Hoshigatō Obsidian Mine Site
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Hoshigatō Obsidian Mine Site
The is a Jōmon period archaeological site consisting 193 shallow interconnected pits over a 35,000 square meter area, from which obsidian had been mined, located in what is now part of the town of Nagawa in the Chūbu region Japan. It has been protected as a National Historic Site since 2015. Overview The Hoshigatō site is located northwest of slope of Mount Kirigamine at an elevation of 1500 meters, within the Higashimata National Forest in the northeastern part of Shimosuwa. Obsidian, or "volcanic glass" was frequently used for stone tools and weapons in the Japanese Paleolithic period as it could be fractured by lithic reduction to produce sharp blades or arrowheads, and frequently occurs in volcanic formation around Japan. Archaeological excavations have found that obsidian was extracted from this location from the early Jōmon period (about 5700 years ago) through the late Jōmon period (2000–1000 BCE). Physicochemical analysis has found that obsidian from this site wa ...
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Shimosuwa, Nagano
is a Towns of Japan, town located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 20,055 in 8864 households, and a population density of 300 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Geography Shimosuwa is located in central Nagano Prefecture, approximately 50 kilometers from the prefectural capital of Nagano city and 200 kilometers from Tokyo. The town is bordered on the south by Lake Suwa. The town has an altitude of 760 meters at the town center, and is 82% forested. Surrounding municipalities *Nagano Prefecture ** Matsumoto, Nagano, Matsumoto ** Nagawa, Nagano, Nagawa ** Okaya, Nagano, Okaya ** Suwa, Nagano, Suwa Climate The town has a humid continental climate characterized by warm and humid summers, and cold winters (Köppen climate classification ''Dfb''). The average annual temperature in Shimosuwa is 7.3 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1540 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in Au ...
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Japanese Paleolithic
The is the period of human inhabitation in Japan predating the development of pottery, generally before 10,000 BC. The starting dates commonly given to this period are from around 40,000 BC, with recent authors suggesting that there is good evidence for habitation from c. 36,000 BC onwards. The period extended to the beginning of the Mesolithic Jōmon period, or around 14,000 BC. Archaeology of the Paleolithic period The study of the Paleolithic period in Japan did not begin until quite recently: the first Paleolithic site was not discovered until 1946, right after the end of World War II. Due to the previous assumption that humans did not live in Japan before the Jōmon period, excavations usually stopped at the beginning of the Jōmon stratum (14,000 BC), and were not carried on further. However, since that first Paleolithic find by Tadahiro Aizawa, around 5,000 Paleolithic sites have been discovered, some of them at existing Jōmon archaeological sites, and some dating to the ...
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Mines In Japan
Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging *Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun Military * Mining (military), digging under a fortified military position to penetrate its defenses * Mine warfare ** Anti-tank mine, a land mine made for use against armored vehicles ** Antipersonnel mine, a land mine targeting people walking around, either with explosives or poison gas ** Bangalore mine, colloquial name for the Bangalore torpedo, a man-portable explosive device for clearing a path through wire obstacles and land mines ** Cluster bomb, an aerial bomb which releases many small submunitions, which often act as mines ** Land mine, explosive mines placed under or on the ground ** Naval mine, or sea mine, a mine at sea, either floating or on the sea bed, often dropped via parachute from aircraft, or otherwise lain by surface sh ...
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History Of Nagano Prefecture
History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categorize history as a social science, while others see it as part of the humanities or consider it a hybrid discipline. Similar debates surround the purpose of history—for example, whether its main aim is theoretical, to uncover the truth, or practical, to learn lessons from the past. In a more general sense, the term ''history'' refers not to an academic field but to the past itself, times in the past, or to individual texts about the past. Historical research relies on primary and secondary sources to reconstruct past events and validate interpretations. Source criticism is used to evaluate these sources, assessing their authenticity, content, and reliability. Historians strive to integrate the perspectives of several sources to develop a ...
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List Of Historic Sites Of Japan (Nagano)
This list is of the Monuments of Japan, Historic Sites of Japan located within the Prefectures of Japan, Prefecture of Nagano Prefecture, Nagano. National Historic Sites As of 1 August 2020, thirty-eight Sites have been Cultural Properties of Japan, designated as being of national Values (heritage), significance (including one *List of Special Places of Scenic Beauty, Special Historic Sites and Special Natural Monuments, Special Historic Site); the Nakasendō spans the prefectural borders with Gifu Prefecture, Gifu. Prefectural Historic Sites As of 3 April 2020, sixty-eight Sites have been designated as being of prefectural importance. Municipal Historic Sites As of 1 May 2019, a further six hundred and eighty-one Sites have been designated as being of municipal importance. See also * Cultural Properties of Japan * Shinano Province * Nagano Prefectural Museum of History * List of Places of Scenic Beauty of Japan (Nagano) * List ...
