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 ...

containing the ruins of a late-

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 ...

settlement located in the Sano neighborhood of the town of

Yamanouchi, Nagano is a town located in Shimotakai District in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 12,403 in 5020 households, and a population density of 47 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Yamanouchi, located in th ...

in the

Chūbu region The , Central region, or is a region in the middle of Honshu, Honshū, Japan, Japan's main island. In a wide, classical definition, it encompasses nine prefectures (''ken''): Aichi Prefecture, Aichi, Fukui Prefecture, Fukui, Gifu Prefecture ...

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 1976.

Overview

Sano site is located in the southern portion of Yamanouchi Basin, where the Yamase River flows down from the

Shiga Highlands is a ski resort and hiking spot, located in the Jōshin'etsu-kōgen National Park in the highlands of Yamanouchi, Nagano, Japan. In 1980, an area of was designated a UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Reserve. Ski resort At 4.25 square kilometres ( ...

. In the late 1930s, the discovery of Kamegaoka pottery from far northern

Mutsu Province was an old province of Japan in the area of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori Prefectures and the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture. Mutsu Province is also known as or . The term is often used to refer to the comb ...

at this location attracted considerable attention, indicating long distance trade during the Jōmon period. Subsequent

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 have uncovered the traces of a large-scale settlement, and further examples of a distinctive local style of

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 ...

, which was named the "Sano style". In the Shinano region, ruins from the middle Jōmon period (3000–2000 BCE) are numerous, but the number drops drastically during the late Jōmon period (2000–1000 BCE). The site is located approximately ten minutes by car from

Yudanaka Station is a railway station in the town of Yamanouchi, Nagano, Japan, operated by the private railway operating company Nagano Electric Railway. Yudanaka Station is a gateway to seasonal mountain and outdoor activities, including hiking and skiing or sn ...

on the

Nagano Electric Railway The is a private railway based in Nagano, Japan. The company and its line are commonly referred to as . It originally operated three lines, but only the Nagano Line between Nagano — Suzaka — Shinshū-Nakano — Yudanaka remains ...

, but is only an open field with a stone marker.

References

External links

Yamanouchi town official site
{{in lang, ja Jōmon-period ruins History of Nagano Prefecture Yamanouchi, Nagano Historic Sites of Japan Archaeological type sites

Overview

See also

References

External links