 1 Story: After four or five minutes of watching the strange discharge-like lights, Shioda said a single human-shaped figure appeared within them, surrounded by white and orange light. The figure descended until it was roughly 30 centimeters above the ground, then began moving silently toward him in what he described as a smooth, gliding motion. Shioda raised his Nikkormat EL with a 200 mm lens and began rapidly taking photographs. The first photograph appeared to capture the single luminous humanoid as it approached.
Image 2. One Luminous Humanoid Begins to Divide
Image 2 Story: Shioda continued photographing the approaching figure, which he maintained was still only one figure to his naked eye. When the film was later developed, however, the second photograph appeared to show two separate luminous humanoid forms. Shioda specifically said that he had seen only one figure at the scene; the apparent second figure was something discovered in the photograph afterward. The frame also recorded streaks of light that Shioda associated with the discharge-like phenomenon surrounding the encounter.
Image 3. Two Luminous Humanoids Appear
Image 3 Story: The luminous figure continued toward Shioda until it was approximately 50 meters away. At that point, instead of coming any closer, it turned to Shioda’s right and began moving across the landfill in a more ordinary walking motion. The third photograph appears to correspond to this stage of the encounter. Although Shioda remembered seeing only one figure, the developed photograph again appeared to contain two luminous humanoid forms moving in the same direction.
Image 4. The 2 Luminous Humanoids - Just Before Leaving
Image 4 Story: After turning away, the figure traveled roughly 10 more meters before fading from Shioda’s view, abruptly ending the encounter. The fourth photograph was identified as having been taken immediately before the figure disappeared, and once again the developed image appeared to contain two luminous humanoid forms. From the appearance of the first luminous humanoid until its disappearance, Shioda estimated that only about one minute had passed.
Image 5. The Stone that Shioda Found in His Hand
Image 5 Story: After the luminous figure disappeared, Shioda realized that he was holding a stone in his hand. He said he could not remember picking it up. Shioda later speculated that the stone may have been connected to his experience.
Image 6. Giichi Shioda, photographed on the cover of Uma Shidan (宇摩史談), No. 2, November 1973.
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“愛媛県川之江市の宇宙人” [The Alien of Kawanoe City, Ehime Prefecture]. UFOと宇宙 [UFO and Space], No. 28, November 1977. Universe Publishing (ユニバース出版社). https://www.adamski.jp/pdf/cosmo/cosmo028.pdf
