Yamashita’s Gold

Posted on Sep 16, 2008 in Lost Treasure

It is often said that behind every great fortune lies a great crime. The twisted tale of Yamashita’s gold, allegedly buried in the Philippine islands, is a story of a great fortune and many crimes that became inseparably intertwined.

The tale begins with Japan’s plundering of its neighbors before and during World War II. As the Germans did in Europe, the Japanese squeezed vast fortunes from their Asian domain, creating a river of riches flowing toward the homeland. The Japanese government intended that loot pilfered from Southeast Asia would finance their war effort.

This was not the haphazard looting of a rampaging army – it was a highly organized effort – perpetrated on a massive scale by some of Japans most prominent citizens; allegedly including Emperor Hirohito and yakuza gangsters such as Yoshio Kodama.

Emperor Hirohito appointed his brother, Prince Yasuhito Chichibu, to head a secret organization called Kin no yuri (“Golden Lily”), to organize the looting.

Golden Lily teams systematically emptied treasuries, banks, factories, private homes, temples, churches, mosques, museums pawn shops and art galleries, and stripped ordinary people of what little they had, while Japan’s top gangsters looted Asia’s underworld and its black economy. The stolen property reportedly included gems, golden Buddhas, coins, and precious metals of immense value.

The Treasure Route

Not since the Spanish conquered the Incan Empire in 1532 had the world seen such an aggressive looting campaign. This sort of enterprise took careful planning and an established network to transport the loot safely and efficiently back to the Japanese homeland.

The hub of the Golden Lilly’s looting network was the Philippine island of Luzon – it’s strategic location and proximity to Japan made it a natural and necessary trans-shipment point.

click map to enlarge

During the early days of the war the looting network functioned as planned – treasures from all over South East Asia arrived in the Philippines daily – the loot was then transferred to freighters for the trip back to Japan.

But toward the end of World War II. The Allies were gaining control of the Pacific, making it increasingly difficult for the Japanese to transport the stolen treasure. Allied submarines and aircraft took a heavy toll on Japan’s shipping; some of the ships carrying loot to Japan were sunk.

So, instead of shipping the treasure back to Japan, Golden Lilly operatives began hiding the loot in caves and underground complexes throughout the Philippines. The Japanese believed that when the war ended they would be able to keep the Philippine Islands as a concession for peace. They would then be able to dig up the vast wealth hidden there to rebuild their failing empire.

General Tomoyuki Yamashita

Arriving in the midst of this frenzied activity was the Philippines’ new military governor, General Tomoyuki Yamashita, “the Tiger of Malaya” – a nickname he had won by conquering that complacent and ill-defended British colony.

As the Allied forces closed in, General Yamashita kicked the treasure concealment campaign into high gear.

Yamashita dug massive tunels in the mountains outside Manila, some to depths of hundreds of feet, leading to the final ’storage chambers’. Many of these tunnels were excavated just below the water table during the dry season, which meant that they would eventually fill with water – a deterrent to any future salvagers.

And if that were’t enough, most if not all of the tunnels were booby-trapped with 1,000 and 2,000 lb bombs and poisonous gas.

Alied Prisoners were used to dig the intricate tunnel systems and once the gold was safely stashed in the pits, the POWs were executed and buried along with the treasures. In rare cases, Japanese officers even had their own soldiers killed and buried along with the treasure, to protect the secret locations.

Yamashita also blasted caves in coral reefs, and sank entire shiploads of valuables in the sea around the islands. But in the end all this hard work was for nothing – the Americans invaded the Philippines in October 1944.

When the Allied forces landed on Luzon there was still much treasure remaining to be buried, so General Yamashita loaded the remaining loot on trucks and took it with him as his army retreated across the island.

Japanese and American Troop positions
on Luzon Island – Philippines 1945.

Legend says that as Yamashita fled, he broke the treasure into many smaller stashes that were hidden along the line of his retreat, the bulk of the stashes are said to be concentrated in the mountainous area where Yamashita made his last stand against the invading US troops.

Yamashita eventual surrender on September 2, 1945.

According to popular lore, there are said to be 172 documented, official Japanese imperial burial sites (138 on land and 34 in deliberately scuttled ships), not to mention the numerous instances of loot buried by greedy officers and renegade soldiers.

The worth of all this booty is estimated to be as much as $3 billion at 1940 rates – the equivalent of over $100 billion today. According to various post-war estimates, the gold bullion alone totals 4,000 to 6,000 tons!

Many of those who knew the locations of the loot were killed during that final battle, or were later tried by the Allies for war crimes and executed. General Tomoyuki Yamashita himself was executed for war crimes on February 23, 1946 taking the secret of his treasure to the grave.

Recovery Efforts

Many Yamashita researchers believe that a portion of the treasure has already been recovered by various parties in the sixty years since Yamashita’s Execution. A great many facts have been accumulated, maps have been found, witnesses have sworn their testimonies, but the truth remains shrouded in mystery and lies. Two of the more credible and well researched rumors of recovery are listed below:

Clandestine Operation

The first rumor reads like a Tom Clancy Novel. It’s said that, in October 1945, American intelligence agents learned where some of the Japanese loot was hidden. Agents of the O.S.S. (forerunner of the CIA) watched as Japanese troops buried treasure on the island of Luzon and once the Japanese were defeated they began a clandestine recovery operation that lasted until 1948.

Peggy and Sterling Seagrave’s book, Gold Warriors: America’s Secret Recovery of Yamashita’s Gold (2003), Is one of the best written on the subject and a great place to start your research on this fascinating tale. The initial edition comes with CD-ROMs containing 900 megabytes of documents, maps and photographs.

