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 a ...

containing the ruins of a late Jōmon period settlement located in what is now the Fudai neighborhood of the city of

Chōfu is a city in the western side of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 238,087, and a population density of 11,000 per km². the total area of the city is . Geography Chōfu is approximately in the south-center of ...

Tokyo Metropolis Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

in the Kantō region of Japan. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1987, with the area covered by the designation extended in 2005 and again in 2011 due to additional finds.

Overview

The Shimofuda ruins is located on a

river terrace Fluvial terraces are elongated terraces that flank the sides of floodplains and fluvial valleys all over the world. They consist of a relatively level strip of land, called a "tread", separated from either an adjacent floodplain, other fluvial te ...

of the

Tama River The is a major river in Yamanashi, Kanagawa and Tokyo Prefectures on Honshū, Japan. It is officially classified as a Class 1 river by the Japanese government. Its total length is , and the total of the river's basin area spans . The rive ...

. The surrounding area was densely populated during the Jōmon period and this is one of several sites forming a settlement belt along the river. The area was formerly heavily wooden and contained several mounds which were previously assumed to have been ancient burial mounds. However, in the course of several archaeological excavations between 1964 and 1971, a pentagonal pit with a major axis of about 1.75 meters and a minor axis of about 1.35 meters and a depth of 9 to 12 centimeters was discovered, containing several phallic-looking stone rods was discovered. This was presumably a ritual site from the late Jōmon period. Another find included a grave area in which 600 river stones the size of a human head had been arranged in a square with each side measuring eight meters. Underneath were numerous burials in jar coffins. Numerous shards 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 ...

, stone swords, stone axes, and spearpoints, clay ritual figurines, and '' magatama'' and pottery earrings and other daily objects have also been found at the site. One striking example was an intricate pottery earring shaped like a rose that was subsequently designated a National Important Cultural Property. The Jōmon pottery included example from both the

Tōhoku region The , Northeast region, or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (''ken''): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. Tōhoku reta ...

and the

Tōkai region The is a subregion of the Chūbu region and Kansai region in Japan that runs along the Pacific Ocean. The name comes from the Tōkaidō, one of the Edo Five Routes. Because Tōkai is a sub-region and is not officially classified, there i ...

, confirming that trade occurred over relatively long distances during this period. Further excavations were conducted from 1978 to 1982, uncovering a number of wood products as well as animal bones and nuts, indicating the diet of the Jōmon period inhabitants of the settlement. The site is located in a suburban area and suffers from urban encroachment, but is relatively well preserved and is one of the few known late Jōmon sites in the southern Kantō region. Some of the artifacts discovered are exhibited in the nearby branch office of Chōfu City Folk Museum. The site, which is now backfilled and is a public park, is about a ten-minute walk from

Fuda Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Chōfu, Tokyo, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Keio Corporation. Lines Fuda Station is served by the Keio Line, and is located 14.9 kilometers from the starting point of ...

on the Keio Line.

References

External links

Chōfu city home page official site
* {{YouTube, ztHcJUh009Y, 国指定史跡「下布田遺跡」 Jōmon period History of Tokyo Chōfu, Tokyo Archaeological sites in Japan Historic Sites of Japan

Overview

See also

References

External links