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 ...

in Suruga Ward in

Shizuoka City is the capital city of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, and the prefecture's second-largest city in both population and area. It has been populated since prehistoric times. the city had an estimated population of 690,881 in 106,087 households, an ...

, southwest of

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

, Japan. The site contains the ruins of a settlement which dates to the 1st century CE, in the late

Yayoi period The started at the beginning of the Neolithic in Japan, continued through the Bronze Age, and towards its end crossed into the Iron Age. Since the 1980s, scholars have argued that a period previously classified as a transition from the Jōmon ...

. Discovered in 1943, it was excavated from 1947 to 1948 and designated a Special Historic Site of Japan in 1952. Toro is also the name of the area surrounding it in the

Japanese addressing system The Japanese addressing system is used to identify a specific location in Japan. When written in Japanese characters, addresses start with the largest geographical entity and proceed to the most specific one. When written in Latin characters, ad ...

Background

Toro is notable as the first archaeological site excavated in Japan in which remains of 1st-century CE Yayoi-era wet-rice paddy fields were found. The site was discovered in 1943 during construction work on a military munitions plant in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and was excavated in 1947 and 1948. In 1965 an excavation survey was conducted before the construction of

Tōmei Expressway The is a national expressway on the island of Honshū in Japan. It is operated by Central Nippon Expressway Company. The expressway is designated as E1 under the "2016 Proposal for Realization of Expressway Numbering", because it parallels ...

within the planned route. As well as the agricultural remains, archaeological findings included Pit-house dwellings, refuse pits, and raised-floor buildings. Many artifacts were also unearthed. The preservation at the Toro site was so complete that a large number of 2000-year-old wooden farming tools were excavated. The site was re-excavated from 1999 to 2003, during which time additional artifacts were uncovered. The archaeological remains from Toro elicited such an intense interest from Japanese archaeologists that the

Japanese Archaeological Association The (JAA) was established in 1948 and is a nationwide organization concerned with the archaeology of Japan and the preservation of its Cultural Properties. At the time of its establishment there were 81 members and by 1998, 3,387 members, with t ...

was formed to study it. Toro has been used as 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 A ...

for Yayoi culture despite the fact that the location of the settlement in 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 ...

was peripheral to what has traditionally been considered the Yayoi formation area in northern Kyūshū.

Site

The total area of the Toro site is . Twelve pit-houses were excavated but as the archaeologists were not able to establish the boundaries of the original Yayoi settlement, the true size of the village is unknown and may have been much larger. In addition to the houses, two raised-floor buildings were found. Archaeologists interpret these as storehouses. The Toro pit-dwellings had a roughly living area, with a double skirting wall approximately high around the circumference. Four wooden posts were sunk into the ground, with beams connecting at the top, and rafters radiating down to the ground level. The whole was covered in thatch. Within, the floor level was even with the outside ground, and a hearth was sunk into the floor in the center. The elevated buildings had an entrance ladder carved from a single log of wood. These buildings were apparently built of planks, using a mortise and tenon joinery method, which indicates that the builders had use of iron tools. Approximately 30 rice paddies were uncovered, along with of associated narrow

canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...

s and waterways. The site is now preserved as a public

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 ...

with reconstructed buildings and rice fields, and is protected by the Japanese government as a National Historic Monument. A museum at the site preserves and displays many of the artifacts discovered. 775 artifacts excavated from Toro site are designated as Important Cultural Property of Japan in 2016.

Gallery

Toro Site-1.jpg, View from the entry to the site Toro Site-2.jpg, Museum Toro Site-4.jpg, Diorama in the museum 2004年08月25日竪02.JPG, restored pit dwelling Toro saiden.JPG, restored ceremonial building

References

Works cited

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External links

Japan Atlas: Toro site

Shizuoka City Toro Museum
{{Authority control Archaeological sites in Japan Buildings and structures in Shizuoka (city) Tourist attractions in Shizuoka Prefecture Museums in Shizuoka Prefecture Yayoi period Special Historic Sites Archaeological type sites Parks and gardens in Shizuoka Prefecture