There were important reasons for all this secrecy. If the recovery of this huge mass of stolen gold became public knowledge, the countries and individuals that had been plundered could not lay claim to it; and the OSS/CIA had no intention of returning any of the plunder to its rightful owners.

Instead, they set up numerous front companies to launder the secretly recovered gold bullion. This is supposed to have become the basis of the CIA’s ‘off the books’ operational funds during the immediate post-war years, used to create a world-wide anti-Communist network.

General William Donovan, head of the O.S.S., supposedly knew of the gold recoveries, as did General Douglas MacArthur, and former US presidents Herbert Hoover and Harry Truman.

Marcos’ Gold

Perhaps the most credible rumor of recovery involves a young, up and coming Filipino politician named Ferdinand Marcos – who became successively a congressman, senator, president, and finally dictator of the Philippine islands.

Ferdinand Marcos

It was rumored that Marco’s rise in politics was financed in part by Yamashita’s hoard. One of many stories about Marcos places him with a party of Japanese soldiers who hid gold in a tunnel at the end of the war.

Then sometime in the mid 1960’s he recovered $8 billion from a tunnel known as “Teresa 2″, which was located 38 miles south of Manila, in the Rizal province.

An interesting fact about Marcos is that he was the leader of the Ang Maharlika guerrilla force in northern Luzon during World War II. This would have put him in the center of the action as the Japanese made their final stand against Allied forces.

Whether the dictator ever found Yamashita’s gold is pure speculation – but it’s a well documented fact that he searched diligently, freely using his presidential powers and the nation’s armed forces in the hunt. When he declared martial law in 1972, Marcos took full advantage of the clout it conferred to step up his treasure-hunting efforts.

In 1975, Marcos awarded himself a monopoly on underwater recovery efforts, decreeing that all future salvage operations in Philippine waters would require his personal approval.

From time to time, scraps of information leaked from the Marcos inner circle indicating that the dictator did indeed find some sort of treasure. In the 1970s, Marcos hired an American, Robert Curtis, to search for buried treasure and remelt gold bullion to hide its origins.

Curtis later told of seeing bars of gold “stacked from floor to ceiling” in one of the dictator’s provincial palaces. “The ingots”, he said, “were of a distinctive shape used around the time of World War II”.

Golden Buddha allegedly found by Rogelio Roxas

The ‘gold’ Buddha allegedly returned to Rogelio Roxas by Ferdinand Marcos. Roxas claimed the Buddha he’d found had been solid gold with a cavity in the removable head that contained diamonds

Rogelio Roxas, a Filipino locksmith, is said to have found a one-ton, solid-gold Buddha and thousands of gold bars in a tunnel near Baguio in 1971, only to have them stolen by President Ferdinand Marcos.

In 1986 Roxas sued the Marcos estate for damages, but died from poisioning on the very day he was set to testify.

Marcos was eventually overthrown in 1986; It was reported that when he fled the country, U.S. Customs agents discovered 24 suitcases of gold bricks and diamond jewelry hidden in diaper bags.

In addition, certificates for gold bullion valued in the billions of dollars were allegedly among the personal properties he, his family, his cronies and business partners had surreptitiously taken with them when U.S. President Ronald Reagan provided them all safe passage to Hawaii.

Going for the Gold!

To this day, not one “officially accepted” Yamashita find has been documented. But despite all the disappointments and dead-ends, fortune hunters remain undaunted. Many individuals and consortia, both Filipino and foreign, continue to search for treasure sites.

Before you launch your own hunt for Yamashita’s Lost Gold, here are a few things to keep in mind…

Danger – Dozens have died digging up roads, riverbeds and mountainsides in a relentless pursuit of Yamashita’s gold. For example, in late 2000, two men were buried alive when a tunnel collapsed near the Mindanao town of General Santos after they had dug as far as 24 feet.Four others suffocated in Lumban, Laguna. And in 1998, three men were killed in Nueva Ecija in Luzon province when a tunnel they had dug caved in.
Con Men – As many of these recovery projects have ended in failure, a side industry has emerged based on the fever itself. Foreign investors are often enticed into funding the digging of holes known to contain nothing or sold “treasure maps” of questionable origin - such as the one to the right →If you are tempted to take up the Yamashita challenge you might want to read this article first, which tells how a 74-year-old man lost his life savings by investing in a Yamashita scheme. Desperate race for vast riches – www.geocities.com/filipinoculture/treasure.html
Sharing with the man – The Philipine government has some pretty strict, and well enforced guidelines for would be treasure hunters operating in their territories. Many expeditions have been escorted by the Philipino Military, who stand guard night and day to make sure that the government gets their fair share of the treasure – which is listed below:

Tags: buried treasure, Japan, Lost Cities & Other Stuff, Lost Treasure, Philippines, SE Asia, Treasure, Lost Cities & Other Stuff, World War 2, yamishita

On Feb 5, 2009 at 11:28 am Donald E. Clements said:

I have been contacted by certain persons who wish to remain unknown. I have been to the Philippines in a location I do not wish to Identify at this time. I know from my personal experience that there are locations not yet identified to the public where Yashimoto’s Gold cashes may have been located by ground penetrating radar and ground penetrating location device. I have also seen with my own eyes that there is aluvial gold in the soil there. I have been asked to find investors to sign contracts with to pay for the recovery of some of the gold that has been identified in the soil there weatheer it be natual gold in the soil or the mysterious Yashimoto gold. anyone interested please contact me for more information. also important is that there is over 800 products that can be exported duty free ( no export fees) to the United States that can be worth several million dollars in imports/exports to anyone interested. It is its own kind of gold find (treasure)
On Feb 5, 2009 at 11:42 am Donald E. Clements said:

