The SOS Sign That No One Made: Japan’s strangest Hiking Mystery

Introduction

In 1989, Daisetsuzan National Park, Hokkaidō, Japan, a person went to climb the mountains, but he never returned, and a report was filed about his disappearance. The duration of his disappearance was not long, as it was less than 24 hours. The Japanese authorities sent a helicopter to search for him in the area where he was said to have gone. While the helicopter was searching for him, they saw a sign—"SOS"—which was large and clearly visible. The helicopter landed at the location of the sign, and two people emerged from the trees and were rescued. Then, a crew member told them it was a brilliant idea, as they wouldn't have found them without the sign. The two men looked at each other in confusion, then turned to the crew member and said, "What sign? We didn't make any SOS sign."

If the two rescued men didn't make the SOS sign, then who did? And that means there is another person in need of help.

1The investigation begins: A body is found

That’s why the next day, the police returned and found a bag inside a hole big enough for a human. Was the bag placed there to hide it? They completed the search for evidence and found a skeleton near the SOS sign that had been unearthed by animals.

The human bones were sent to Asahikawa Medical University and were identified initially as those of a woman aged 20–40 years. Her blood type was O. However, during the examination, fractures were found that were not caused by animal scavenging but by something stronger. It appeared that this person had suffered an accident, as the left shoulder and right leg were broken

2Inside the bag : More mysteries hidden in voice records

Inside the bag , they found two tubes of toothpaste, two toothbrushes, a notebook, and other items not considered important to the case, A tape recorder and an ID were also found.

The tape recorder contained four tapes. The first three tapes had anime songs, but the fourth contained a frightening and somewhat mysterious recording:

"SOS; help me! I can't move on the cliff! SOS; help me! The place is where I first met the helicopter! The sasa is deep, and I can't get up! Lift me up from here!"

This fourth recording was a man’s voice calling for help. (Sasa is a type of grass or plant found in the area where the SOS sign was discovered.)

The ID belonged to a man named Kenji Iwamura, who had been missing for five years since the discovery of the SOS sign.

3What happened five years before the SOS incident?

In 1984, five years before the SOS sign was found, Kenji Iwamura, a 25-year-old male office worker from Kōnan, Aichi Prefecture, received a promotion at his job, so he wanted to reward himself and decided to go mountain climbing. He took a one-week vacation and went to Daisetsuzan National Park, Hokkaidō, where he found a lodge and booked a stay.

One day, Kenji told the receptionist that he was thinking of going into the mountains for a hike and some climbing. The receptionist warned him not to go because the weather was unstable and dangerous in that place, advising him to wait until conditions improved before heading out. However, Kenji did not heed the warning and went to Mount Asahi.

4Background Information about mount Asahi

Mount Asahi is known for its unpredictable weather, and there are specific climbing routes to help climbers. There is a rock called Safe Rock, which helps climbers know where to go next. However, there is another rock that looks like Safe Rock, and unfortunately, some climbers take the wrong path because of this rock.

Because of this, signs were placed on the fake rock to warn climbers that this rock is not Safe Rock. If someone takes the wrong path, they will end up going down a mountain slope, leading to the location of the SOS sign.

When a long time passed and Kenji did not return, the receptionist reported his disappearance.

In the 2000s, they re-examined the bones, and it turned out they belonged to a man with blood type A, the same blood type as Kenji. (It is said that the discrepancy at the time was due to less advanced equipment.)

If these were really Kenji's remains, then what happened to him? And is the voice in the recording Kenji's voice?

The recording was given to Kenji’s family to confirm his voice, but they said, "This is… not our son’s voice!" Maybe he sounded different because he was terrified and in distress, but it is strange that the family did not recognize their son’s voice.

5The closest we have come to the truth

One of the most plausible theories suggested by the police was that: Kenji, after talking to the receptionist, went climbing and mistook the fake Safe Rock for the real one. He unknowingly took the wrong path and got lost. Along the way, he met another lost climber, and they continued together. Kenji eventually fell or rolled down the mountain, resulting in the fractures that left him unable to move. The other person tried to help Kenji but couldn’t, so Kenji told him to go and find help, leaving him alone. The person decided to create an SOS sign near Kenji, so that if rescuers found Kenji, he could explain their situation and both could be saved. Or, if he found help, he could guide them back to Kenji. The person cut down about 19 birch trees, each 5 meters long, and took some time to make the large sign. After creating the sign, he placed Kenji near it and left to seek help. While Kenji was near the sign, he saw a helicopter and called out for help, but the helicopter did not notice him or the sign. Desperate to attract attention, Kenji used a tape recorder and recorded the fourth tape. Unfortunately, he was never rescued and remained there until he died.

Perhaps the other person met the same fate, unable to find help.

This theory is considered the closest to the truth by the police.

But to this day, the full truth has never been found, and the mystery of the SOS sign remains an eerie, unsolved, and ominous enigma.