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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 is some disagreement about where exactly the region begins and ends, however Japanese maps widely conclude that the region includes Shizuoka, Aichi, Gifu and Mie prefectures. The largest major city in the region is Nagoya and the Chūkyō Metropolitan Area (Nagoya Metropolitan Area) makes up a large portion of the region and has Japan's third strongest economy. The business influence of this urban area sometimes extends out into the outlying areas of the three prefectures centered on Nagoya which are Aichi, Gifu, and Mie; this area is sometimes referred to as the Chūkyō region. Tōkai is a heavy manufacturing area and is one of the most industrial regions in Japan. Its coast is lined with densely populated cities with economies that t ...
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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 (): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. Tōhoku retains a reputation as a remote, scenic region with a harsh climate. In the 20th century, tourism became a major industry in the Tōhoku region. History Ancient and classical period In mythological times, the area was known as Azuma (, ) and corresponded to the area of Honshu occupied by the native Emishi and Ainu. The area was historically the Dewa and the Michinoku regions, a term first recorded in (654). There is some variation in modern usage of the term "Michinoku". Tōhoku's initial historical settlement occurred between the seventh and ninth centuries, well after Japanese civilization and culture had become firmly established in central and southwestern Japan. The last stronghold of the indigenous Emishi on Honshu and the site of ...
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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 conducted over a few weeks to several years. Excavation involves the recovery of several types of data from a site. This data includes Artifact (archaeology), artifacts (portable objects made or modified by humans), Feature (archaeology), features (non-portable modifications to the site itself such as post molds, burials, and hearths), Ecofact, ecofacts (evidence of human activity through organic remains such as animal bones, pollen, or charcoal), and archaeological context (relationships among the other types of data).Kelly&Thomas (2011). ''Archaeology: down to earth'' (4th ed.). Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. Before excavating, the presence or absence of archaeological remains can often be suggested by, non-intrusive remote se ...
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Lithic Reduction
In archaeology, in particular of the Stone Age, lithic reduction is the process of fashioning stones or rocks from their natural state into tools or weapons by removing some parts. It has been intensely studied and many archaeological industries are identified almost entirely by the lithic analysis of the precise style of their tools and the chaîne opératoire of the reduction techniques they used. Normally the starting point is the selection of a piece of tool stone that has been detached by natural geological processes, and is an appropriate size and shape. In some cases solid rock or larger boulders may be quarried and broken into suitable smaller pieces, and in others the starting point may be a piece of the debitage, a flake removed from a previous operation to make a larger tool. The selected piece is called the lithic core (also known as the "objective piece"). A basic distinction is that between flaked or knapped stone, the main subject here, and ground stone ...
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Stone Tool
Stone tools have been used throughout human history but are most closely associated with prehistoric cultures and in particular those of the Stone Age. Stone tools may be made of either ground stone or knapped stone, the latter fashioned by a craftsman called a flintknapper. Stone has been used to make a wide variety of tools throughout history, including arrowheads, spearheads, hand axes, and querns. Knapped stone tools are nearly ubiquitous in pre-metal-using societies because they are easily manufactured, the tool stone raw material is usually plentiful, and they are easy to transport and sharpen. The study of stone tools is a cornerstone of prehistoric archaeology because they are essentially indestructible and therefore a ubiquitous component of the archaeological record. Ethnoarchaeology is used to further the understanding and cultural implications of stone tool use and manufacture. Knapped stone tools are made from cryptocrystalline materials such as chert, f ...
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Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea in the south. The Japanese archipelago consists of four major islands—Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu—and List of islands of Japan, thousands of smaller islands, covering . Japan has a population of over 123 million as of 2025, making it the List of countries and dependencies by population, eleventh-most populous country. The capital of Japan and List of cities in Japan, its largest city is Tokyo; the Greater Tokyo Area is the List of largest cities, largest metropolitan area in the world, with more than 37 million inhabitants as of 2024. Japan is divided into 47 Prefectures of Japan, administrative prefectures and List of regions of Japan, eight traditional regions. About three-quarters of Geography of Japan, the countr ...
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Mount Kirigamine
is a 1,925m volcano, located in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Outline The tallest peak of Mount Kirigamine is Mount Kuruma, on which there is a weather radar site. Most of the mountain is covered in grass with sparse bushes and rocks. The south and east sides are suitable for gliding with a narrow landing zone in the vicinity of a parking lot and a huge emergency landing at the west side of the mountain. The southeast cliffs are a launching point for gliders, with winds above 3 meters. The north part is equipped with ski lifts. Access Vehicle access to the bottom of Kirigamine does not require four-wheel drive but snow chains may be necessary if there is heavy snow. Gallery KirigamineFromSouth.jpg, Mount Kuruma is a tallest peak File:Kurumayama04.JPG, Mount Kuruma from Mount Minaminomimi File:Mount Kirigamine 20140929.jpg, Kirigamine seen from the east. File:Yashima04.JPG, Mount Kirigamine and Yashimagahara Wetland File:Kurumayama08.JPG, A weather radar site on the top of Mount ...
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