Something else to consider as far as danger is concerned. if you go looking for the mysterious and alusive Yashimoto’s Gold you will want to plan your dig(s) of your money pits in a time of year that is not during the rainy season as the lose soil will wash right back into the pit you are digging and it will take twice as much work and time to do it right.There are places to dig within and without the cities in question… And an interesting point the offshore places where ships are burried in coral reefs are marked with concrete molded numbers of the locations in the area where the reefs were dug out and ships sunk into the coral and recovered over to be unoticable to the naked eye… And there are many places that you can not get a backhoe or bucket loader into, and if you can the nosy neighbors will contact the authorities to make sure they get there fair share… have fun… There are many ways to make your fortune and find your treasure in the Philippines legally. it all depends on what you think is of value to you…
On Mar 12, 2009 at 6:41 pm Delle Agdon Jr. said:

An old man said I saw the Japanese soldier burried a plenty of boxes somewhere in te river side, I can show the area but I cannot pin point. Thats why I need help from you, I want an accurate detector, Im here ready to guide in the area. If you are interested just email me right away or call me, 09268901709. thanks
On Apr 8, 2009 at 3:04 pm tata said:

Our house was erstwhile municipal hall during japanese invasion in the philippines. Somewhere in siargao island in mindanao. Interested partner just e-mail tata1267@gmail.com.
On Apr 28, 2009 at 3:21 am mauizkie_bhe said:

sir we have a gold bar and diamonds here but we need buyer ang old paper money we need detector for gold. if you interested you may call me at 09208942818 txt me the location too far couse the gold and diamond are safe in the mountain ,,,….
On May 10, 2009 at 12:18 pm Wayne said:

We have located a “Golden Lily” treasure site. Take a look for yourself on our blog.
On May 13, 2009 at 11:47 pm Donald Clements said:

anyone wishing to contact me directly please do so At lay_mans_law@yahoo.com or dalath_000@yahoo.com
On May 14, 2009 at 8:05 am dagul said:

sir, for small treasure deposits. what is the average deepness of the excavation?? ty
On May 19, 2009 at 7:42 pm Joel Gaces said:

I’m in possessed a map allegedly buried yamashita treasure. I don’t have the capability to operate because I do not know how to interpret symbols. I have visited already the place and all indicators in the map are positive. If you are interested to be my partner in locating the item please e-mail me or contact me to my mobile phone 09186436747
On May 22, 2009 at 11:35 pm heidi said:

jim from the north of phil.belongs to native tribe my family found a a gold bar and jewelries just bside the big stone in our garden,its really true that b4 u dig check the signs,if my case there s a sun symbol meaning a bomb,and more than 10 skulls and guns.after that theres a flower symbol meaning the treasure.dont touch the gold without the animal offering,coz thers a curse 4 that gold.GOODLUCK
On Jun 1, 2009 at 8:03 pm noel ochoa said:

Many people in our town say that some japanese soldiers together with some p.o.w. dug and burried something at our backyard. The school behing used to be the japanese barracks and our house was always visited by japanese officials. I saw several marks and had an assay test on the soil we got from digging. It’s positive on au. i just wanna know how deep is the officer share or how deep they placed the treasure. The water level in our area is only shallow around 10 feet. pls enlight me on this.
On Jun 8, 2009 at 9:29 pm Donald Clements said:

The depth of gold varies, with ground penetrating radar i have seen digs as shallow as 5 meters about 15 feet and as deep as 20 meters about 60 feet i am definitely interested in helping people sell their gold as a broker. and with former military experience can help disarm boobie traps. i do not buy gold directly i put people together and garantee authenticity and locations i am a broker and advisor/locator with a background also in chemistry and can advise on methods of break down and treansport…
On Jun 15, 2009 at 8:16 pm mon san said:

can u help me sell palladium and titanium bars. they were dug up in luzon island. thanks
On Jul 9, 2009 at 1:26 pm C.O. said:

Donald, how do you export gold bars legally from the Philippines without the government taking it?
On Jul 13, 2009 at 1:01 am Donald Clements said:

I answer all of my e-mails some questions and inquiries require a private answer that i either can not or will not answer publicly because they require a legal answer or trade secret that i will not give away without a good reason or purpose, please send all questions to my e-mail address lay_mans_law@yahoo.com Try to understand what i do is partly to make a living to provide for my family, i am a broker what i know how to do is legal and i will help anyone who helps me.
there are many ways to export gold legally to other countries and many ways to cary gold legally in the philippines. there are even a few legal gold refineries there that can and do buy gold legally. the government of the philippines have started to search for and mine for alluvial gold in various locations of which i am priviledged to the information about i do not buy gold unless i am hired to do so. i know the legal ins and outs of how to do this and i can get letters from the government or local attornies to transport gold within the philippines i am here for a while in Bohol. And do legal research here for these purposes and transport gold and currencies to and from refineries for a fee to and from indsividuals and business, my phone number is for text messeges only and i do not take calls. +639193467275 international and 09193467275 local. vocal calls can be arranged
As of right now i have located confirmed and verified gold from Burma, sumatra and Malaya and can negotiate and barter the sale of thirty 6 kilogram bars of gold lab certified at 99.45% pure gold if anyone can pay for it,,, the price i quote is approxamate based on a minimum market price estimate at approxamately 192 troy ounces a bar at a price of 800 u.s. dollars an ounce would be a price of 76,800 dollars u.s. per bar, or estimating at 500 dollars an ounce u.s. would be 48,000 dollars u.s. 500 is a very conservative number and only an estimate…
On Aug 4, 2009 at 11:07 pm george said:

i would like to ask help .we alredy found stone marks and signs during our excavation. problem is we can not locate the exact location of the treasure we just keep on digging but we can not pin point the exact location of the treasure. even we already found proof of japanese skelaton, old rifles, and helmets of japanes soldiers.
On Aug 6, 2009 at 2:27 am rafael said:

joel, where u from? can u enlighten me about your map…
On Aug 9, 2009 at 3:25 am gen.yama shiittta said:

when my uncel, build a house in mindanao in mountain site,when they dig for the foundation of the house,they got a bots ,sword,and uniform of japanese soldier,and a 1 medium box contain gold coins w serial number,and old paper money with serial number,they did’t use it, because, they say,some body guard the things, so they buried ,below the floor of the house,
On Aug 15, 2009 at 3:09 am Donald clements said:

