30 October 2025 The Future is the Product of the Past

A basement discovered on the premises of the ruins of Hitoyoshi Castle in Japan could be a Jewish bathing facility!

Experts are still indecisive about why there was a bathing area in the basement which was discovered on the site of the Hitoyoshi Castle ruins during archaeological excavations in 1997.

The purpose of the basement which holds a rectangular bathing area is unclear although it is assumed that it did not serve as a warehouse. Such castle basements are very rare and unique.

During excavations of the national historic site, the basement, which is thought to have been built in the Edo Period (1603-1867), was found on the site of a former residence of high-ranking samurai Sagara Seibei Yorimori (1568-1655).

The room inside the basement, measuring 5.2 meters long and 6 meters wide, is surrounded by masonry walls. The bathing facility, measuring 2.3 meters in depth, has stairs inside it.

Based on its size and structure, some researchers hypothesized that it was a mikveh, a Jewish bathing establishment for cleansing the body. But after debating, the experts were unable to come to a consensus because there was insufficient proof.



📣 Our WhatsApp channel is now LIVE! Stay up-to-date with the latest news and updates, just click here to follow us on WhatsApp and never miss a thing!!



Mihoko Oka, an associate professor of Japanese Christian missionary history at the University of Tokyo believes there was a connection between Seibee and the Myoken faith, which deified the North Star and the Big Dipper. She cited several pieces of circumstantial evidence including that priests purified their bodies in the Myoken faith.

The basement that was discovered during archaeological excavations in 1997.
The basement was discovered during archaeological excavations in 1997. Photo: Jref

She pointed out that from the Warring States period (late 15th to late 16th centuries) to the early Edo Period, Christian missionaries and merchants from Portugal and Spain lived in Kyushu and included many conversos, or Jews forced to convert to Christianity in Europe (1603-1867).

Oka a symposium on Sept. 24, cited the existence of Suzuki Juan, a fortunetelling scholar, who was invited by Seibee from Kyoto. She mentioned the possibility that Juan incorporated Jewish rituals into the Myoken faith after learning Judaism from conversos and introduced it to Seibee.

She added that a mikveh similar to the basement in the Hitoyoshi Castle ruins was recently found in a town in Mexico that has a silver mine.

Sagara Seibei Yorimori was a chief retainer of the Sagara clan that ruled the Hitoyoshi and Kuma areas and after he retired, Seibee lived in Asagiri town, which also contained a silver mine.

Professor Oka also said the Sagara clan may have used the silver mine there to make expensive purchases in Nagasaki.

The Jewish mikveh theory in relation to the castle’s bathing area was downplayed by Kenji Matsuo, an emeritus professor at Yamagata University who specializes in the history of Japanese religions.

Matsuo cited the existence of Eison, a monk who founded the Buddhism sect known as Risshu during the Kamakura Period (1185–1333) and is thought to have had the most influence in regions like Kyushu between the late 13th and 16th centuries.

“It was definitely a place for ablution, but it was probably used by Buddhists, not by Jews,” he said.

Hiroshi Ichikawa, a professor emeritus of Judaism at the University of Tokyo, believes that mikveh rituals were held to encourage Jewish married couples to have babies here.

A rectangular bathing area of the basement ruins, which have stairs leading to the bottom, was specially opened to the public on Sept. 24 ahead of a symposium after being submerged by torrential rain in Kumamoto Prefecture two years ago. Photo: Shinichi Murakami
A rectangular bathing area of the basement ruins, which have stairs leading to the bottom, was specially opened to the public on Sept. 24 ahead of a symposium after being submerged by torrential rain in Kumamoto Prefecture two years ago. Photo: Shinichi Murakami

“Since the facility satisfies conditions of Judaism, it can be said that it was a mikveh in the sense of an ablution facility,” he said. “But I’m not sure if it was used for the same purpose that Jews originally used it for. Probably not.”

While expressing caution about the mikveh theory, Ichikawa stressed that “the significance is that (the basement ruins in Hitoyoshi) is somehow connected to the world of the Age of Exploration from the 15th to the 17th century.”

In an interview with The Asahi Shimbun, one local historian questioned Matsuo’s view that Buddhists may have used the facility for ablution.

