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 recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...

located in the Nakagawa neighborhood of

Tsuzuki-ku, Yokohama is one of the 18 Wards of Japan, wards of the city of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2010, the ward had an estimated population of 199,258 and a population density, density of 7,130 persons per km2. The total area was 27.93 km ...

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

, in the southern

Kantō region The is a geography, geographical region of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures of Japan, prefectures: Chiba Prefecture, Chiba, Gunma Prefe ...

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 ...

. The site contains traces of a

Yayoi period The Yayoi period (弥生時代, ''Yayoi jidai'') (c. 300 BC – 300 AD) is one of the major historical periods of the Japanese archipelago. It is generally defined as the era between the beginning of food production in Japan and the emergence o ...

settlement trace and was designated a National Historic Site in 1986.

Overview

The Ōtsuka-Saikachido Site is located on the Shimosueyoshi plateau in the northern suburbs of Yokohama and was discovered in 1972 in conjunction with land development for the Kōhoku New Town project. The site consists of two parts: the Ōtsuka ruins and the adjacent Saikachido ruins. The Ōtsuka ruins consist of traces of a large-scale, moated settlement dating to the middle of the Yayoi period, approximately 2000 years ago. Extensive excavation of the site, starting in 1973, revealed the outlines of the entire village covering about 20,000 square meters.This settlement was surrounded by a moat with a circumference of 600 meters, a width of 4 meters, and a depth of 1.5 to 2 meters. Within this enclosure, the foundations of at least 90

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, this type of earth shelter may also be used to store food (just like a pantry, a lar ...

s and ten stilt-type buildings were discovered, along with a large amount of

Yayoi pottery Yayoi pottery (弥生土器 Yayoi doki) is earthenware pottery produced during the Yayoi period, an Iron Age era in the history of Japan traditionally dated 300 BC to AD 300. The pottery allowed for the identification of the Yayoi period and ...

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 ...

s, and carbonized rice. The quantity of carbonized rice, suggests that the settlement was destroyed by fire. The adjacent Saikachido ruins, excavated in 1972, revealed 25 tombs. The ruins consist of a Yayoi period necropolis with square-shaped tombs. The site was excavated in 1972, and 25 tombs were found in total. The style of the tumulus is called the "square-girder type" and consists of a low, square earthen

burial mound Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

with a grooved moat on all sides, containing a wooden casket. Despite the rarity of a complete Yayoi period settlement ruin and its designation as a National Historic Site, only the eastern third of the site was preserved, with the remainder destroyed by subsequent land development. On the Ōtsuka site, 27 pit dwellings were preserved, seven of which have been restored, along with one reconstructed stilt granary, a wooden bridge, and a 250-meter-long section of the moat. At the Saikachido site, five of the tombs have been restored and preserved. Currently, the site is integrated with the Yokohama History Museum as an

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 ...

. It is located approximately eight minutes on foot from the

Yokohama Municipal Subway is the rapid transit network in the city of Yokohama, Japan, south of Tokyo in Kanagawa Prefecture. It is operated by Yokohama City Transportation Bureau as two lines, though three continuous lines exist. Lines The Yokohama Municipa ...

Center-Kita Station.

Gallery

Otsuka Relics 02.jpg, Pit dwelling ruins Otsuka-Saikachido Site, Otsuka Site, gaikan-2.jpg, Reconstructed pit dwelling Otsuka-Saikachido Site, Otsuka Site, souko.jpg, reconstructed granary Saikachido Relics 02.jpg, Yayoi period tomb

References

External links

Yokohama History Museum home page
{{in lang, ja Archaeological sites in Japan Yayoi period Parks and gardens in Yokohama History of Kanagawa Prefecture Historic Sites of Japan

Overview

Gallery

See also

References

External links