OK EVERYONE THAT READFS THIS WEB PAGE PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THE ABOVE COMMENT MADE BY ME DATED : On Jul 13, 2009 at 1:01 am Donald Clements said: I ANSWER ALL MY EMAILS DO NOT ASK ME TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS TO ME ON THIS PAGE I WILL ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS BY EMAILS ONLY UNLESS IT IS OF A GENERAL NATURE AND DO NOT REQUIRE ME TO DIVULGE INFORMATION I THINK IS A SECRET TO ME AND FOR YOUR BENIFIT THIS WILL NOT COST YOU ANYTHING BUT A LITTLE TIME. EVERY DAY I OBTAIN NEW KNOWLEDGE AND INFORMATION ON HOW TO HELP YOU SO PLEASE FEEL FREE TO ASK ME IN PRIVATE WHAT EVER YOU WANT TO KNOW…
On Aug 15, 2009 at 3:16 am Donald clements said:

HERE IS AN ANSWER FOR C.O. ABOVE… ONE WAY TO EXPORT GOLD LEGALLY FROM THE PHILIPPINES IS TO GET PERMITS AND PAY THE TAXES. ANOTHER WAY IS TO FIND SOMEONE THAT HAS A PERMIT AND LET THEM PAY THE TAXES FOR YOU AND DELIVER THE GOLD TO YOUR DESTINATION. THERE ARE OTHER WAYS IF YOU WANT TO KNOW THEM SEND ME AN EMAIL…
On Aug 15, 2009 at 3:20 am Donald clements said:

RAFAEL MY NAME IS NOT JOEL IT IS DON THE MAPS ON THIS PAGE ARE NOT MINE. BUT I DO HAVE MY OWN PHOTOGRAPHS OF SOME OF THE TREASURE LEFT BEHIND BY YAMASHITA AND OTHER GENERALS THAT BURRIED GOLD FOR JAPAN AND I HAVE ACCESS TO A BOOK OF SIGNS SYMBOLS AND EMBLEMS TO IDENTIFY TREASURE MARKINGS AND LOCATIONS. IF YOU WANT A COPY SEND ME AN EMAIL…
On Sep 3, 2009 at 2:47 pm C.O. said:

Don, I sent you a few emails. Please email me back, I have some important questions for you.

Thanks!
On Sep 8, 2009 at 2:05 am akkiko said:

We owned a piece of land where a small river formally passed by. The former river was re-routed and it is now passing nearby. I bought small portion of the land so that I can put up a small vegetable garden.

Later my father planned to put up a small fish pond and so we begun to shovel the land. At about 5 ft deep we found out a concrete pavement build with stones. We cannot understand why there was such a structure underneath and what has been its purpose. We also cannot understand the bizarre design of the concrete pavement, it is perhaps an irrigation, a monument or a pedestal of something.

We research the history of land and we found no good accounts or story to support the existence of that pavement. There had been no irrigation there for it is on the slope of a hill and we gather no evidence of an existence of a ricefield there but only a waste land.

I am afraid if someone was buried in their, but why it was built underneath the former water bed? I asked my “kumpare” to remove the concrete slab for it might not be good for the fish. However, my kumpare asked his friends, whom are treasure hunter, to detect if there is a treasure there.

So they search if there was treasure. They came with apparatus or equipment that I think are gold detector. They did not informed me about the result of the search, but they asked me if we I am willing for 60-40 share (60 for them and 40 for me). With that I told them to tell me at once if there is really an existing treasure lying beneath before I will enter into agreement with them, but they refused saying that nothing is in there but later telling me again of the proposal and when will they start.

I think they are fooling me so we continue the excavation for the mini-fishpond. Then after two days they call my kumpare by phone and told him not to pour water on it. They are really silly and I do not want to talk anymore to them. I hate talking with stupid person. And If there is really a treasure there I am not interested and do not have the urge to get. Perhaps in due time and when I feel like doing the search, then I must buy my own detector or whatever helpful equipment use in treasure hunting.

For now, we will just raise vegetables and fish while I am busy with my job. Sorry for my English, this is a unedited script.
On Sep 28, 2009 at 8:56 pm RUBEN GARZON said:

