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 ...

with the ruins of a

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

government administrative complex located in what is now the Migimatsu neighborhood of the city of Saito,

Miyazaki prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyūshū. Miyazaki Prefecture has a population of 1,028,215 as of 1 January 2025 and has a geographic area of 7,735 Square kilometre, km2 (2,986 sq mi). Miyazaki Prefectur ...

in the island of

Kyushu is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...

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 ...

. Identified as the ruins of the ''

kokufu were the capitals of the historical Provinces of Japan from the Nara period to the Heian period. History As part of the Taika Reform (645), which aimed at a centralization of the administration following the Chinese model (''ritsuryō''), the '' ...

'' (provincial capital) of

Hyūga Province was a province of Japan in the area of southeastern Kyūshū, corresponding to modern Miyazaki Prefecture Hyūga bordered on Ōsumi to the south, Higo to the west, and Bungo to the north. Its abbreviated form name was , although it was als ...

, the site was protected by the national government as a National Historic Site since 2005.

Overview

In the late

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...

, after the establishment of a centralized government under the ''

Ritsuryō is the historical Japanese legal system, legal system based on the philosophies of Confucianism and Legalism (Chinese philosophy), Chinese Legalism in Feudal Japan. The political system in accord to Ritsuryō is called "Ritsuryō-sei" (). ''Kya ...

'' system, local rule over the

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

was standardized under a ''

'' (provincial capital), and each province was divided into smaller

administrative districts Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...

, known as (郡, gun, kōri), composed of 2–20 townships in 715 AD. The ''kokufu'' complex contained the official residence and offices of the '' kokushi'', the official sent from the central government as provincial governor, along with buildings housing offices concerned with general administration, farming, finance, police and military. In the periphery there was a provincial school (''kokugaku''), the garrison and storehouses for taxes. The Hyūga Kokufu ruins are 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 t ...

formed by the Hitotsuse River, almost in the center of Miyazaki Prefecture. There are many ruins scattered around the area, including the ruins of

Hyūga Kokubun-ji 270px, Hyūga Kokubun-ji Five Tathāgatas was a Buddhist temple in the Mitake neighborhood of the city of Saito, Miyazaki, Japan. It was one of the provincial temples established by Emperor Shōmu during the Nara period (710 – 794). The te ...

provincial temple The are Buddhist temples in Japan, Buddhist temples established in each of the provinces of Japan by Emperor Shōmu during the Nara period (710 – 794). The official name for each temple was Konkomyo Shitenno Gokoku-ji (Konkōmyō Shitennō ...

, Tsuma Shrine and the

Saitobaru Kofun Cluster Saitobaru Kofun Cluster () is a group of three hundred thirty three kofuns or tumuli in Saito, Miyazaki, Saito city, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. This is one of the largest kofun groups in Japan, and the largest group in Kyushu situated on a 70-me ...

. There were various theories about the location of the Hyūga Kokufu, but excavations conducted from 1985 to 2000 by the Miyazaki Prefectural Board of Education at the Terasaki ruins, which was one of the most likely locations, confirmed parts of the foundations of a central building, including a side hall, and earthen palisades to the north, west and south, in the standardized "kokufu layout". Approximately one hectare of the center of the site was designated as a national historic site in 2005 due to its importance in considering the political situation of ancient Hyūga. The buildings were arranged with the main hall on the north side and side halls to the east and west in a "U" configuration.The main building was rebuilt from a dug-out pillar building to a cornerstone building. These buildings are thought to have been constructed between the end of the 8th century and reconstructed several times, the last of which was in the first half of the 10th century. The roof is presumed to have been tiled, and a large number of fragments of

roof tile Roof tiles are overlapping tiles designed mainly to keep out precipitation such as rain or snow, and are traditionally made from locally available materials such as clay or slate. Later tiles have been made from materials such as concrete, glass ...

s and pottery have been unearthed, including items that show evidence of a government office, such as Kinai-style

Haji ware is a type of plain, unglazed, reddish-brown Japanese pottery or earthenware that was produced during the Kofun, Nara, and Heian periods of Japanese history. It was used for both ritual and utilitarian purposes, and many examples have been found ...

pottery, inkstones, and pottery with ink inscriptions. The site is approximately 12 kilometers to the west of

Hyūga-Shintomi Station is a passenger railway station located in the town of Shintomi, Miyazaki, Japan. It is operated by JR Kyushu and is on the Nippō Main Line. Lines The station is served by the Nippō Main Line and is located 320.0 km from the starting poin ...

on the

JR Kyushu The , also referred to as , is one of the seven constituent companies of Japan Railways Group (JR Group). It operates intercity rail services within Kyushu, Japan. It formerly operated the Beetle hydrofoil service across the Tsushima Strait be ...

Nippō Main Line The is a railway line in Kyushu, in southern Japan, operated by Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu). Also known as the Fukuhoku Nippo Line, The line connects Kokura Station in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, and Kagoshima Station in Kagoshima, Kagoshima, K ...

References

External links

Saito city official home page

Miyazaki Cultural Heritage
{{in lang, ja History of Miyazaki Prefecture Nara period Heian period Saito, Miyazaki Archaeological sites in Japan Historic Sites of Japan Hyūga Province 8th-century establishments in Japan

Overview

See also

References

External links