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

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...

government facility located in the town of Kamigōri,

Hyōgo Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Hyōgo Prefecture has a population of 5,469,762 () and has a geographic area of . Hyōgo Prefecture borders Kyoto Prefecture to the east, Osaka Prefecture to the southeast, an ...

, in the

Kansai region The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropolita ...

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 in 2006.

Overview

During the

Asuka Asuka may refer to: People * Asuka (name), a list of people * Asuka (wrestler), professional wrestler * Asuka (wrestler, born 1998), professional wrestler also known as Veny outside of Japan Places In Japan * , an area in Yamato Province (now ...

and

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the cap ...

, a system of national highways (''

kaidō were roads in Japan dating from the Edo period. They played important roles in transportation like the Appian Way of ancient Roman roads. Major examples include the Edo Five Routes, all of which started at Edo (modern-day Tokyo). Minor exam ...

'') was established as part of the ''

Gokishichidō was the name for ancient administrative units organized in Japan during the Asuka period (AD 538–710), as part of a legal and governmental system borrowed from the Chinese. Though these units did not survive as administrative structures beyon ...

'' administrative reforms under the '' Ritsuryo'' system to facilitate local control by a centralized system. One of the most important of these official routes was the

San'yōdō is a Japanese geographical term. It means both an ancient division of the country and the main road running through it. The San'yōdō corresponds for the most part with the modern conception of the San'yō region. This name derives from the id ...

which connected the capital with the critically important administrative center of Dazaifu in northern

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's five main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands ( i.e. excluding Okinawa). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regional name referred to Kyushu and its surroun ...

, passing through the provinces of

Harima or Banshū (播州) was a province of Japan in the part of Honshū that is the southwestern part of present-day Hyōgo Prefecture. Harima bordered on Tajima, Tanba, Settsu, Bizen, and Mimasaka Provinces. Its capital was Himeji. During the ...

, Mimasaka, Bizen, Bitchū,

Bingo Bingo or B-I-N-G-O may refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * Bingo, a game using a printed card of numbers ** Bingo (British version), a game using a printed card of 15 numbers on three lines; most commonly played in the UK and Ireland ** Bi ...

, Aki, Suō and Nagato. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "''Goki-shichidō''" in . Along the most important of these official routes, station houses (''umaya'') were established at regular intervals to provide food and accommodations, as well as pack horses and bearers for traveling officials. There were nominally established at 16 kilometer intervals, but in the case of the San'yōdō were at eight kilometer intervals. This reflected not only the volume of traffic on this route, but also was necessary as this was the route used by foreign emissaries traveling between Daizaifu and the capital. It is unknown if the layout of the ''umaya'' was standardized, as almost all of the ruins of these structures have been lost over time and due to urban development, and the San'yōdō Yamanoumaya site is an almost unique intact example. From

archaeological excavation In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

s, it was determined that the buildings were of buried pillar foundations, red Pilars, whitewashed walls, and had

roof tile A roof ( : roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of temper ...

s. The structures were arranged around a "U" shape courtyard which opened to the ten-meter wide highway. The facility was operated on a hereditary basis by the Noma clan for centuries. The San'yōdō Yamanoumaya site's also of importance in that the ''umaya'' and the Noma clan are mentioned in the

Konjaku Monogatarishū , also known as the , is a Japanese collection of over one thousand tales written during the late Heian period (794–1185). The entire collection was originally contained in 31 volumes, of which 28 remain today. The volumes cover various tales fr ...

'' and also in

Sei Shōnagon was a Japanese author, poet, and a court lady who served the Empress Teishi (Sadako) around the year 1000 during the middle Heian period. She is the author of . Name Sei Shōnagon's actual given name is not known. It was the custom among arist ...

The Pillow Book is a book of observations and musings recorded by Sei Shōnagon during her time as court lady to Empress Consort Teishi during the 990s and early 1000s in Heian-period Japan. The book was completed in the year 1002. The work is a collection of ...

''. It is also a location featured in the ''

Hokke Genki , also called but commonly referred to as , is an 11th century Japanese collection of Buddhist tales and folklore (setsuwa). It was compiled by the monk from 1040 to 1043, and consists of three volumes with 129 chapters, two of which are missing ...

'', an 11th century Japanese collection of Buddhist tales and folklore.

References

External links

Kamigōri Tourist Association home page
{{in lang, ja Heian period Archaeological sites in Japan History of Hyōgo Prefecture Kamigōri, Hyōgo Historic Sites of Japan

Overview

See also

References

External links