During the war, my grandfather’s house in Echague, Isabela was taken by Japanese soldiers and made into their garrison. After the war, my uncle buried a dead japanese soldier in their well for fear of retalliation. As far as I know, the soldier is still there. Speculations of buried treasures spread in the towns and cities around my grandfather’s house but I am always ready to tell them that the only treasure one will find there is what one plants, with the harvest as your treasure.
On Oct 4, 2009 at 12:04 pm romy said:

several places were excavated in our area with a japanese leads. Several markers with a group of my friends whome they told me found iupon digging such as cement,layers of sand, soil, leaves and clay but they did not get anything but they told as that the black sand they found in our lot near to their project site was the area which containing diamonds and golds? is it possible? the thickness of the black soil/sand is around 1 meter.
On Oct 8, 2009 at 12:28 am Donald Clements said:

come on people send me emails at lay_mans_law@yahoo.com and i will send you a personal response or post your email with your comments so i can answer you directly…
when you find concrete underground it is possible that it is an encasement for the yamashita treasure containing a chest or drum with gold bars,coins or nuggets, or precious metals or jewels in it. it is not ordinary concrete it has epoxy resins in it making it impervious to chisels hammers and chemicals, it takes special equiptment to open it and i can tell you or show you how to do it jst text me my cell number in the philippines is 09193467275.
i also have electronic equiptment to help you find out what you may have at your location i have no problem telling you if you have gold or not. my fee is reasonable. i have a book of japanese symbols to help you find what you are looking for. THIS IS IMPORTANT SO READ CAREFULLY—
DO NOT DISTURB SIGNS OR SYMBOLS ON ROCKS FOUND IN THE GROUND OR ABOVE GROUND THEY ARE GIVING YOU DIRECTION TO THE YAMASHITA TREASURE 9 OUT OF 10 TIMES U NEED THE INFORMATION ON THE ROCKS OR STICKS FOUND IN THE GROUND OR NEED TO GO IN THE DIRECTION THEY ARE POINTING TO GO. IF YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO READ THE SYMBOLS CONTACT ME IMEDIATELY AND I WILL HELP YOU OUT. I HAVE THE SYMBOLS AND WHAT THEY MEAN ON HAND IN A BOOK I PUT TOGETHER.
aLSO THERE ARE A GROUP OF PEOPLE SCAMING PEOPLE FOR MONEY IN MINDINAO BETWEEN DON CARLOS BUKIDNON CLAIMING TO BE MOUNTAIN PEOPLE THEY ARE CITY SLICKERS TAKING YOU FOR A RIDE YES THEY HAVE GOLD AND LOTS OF IT BUT YOU WILL ONLY SEE IT THEY USE IT TO BAIT YOU IN THEN SWITCH THE GOLD FOR BARS OF GOLD PLATED LEAD… DFONT BE FOOLED BY THEM I HAVE PHOTOGRAPHS AND A LIST OF NAMES SO BEFOR YOU GO OFF BUYING GOLD IN MINDINAO CONTACT ME AND I WILL KEEP YOU FROM BEING SCAMMED AND SHOW YOU REAL PEOPLE WHO HAVE REAL GOLD FOR SALE AT REAL RTEASONABLE PRICES PRICES AND YOU CAN MAKE A NICE PROFIT FROM IT.
On Oct 8, 2009 at 12:34 am Donald Clements said:

ANOTHER THING ABOUT BLACK SAND it is a common well known fact that black sand is a sign that you have found or are near an illuvial gold deposit and there is a way to proccess black sand to get any gold out of it that is actually in the black sand ther is a good deal of gold in various forms in the Philippines, in the form of treasure gold bars, in the alluvial forms of gold nuggets and gold dust found in streams rivers and mines
On Oct 15, 2009 at 5:16 am Mike Prendergast said:

We have seen on a webcam 12 gold bars and a Buddha. It was from the Mindinao area. The gold was dirty but they polished up one side and it was gold looking. They let us take a gold shaving, and we had a jeweler certify it was 22ct gold. The bars had Japanesse writing on them and numbers stamped on them.

After we read your blog it sure seems to fit the model that this is a scam. Can you help us verify the validity of this?

I have sent you this message twice to your email but you do not answer…why?

Thank you,

Mike Prendergast
mprender333@hotmail.com
On Oct 19, 2009 at 2:12 pm Mike Prendergast said:

Donald Clements are you still out there? Please see my post above I’m trying to get some answers.
On Oct 28, 2009 at 11:53 am Mike Prendergast said:

Has anyone worked with Donald Clements?
On Oct 28, 2009 at 8:47 pm Mike said:

IS Donald Clements a Fake?
On Oct 30, 2009 at 4:03 am Donald Clements said:

I am not online much i live in Tagbilaran City Bohol Province (island) I am out and about looking for scammers to expose and i have a list, I have been to Cagayan, Mindinao and Don Carlos, Bukidnon, Mindinao Cebu City Cebu. Manila, Luzon and paranaque pronounce (Paranyakee) Luzon . I know where there are legitimate people with gold to sell nuggets and bars they actually have alluial gold in the soil here and in the rivers in some areas. i APPOLOGIZE FOR TAKING SO LONG TO ANSWER MY EMAILS BUT I AM TRYING TO KEEP PEOPLE AND THERFE INVESTMENTS SAFE HERE. I recently married a philippino woman and have a good rapoir with the people here… I have a lab set up; for testing gold and can feild test it. there is an american named sullivan in mindinao married to a philippino he is always looking for investors and has a website but personally i think his whole is to deep and has taken to long to find his gold from yamashita and i ghave never met the man. so i can not really comment on him….
On Nov 4, 2009 at 6:29 pm mardah kudat said:

would like to know more about yamashita’s symbol secret at Kudat. who should i contact?
On Nov 7, 2009 at 7:37 am RYan said:

Donald, have u tried treasure hunt in Camiguin Island. It is an island located between Northern Mindanao and Bohol.
On Nov 11, 2009 at 7:45 am mr.teng said:

have a find in Davao, cant read the symbols
On Nov 11, 2009 at 7:51 am mr.teng said:

canyou help me read and anylyse the meaning of the symbols that were buried with the site?
On Nov 16, 2009 at 11:52 pm Donald clements said:

I have sent you a couple of emails and you have not responded,

I will meet with you any day of the week in Tagbilaran city Bohol Providence where i am currently residing. maybe you will get this email…

I do not charge people for my services unless it is acting as a broker and actually take someone to the refinery in paranaque or Davao and set up a deal for them.