“If monks of the Risshu sect, which was influential at the time, were using the facility for bathing, there must be similar facilities found in ruins across the country,” the historian said. “But why were they found only in Hitoyoshi?”

Another person pointed out that the basement facility was hidden like a secret place.

“If (Seibee) was bathing with Buddhist monks, there should have been no need to hide it,” the person said.

The mystery of the basement may not be solved for a long time, but right now Professor Miyoko Oka’s words seem closer to the truth. The recently found of a mikveh-like basement in the ruins of Hitoyoshi Castle in a town with a silver mine in Mexico may be proof of this.

Related Articles

1,500-year-old feast mosaic found in Turkey

2 February 2022

2 February 2022

A 50-square-meter mosaic depicting an open-air feast dating back 1,500 years ago was unearthed during excavations in the ancient city...

Europe’s Oldest Boomerang: A 40,000-Year-Old Mammoth Ivory Artifact Discovered in Poland

27 June 2025

27 June 2025

An international team of scientists has uncovered the oldest known boomerang in Europe, a 72-centimeter tool meticulously carved from mammoth...

Ancient Herpes DNA Points to Oral Herpes’ Beginnings: First kisses may have helped spread cold sore virus

28 July 2022

28 July 2022

The ancient genomes of the herpes virus, which commonly causes lip sores and currently infects about 3.7 billion people worldwide,...

Metal Detectorist Finds on 4,000-year-old Dagger in Poland Forests

24 February 2024

24 February 2024

A copper dagger more than 4,000 years old was found in a forest near the town of Jarosław on the...

Inscriptions That Could Change the History of Turkish Migration to Anatolia Are Disappearing: Esatlı Kaya Inscriptions

30 March 2025

30 March 2025

Researchers made a significant discovery during field research conducted in 1994 in Esatlı village, Mesudiye, Ordu. They introduced a series...

The Splendor of the Seven Descending Gods of Tulum Resurfaced

11 February 2024

11 February 2024

The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) says the splendor of the seven Descending Gods of Tulum has resurfaced....

A 1,700-year-old trident discovered in Assos ancient city in Türkiye

10 October 2023

10 October 2023

An iron trident, believed to be used for fishing, dating to the 3rd or 4th century A.D. has been discovered...

Ancient Bone Flute Discovered in Iran Offers Rare Glimpse into 8,000-Year-Old Musical Traditions

29 June 2025

29 June 2025

The National Museum of Iran has launched an exciting initiative in collaboration with the Public Relations Department of the Ministry...

Lost Phrygian Inscription on Arslan Kaya Monument Deciphered

23 November 2024

23 November 2024

Professor Mark Munn of Pennsylvania State University has deciphered part of the inscription on the legendary Arslan Kaya Monument (also...

Women May Have Ruled El Algar in the Bronze Age

12 March 2021

12 March 2021

The diadem found in the Bronze Age tomb belonging to the El Algar culture may have belonged to a queen....

Morocco team announces 1.3 million years major Stone Age find

29 July 2021

29 July 2021

A multinational team of archaeologists announced the discovery of North Africa’s oldest Stone Age hand-ax manufacturing site, going back 1.3...

Drought accelerated Hittite Empire’s collapse

9 February 2023

9 February 2023

Researchers have offered new insight into the abrupt collapse of the  Hittite Empire in the Late Bronze Age, with an...

2,050-Year-Old Assembly Building Discovered in Ancient City of Laodicea Marks Architectural First in Anatolia

2 August 2025

2 August 2025

During the 2025 excavation season, archaeologists in the ancient city of Laodicea have unearthed a 2,050-year-old Roman-era assembly building with...

Hidden Treasure from the Thirty Years’ War: Rare Silver Coins Found in Copper Cauldron in Brandenburg

21 July 2025

21 July 2025

A rare archaeological discovery in Germany has captivated historians: Silver coins dating back to the early 17th century have been...

“Operation Heritage” uncovers an artifact smuggling ring in Turkey

1 June 2022

1 June 2022

Turkish security forces searched locations in 38 regions on Tuesday in one of the largest operations against artifact smugglers, with...