The is an

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...

with the ruins of a middle to final

Jōmon period The is the time in Japanese history, traditionally dated between 6,000–300 BCE, during which Japan was inhabited by a diverse hunter-gatherer and early agriculturalist population united through a common Jōmon culture, which reached a c ...

(around 1700–500 BC) settlement in the Kyōzuka neighborhood of the city of

Nonoichi, Ishikawa is a city located in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 52,143 in 23,111 households, and a population density of 3,800 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Geography Nonoichi is in central Ishikawa ...

in the

Hokuriku region The was located in the northwestern part of Honshu, the main island of Japan. It lay along the Sea of Japan within the Chūbu region, which it is currently a part of. It is almost equivalent to Koshi Province and Hokurikudō area in pre-modern ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1977.

Overview

The Okyōzuka Site was discovered in 1954 and an excavation survey was conducted from 1955. It was one of the largest settlements in the Hokuriku region from the middle to the late Jōmon period. The ruins straddle the eastern side of

Japan National Route 8 is a major highway in the Hokuriku and Kansai regions of central Japan. The highway begins at an intersection with National Routes 7, 17, 49, 113, and 116 in Chūō-ku, Niigata. It travels southwest across central Honshu, connecting the p ...

, and cover an area of about 35,000 square meters. Some 28

pit dwelling A pit-house (or ''pit house'', ''pithouse'') is a house built in the ground and used for shelter. Besides providing shelter from the most extreme of weather conditions, these structures may also be used to store food (just like a pantry, a larder ...

s have been investigated in more than ten excavations since 1955. The settlement was in a horseshoe-shape, with a diameter of about 200 meters and a plaza in the center. The site was noted for the huge number of artifacts discovered: 542

Jōmon pottery The is a type of ancient earthenware pottery which was made during the Jōmon period in Japan. The term "Jōmon" () means "rope-patterned" in Japanese, describing the patterns that are pressed into the clay. Outline Oldest pottery in Jap ...

or earthenware objects, 3642

stone tool A stone tool is, in the most general sense, any tool made either partially or entirely out of stone. Although stone tool-dependent societies and cultures still exist today, most stone tools are associated with prehistoric (particularly Stone Ag ...

s or fragments, 23 bone tools, ritual clay figurines and other objects, of which a total of 4219 items were collectively designated as National Important Cultural Properties on June 29, 2010. The pottery centered on deep and shallow pots with regional characteristics unique to the Hokuriku region while being influenced by both eastern and western Japan, and since chronological continuity is also recognized, it is a

type site In archaeology, a type site is the site used to define a particular archaeological culture or other typological unit, which is often named after it. For example, discoveries at La Tène and Hallstatt led scholars to divide the European Iron Age ...

for "Mitsutsuka-style"

which has been found throughout the Hokuriku region. Many of the clay figurines excavated at this site are important because they can likewise be periodized according to their form and pattern. The south side of the ruins is maintained as an

archaeological park An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and ...

, and the west half of the site used as a place to enjoy simple sports, with the east side divided into a restored pit dwellings and a learning area centered on vegetation of virgin forest and the which displays a number of artifacts from the site. It is located about a ten-minute walk from Nonoichi Station on the

IR Ishikawa Railway Line The is a Japanese third-sector railway company established in 2012 to operate passenger railway services on the section of the JR West Hokuriku Main Line within Ishikawa Prefecture. The main line was separated from the JR West network on 14 Ma ...

Gallery

Okyouzuka Ruins - 22.jpg, foundations of pit dwellings Okyouzuka Ruins - 20.jpg, restored pit dwelling Okyouzuka Ruins - 03.jpg, Map of excavations

References

External links

Nonoichi city digital museum page

{{in lang, ja Jōmon period History of Ishikawa Prefecture Tourist attractions in Ishikawa Prefecture Nonoichi, Ishikawa Historic Sites of Japan Archaeological sites in Japan Important Cultural Properties of Ishikawa Prefecture

Overview

Gallery

See also

References

External links