you want to meet me or see what i have available yoiu know where i am come and see me…
On Nov 16, 2009 at 11:54 pm Donald clements said:

Mike Prendergast
I have sent you a couple of emails and you have not responded,

I will meet with you any day of the week in Tagbilaran city Bohol Providence where i am currently residing. maybe you will get this email…

I do not charge people for my services unless it is acting as a broker and actually take someone to the refinery in paranaque or Davao and set up a deal for them.

you want to meet me or see what i have available yoiu know where i am come and see me…
On Nov 16, 2009 at 11:57 pm Donald clements said:

Yes i can help with thew symbols.
when you are in a dig site and find anything in it. not the direction before removing from the whole it is a marker and can tell you what direction the treasure cache is in and what may be in it DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT REMOVE ANYTHING FROM A WHOLE UNLESS YOU POINT IT IN THE SAME DIRECTION OUT OF THE WHOLE AS IT IS IN WHEN IN THE WHOLE…
On Nov 21, 2009 at 5:46 am andy said:

Looking for info and willing to buy gold.
send details to my email or msg here i will check back
On Nov 21, 2009 at 10:37 pm mr.teng said:

OK thanks will be in touch.meantime we have to secure the area, locals are curious
On Nov 29, 2009 at 9:00 am jerz said:

hi sir im looking for gold bars raging for 6.2 kg only 1 bar pertransaction sure buyer asap anypayment method will do bring item at the house of the buyer with us 1300php per gram of 22k gold e mail me asap sure buyer…tnx… sylvia.imports@yahoo.com
On Dec 6, 2009 at 10:02 pm Marcelo O Acak said:

sir, just asking if you have any acccess in any buyer of gold which can afford to buy gold in big volume,thanks..

macy
On Dec 11, 2009 at 10:15 am MR.Teng said:

Macy, i have access to buyer of gold.
On Dec 22, 2009 at 1:20 am bell said:

Hi Donald,

I’m interested with yamashita gold, i know some place in bantayan island. Signs of treasure are in there, did you hear any of it from bantayan island?

thanks.

bell
On Dec 25, 2009 at 4:00 pm Lope Fausto said:

Greetings to you Sir Clements!
I am currently exploring the lost treasures of yamashita. I am from the Philippines. I am new to this adventure. Please help me Sir… I need interpretation of marks engrave on stones…thank you for giving an opportunity to have your BOOK OF CODES… thank you..Merry Christmas
On Dec 28, 2009 at 7:11 pm boyet said:

Sir Don,
I have a TH site in tagum davao at the top of the mountain, it is a farm lot owned by the family of my wife, i found lot of stone markers, 200 meters from the highway a big rock higher than me around less 6 ft. and beside the big rock a small water stream form a falls at less 7 ft., the big rock is position at top cleft where the small falls is found just beside the rock. and that cleft is at the side of the hill. there are several stones pile at the bottom of the water falls ( pile stone is 4x bigger than a head of a person + or – ) and at the left top end of the piled stones an old big tree is their position which it is at the level of the big stone. Can u help me interpret this markers. some says their is a portal cave which i’m not sure where is.
On Jan 4, 2010 at 9:34 pm val said:

Sir my grandfather once told me that there was a treasure deposit in our place.becuase he saw the big tree beside the river and there was a ring with arrow pointing to the cave.Then inside the cave there has a big round and very hard clay hanging there and there was arrow ponting to its buttom.I invite some person has knowledge regarding this matter.At the same time he brough his own gadget like detector.He detected that there was a big deposit inside cave and according to him the deposit treasure approximately 18-20 tons.we allready excavating the said treasure but for 1 week working,we encounter poison and some of our skin was broken.we have 3 memebers died for the said poison.what do we do?until now we are scared to continue working there.If you are interested you can call me through my number +639186453575.we stop work there 3 moths ago.Pls help us..The treasure location is at the center of a river.and the center of a river there is a cave and at the top of the cave is watefalls.you cant notice the cave outside bacause the volume of water.only our familys knows this.
On Jan 23, 2010 at 7:44 pm Don Clements said:

hello faithful observers. Greetings from Tagbilaran City Bahol.
Heare is some valuable information for you. SOMETIMES WHEN YOU FIND A STONE Budha STONE BUDHA leave it where it is and look at the shadow it makes at sunrise or at one hour after the sun comes up behind or to the side of the BUDHA the end of the shadow will point to the opening of a cave or even touch the opening of a cave, also at one hour before the sunsets… here is another piece of wisdom for you. if it is an emergency text my CELL PHONE.09193467275 if i have a lod i will text u back right away as soon as i get your messege. if i am out of lod and do not text you back i have a smart sims card and you can send me a passalod for 5 or ten peso so i can txt you back.
Anoither piece of valuable information when you dig be careful cyanide traps consist of a two compartment glass container with sulfuric or hydrochloric acid in it on one side and sodium or potasium cyanide on the other side of it. the cyanide gas is released when the acid makes contact with the acid. otherwise the gas will disburse or evaporate with time it is a gas and will disipate into the surounding air after a time. Alkaline compounds like sodium hydroxide or potasium hydroxide was also placed in the soil around containers and are most likely the cause of irritation and broken skin it can be neutralize with mild acids like vinegar. acid compiounds in the soil can be neutralized with sweat lime or baking soda, also cyanide can not release tha gas fumes if the Ph is above 14 the acide can be neutrlized with baking soda or sweat lime… I know you think this is a crazy statement but i believe it even if you do not but here it is… I believe GOD sent me here to help the people of the philippine’s, to save lives and improve their faith in GOD.
ake Care and may God Lead you and direct you in all that you do. God Bless you mopre today than he did yesterday and realize that every day is a gift from GOD that is why today is called the PRESENT.
Don-
On Feb 2, 2010 at 4:49 pm Donald Clements said:

