Editing Devil's Sea (section)

== Description ==
[[File:Dragon's Triangle.svg|thumb|A possible form of the Dragon's Triangle. Due to the Berlitz's claim having many inconsistencies, its exact form is unclear.]] The Japanese word ''ma no umi'' (translated as devil sea, troublesome sea, or dangerous sea) has been widely used to describe dangerous marine locations around the world.<ref>Japanese newspaper [[Asahi Shimbun]] has claimed the following areas as "ma-no umi" or "ma-no kaiiki" before 1954: [[Bay of Bengal]] (1914.07.26 morning), [[Kuril Islands]] (1924.05.31 evening), [[Korea Strait]] (1926.03.28 morning), [[Lake Baikal]] (1926.04.02 morning), [[Korsakov (town)]] (1930.05.04 morning), East coast of Japan (1930.07.19 evening), [[Hainan]] (1939.02.11 morning), Near the [[United Kingdom]] (1939.12.15 evening), [[Atlantic Ocean]] (1940.03.08 evening), and [[Taiwan Strait]] (1954.10.20 evening)</ref> This means that there are many locations that the Japanese call ''ma no umi.''

In August of 1945 a [[Mitsubishi A6M Zero]] supposedly went missing. A distress radio transmission from Zero F [[Wing commander (rank)|Wing Commander]] pilot [[Shiro Kawamoto]] crossing the Triangle near the end of the war created more questions than answers. The last thing his message said was "...something is happening in the sky...the sky is opening up-".<ref>{{cite book|last=Brennan |first=Herbie |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/43217660|title=Seriously weird true stories |date=1997 |publisher=Hippo |others=David Wyatt |isbn=0-590-13973-8 |location=London |oclc=43217660}}</ref>

On 4 January 1955, Japanese ship ''Shinyo Maru No. 10'' (第十伸洋丸) lost radio contact near [[Mikura-jima]]. Japanese newspapers then began to label the location as ''ma no umi'' until the ship was found safe on 15 January.<ref>Asahi Shimbun 1955.01.12 morning</ref> [[Yomiuri Shimbun]] showed a map of the sea with points of several other ships that had been lost in recent years, and stated that those ships were lost within the area that the Yokohama Coast Guard Office had classified as a special danger area.<ref name="yomiuri">Yomiuri Shimbun 1955.01.14 morning</ref>{{sfn|Kusche|1975|p=257}} 

In the U.S., ''[[The New York Times]]'' introduced this incident with the term "The Devil's Sea," where nine ships had been lost in perfect weather.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1955/01/16/archives/tokyo-gets-news-from-missing-ship-faint-signal-ends-japanese-fears.html TOKYO GETS NEWS FROM MISSING SHIP; Faint Signal Ends Japanese Fears for Vessel's Fate -- All Aboard Are Safe - The New York Times]</ref>{{sfn|Kusche|1975|p=253}} Yomiuri Shimbun described the size of the ''ma no umi'' as follows: "From the [[Izu islands]] to east of the [[Ogasawara islands]]; about 200 miles east to west, and about 300 miles north to south, where nine ships were lost in the past five years".<ref name="yomiuri"/> However, two of the nine ships were lost near [[Miyake-jima]] and [[Iwo Jima]], about 750 miles apart.{{sfn|Kusche|1975|p=258}}

In 1974, American [[paranormal]] writer [[Charles Berlitz]] introduced the Devil's Sea in his book ''[[The Bermuda Triangle (book)|The Bermuda Triangle]]''. Berlitz claimed that "nine modern ships and several hundred crews were lost without traces between 1950 and 1954; in 1955, the Japanese government sent ''[[Kaiyō No.1-class oceanographic research ship|Kaiyo Maru No 5]]'' to the sea for investigating unexplained ship losses, but this ship vanished as well"{{sfn|Berlitz|1974|p=92}} ... "After the incident, Japanese authorities have labeled the sea as a danger zone."{{sfn|Berlitz|1974|p=91}}

In 1989, Berlitz claimed that the Devil's Sea is also called the Dragon's Triangle in his book ''The Dragon's Triangle''.{{sfn|Berlitz|1989|p=15}} Berlitz continued by theorizing that five Japanese military vessels disappeared while on maneuvers near Japanese shores in early 1942.{{sfn|Berlitz|1989|p=24}}