is an
archaeological site containing the remnants of a large middle
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 Sekiharamachi neighborhood of the city of
Nagaoka, Niigata 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 ...
of
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 ...
. It is noted as the
type site for a type of Jōmon period pottery which uses a flame-like motif. The site was designated a
National Historic Site of Japan in 1979.
Overview
The site is located on a hill with an elevation of 60 to 70 meters on the east bank the
Shinano River. It was partially excavated by local amateur archaeologists in the
Meiji period. The site gained widespread academic attention in 1936, when large
ritual clay figurines were found. The site was also discovered to be the origin of Jōmon "flame style" pottery, which has four large protrusions forming a "cockscomb" design on the rim, with ridge-shaped decorations. It was subsequently excavated in the 1950s by the Dutch archaeologist Gerard J. Groot,
Waseda University and the Nagaoka City Board of Education, during which time the large extent of the settlement was realized. The settlement measured 150 meters east-to-west and 250 meters north-to-south. In addition to numerous examples of
Jōmon pottery, artifacts discovered included
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, and
jade
Jade is a mineral used as jewellery or for ornaments. It is typically green, although may be yellow or white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group of ...
jewelry and clay pulley-shaped earrings.
The Umataka portion of the site is the older section, dating from approximately 5500 to 4500 years ago. The Sanjūinaba portion of the site is located slightly to the north of the Umataka portion and is separated by a small stream and a marsh, and dates from the late Jōmon period (approximately 4500 - 3200 years ago), and the style of pottery found in this location often had lids, and an intricate pieced and woven decorative pattern. Earthenware with a lid is rare in Jōmon pottery, and the presence of carbonized rice at the bottom of some of these pots indicated that they were for actual use in cooking. The Sanjūinaba portion of the site also had a three-meter deep pit where clay was mined. Rock slabs engraved with intricate motifs and jade and talc-polished whetstones have also been excavated.
Many of the artifacts found at the site are displayed at the , which is located on site. One of the restored flame-motif pottery jars recovered from the site was designated a national
Important Cultural Property of Japan in 1990, and the designation was expanded in 2002 to include a total of 126 items of pottery and 173 stone items under a collective designation.
The surrounding area is preserved as a part with a number of reconstructions of
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.
The site and museum are located about eight kilometers west of
Nagaoka Station on the
JR East
The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are ...
Joetsu Line, and there is a bus service from the station.
Gallery
file:馬高遺跡出土 深鉢形土器 火焔型土器.JPG, Deep flame-style pottery（ICP）
file:馬高遺跡出土 浅鉢形土器 火焔型土器.JPG, Shallow flame-style pottery（ICP）
file:馬高遺跡出土 石製品 石棒.JPG, stone implement（ICP）
file:馬高遺跡出土 土偶.JPG, Clay Figurine（ICP）
file:馬高遺跡出土 土版.JPG, Clay Tablet（ICP）
file:Umataka Jomon Museum.jpg, Umataka Jomon Museum
See also
*
List of Historic Sites of Japan (Niigata)
References
External links
Nagaoka city home pageNiigata Prefecture Bureau of Tourism
{in lang, ja
Jōmon period
History of Niigata Prefecture
Nagaoka, Niigata
Historic Sites of Japan
Archaeological sites in Japan
Museums in Niigata Prefecture