Hello again I would like to state for the record i do not own and i am not affilliated with the Life of Adventure website I am just a person posting here based on my experience and knowledge.
I have studied Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Geology, electronics, Drafting, metalurgy, plastics, History and other courses of study in highschool, college, Votech School in Electtronics and computer technology and from reading about things i have an interest in. The Life of Adventure website is not responsible or liable for any information that i post here.
Thank you
and May God bless you and your endeavors.
On Feb 5, 2010 at 9:43 am ROSE said:

HELLO DON I READ YOUR ARTICLE I IMPRESS TO U CAUZE U HAVE A LOT KNOWLEDGE IN YAMASHITA TREASURE, BY THE WAY MY PLACE NEAR IN MNDANAO RIGTH NOW WE DIG A TREASURE IN OUR FARM THEY HAVE MANY SIGNS ANG SYMBOLS WE INCOURTER WE HOPE WE CAN SUCCESS TO FIND IT BY THE WAY THEY DIG ABOUT 45 FT ALREADY ITS POSSIBLE IN ONE HOLE THEY HAVE DIAMONDS AND GOLD BARS? KAC THE OWNER OF THE DETECTORS SAY THAT TO MY MOTHER.
On Feb 13, 2010 at 6:54 pm armie said:

Hello! I read your ariicle, actually I am not looking for treasure, but I am looking for Japanese bone soldier In Bohol, can you help me find them? any part of bohol
On Feb 21, 2010 at 11:59 pm Tyler Eberth said:

Hello everybody, I was wondering if anyone might help me find a dig I could join? I been reading about this great treasure for years and would love to see it first hand. I live in salem, oregon, usa. And I work at a plant nursery so im realy good with a shovel and mud. Im willing to help however I can. If anyone wants to talk more about this email me @ boggerbrand@hotmail.com thanks
On Feb 26, 2010 at 6:00 am jiffy said:

hi im jiff..do you know all of you are selfish….
im the one of billionaire in philippines just cooperate each other..okay
On Feb 27, 2010 at 10:59 am Derick said:

Kung Sino po ang nais na magpatulong sa akin itxt nyo lang ang number na ito.. 09298380679.. my third eye po ako pang gamit sa mga treasure..salamat po..
On Mar 2, 2010 at 11:32 pm tyler said:

Hi jiff. I didnt know I was being selfish, please explain.
On Mar 6, 2010 at 11:16 pm ernesto said:

can anyone tell me.if what is the meaning of MGM, stamped on 35 kilogram gold bars.
On Mar 7, 2010 at 10:04 am macca said:

Hi Bell
I am from Bantayan Island I have site there but cannot afford to excavate right now, I have friend from Australia who came with his machine to locate for me its almost 200 meters deep
On Mar 11, 2010 at 8:12 pm Meg said:

Good day sir Clements,
greetings from palawan. Any suggestions for good metal detector?
I emailed you for some inguiries.
On Mar 15, 2010 at 1:59 pm Faye Brown said:

My father was in the Philipines hunting for the treasure around 1985 he was Michael Brown. His contact was a Filipino man called Roly. He gave me photos of gold they had excavated.
Was my Dad being scammed ???
If anyone knows any info. on my Father please mail me.
On Mar 17, 2010 at 3:10 am macca said:

I met a Mike Brown in Cebu 1986 who spoke about a treasure find I dont know if its your father
On Mar 17, 2010 at 3:28 am Faye Brown said:

Dear Macca,
This probably was him, he was known as Mike, Do you have any further info.
Am also looking for his Filipino wife and my half brother

any info. greatly appreciated
Faye
On Mar 17, 2010 at 3:32 am macca said:

Its A LONG time ago

mail me maccaharley@yahoo.co.uk
On Mar 23, 2010 at 12:41 am dave said:

hello anyone here needs an team? me and my father own a metal detector and a good security team with legal permits for TH if you have info just email me or txt 09215405365..mindanao area only..we are currently investigating markings in talakag bukidnon area
On Mar 24, 2010 at 3:54 pm jb said:

just a comment, in our place, a yamashita treasure has been dug out, 4 treasure chest and 1 budha w/ diamonds on it, i saw it on my own eyes, i am the cooker of the team, the sad part is we didnt get our share, the treasure just go to the governor of negros oriental and mayer of amlan..
On Mar 25, 2010 at 3:27 pm Lope Fausto said:

Hello jb:
Not a good day to you my friend!!!! anyway just wait until they give the share….There are still a lot of it here in Negor, i hope you can cook for others who are trustworthy not a politician. In this activity, you cannot trust your shadow even with a priest. The real gold is the heart…..
On Mar 28, 2010 at 1:02 am miguel said:

hi we have a site in visayas area 3 horizonatl box lock in chain in the middle of 2 island we can’t retrieve because we don’t have a boat to hull it beside its too heavy we need some equipment,there are also 2 positive site email me megulot666@yahoo.com…tnx…

Fil TH hurry up Balikatan retrieving our Gold…..
On Apr 2, 2010 at 6:55 am julius flores said:

anyone interested of a yamashita treasure feel free to call me cause we need help my number #301-366-5290 my name is jc i don’t pick up just leave a message
On Apr 25, 2010 at 11:29 pm Nathaniel said:

I have now more positive prospects but I need those partners who are equip for treasure hunting operation, if you want to be my partner, just email to namacanin@yahoo.com Gensan Philippines.
On May 17, 2010 at 1:05 am caloy said:

i have a digging project in negros,,,,,we saw a big rock cracked in two,the left rock has a “+” sign on top while the rock in the right has a “y” sign…what does it mean???……email me pls at ……cskie@yahoo.com or call me at 09192566156,,,,
On Jun 3, 2010 at 2:50 pm juan said:

Good day to you Mr.Don Clements, have you any idea about an burried slotted-wall Pyramid with an air-vent to one of its side and a hole on top of the pyramid covered by a rock? Also a mountain cliff with a big HAND Sign,i hope you can help me avoid the so many dangers as marked on the wall of the cliff.
On Jun 11, 2010 at 7:28 am kerr said:

good day Mr.Don Clements! just would like to ask if a HEART sign carved on a tree means anything . I still remember that HEART SIGN carved on one old tree in our hill top property in Agusan Norte, I also recall seeing what looks like a letter ” H “on that heart sign , and also carved “numbers ” but i can no longer
remember what numbers clearly. Theres a creek (now a dead creek) to cross when going upward to the direction of the tree. The last time I saw the HEART mark on that tree was in 1978 when I was yet a young boy,but I know that old tree still stands there. Could it be a marker for something hidden? A treasure perhaps? Would appreciate your feedback i.. Thanks a lot Mr.Don.
On Jun 21, 2010 at 8:33 pm atty joel s. duhaylongsod said:

1st: I am a lawyer, you can check my roll no….
2nd: Do not ask anything, like money, from me! for I shall not ask anything from you, e.g.:money, equipment, or anything of value!!!
3rd: I had heard lots of treasure hunting but I always distance myself….
4th:more than 20 years ago a farmer’s kid, while resting on top of a stone, noticed a symbol on the stone: a circle and straight line half across until center, engraved neatly! his father dug the earth beneath the stone and recovered 2 identical maps, the first map found just few feet above the second map. Unfortunately, to conceal the exact location of the stone from others, his father broke the stone!!!!! the maps are written in durable transparent plastic cellophane… Until now, big holes has been dig up… holes are becoming bigger and bigger! and there are many holes in the area but they found nothing!
5th: I believe the maps are authentic because I personally know the kid who discover the stone! but the upstart treasure hunters do not know what the maps are telling about? Is it a treasure map or a map for the japanese military camp?
6th: I do not have the original maps, one of the treasure hunters have it and he will not turn-over the same because he had spend several thousands of peso.
7th: fortunately I have a copy… If you want a copy of the map I can send a copy!
THANKS!
On Jun 28, 2010 at 2:58 am frix fantastiko said:

Ung bta palang pu aqu , namangha na aqu sa alamat ng yamashita guz2ng guz2 qu pu pag aralan ang mga bAgay2 2ngkol d2 , ang sarap icpin db kung blang araw mkuha mu ang yaman ng yamashita .. Guz2 kung mkita kung paAnu itinago ni yamashita ang kanyang kyamanan , minsan naiicp qu na sana minsan pag dting ng araw aqu naman ang mkahanap nito , sana naman may mbuTing tao na mag sama skin sa pag ha2nap nia ng yaman ni yamashita !
On Jun 30, 2010 at 5:51 pm patrick garcia said:

dear don,
good day! i visited my grandpa’s farmland in surigao sometime in 2006. i went there to help tenants clear part of the farm because the land was 20 years abandoned. when we are on our clearing, one of my men discovered a path hole under the very big rock (house big) sitting beside the rock clif. to cut the story short, we got inside and found nothing but, 12 metal boxes. its like a postal box measuring approx 50 in x 30 in x 30in. and with embosed marking US PROPERTY. we opened one of the box and found onother wooden box inside. we forced to open the wooden box because its podlocked. just a common podlock but there’s a serial number on it and an eagle emblem. and we found no gold. we found documents. i dont have any idea what were those. this is the box info. TREATY OF VERSAILLES. and some numbers A111111110-A this is what i remember. is this valuable? the boxes are still there inside the cave.text me 09186334827.
thanks.
On Jul 2, 2010 at 7:42 am bsr747 said:

i have knowledge regarding a closed tunnel found.the area is somewhere in davao del sur,inside this tunnel is a 3 holes in triangular position,a small altar.two treasure hunter the one is from luzon,confirmed that this tunnel has a deposit,inside this tunnel has a two way path,when they hit 50 meters,the passage is blocked by rock boulders,a pastor friend of mine who is also a treasure hunter,told me that he can locate the items,in just 1 day.i dont know if hes bluffing.all we need is someone who could shoulder the traveling expenses,this is a 7 hour ride from davao city.if we could recover some valuable finds,we will be splitting in equal terms.heres my contact number.09217-448-533.im davao city based
On Jul 4, 2010 at 5:32 am macca said:

I will fund that. Mail me maccaharley@yahoo.co.uk
On Jul 18, 2010 at 3:09 am junrey said:

hi 2 al
On Jul 19, 2010 at 3:52 am kerr said:

good day Atty.Joel Duhaylongsod.

perhaps you would like to entertain some two cents worth of input regarding that suspected treasure map. Don’t worry, I won’t be asking for anything. This is just a plain and simple “free” sharing of useful infos to you, which hopefully you may find useful in regard to that map. Leave a comment should you wish to be contacted. Good luck !
On Jul 19, 2010 at 6:40 am aldrin said:

donald, I would like to ask help. we alredy found stone mark, and sign during excavation. and know the location of the treasure, bec.we use detector. until now we just keep diging and diging. we are now in 8 meters( 6 meters soil and 2 meters deep of water).. pls give me some clues about the exact location of the treasure.. tnx
On Jul 23, 2010 at 10:14 am WeAreChange Frankfurt said:

anyone heard about gold being stolen two weeks ago by two helicopters in the phillipines??