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 ...

in Suruga Ward in Shizuoka City, southwest of

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

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 the ruins of a settlement which dates to the 1st century CE, in the late

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 ...

. 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. The Japanese system is complex, the ...

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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and was excavated in 1947 and 1948. In 1965 an excavation survey was conducted before the construction of Tōmei Expressway 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 was formed to study it. Toro has been used as a

type site In archaeology, a type site (American English) or type-site (British English) 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 H ...

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 is ...

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

Kyūshū is the third-largest island of Japan's four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa and the other Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Islands). In the past, it has been known as , and . The historical regio ...

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 A mortise and tenon (occasionally mortice and tenon) is a Woodworking joints, joint that connects two pieces of wood or other material. Woodworking, Woodworkers around the world have used it for thousands of years to join pieces of wood, mainly ...

joinery method, which indicates that the builders had use of iron tools. Over fifty rice paddies were uncovered, comprising seventy thousand square metres with refined irrigation practices. The Toro community was wiped out by a catastrophic flood of the Abe River. The site is now preserved as a public archaeological park 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 Shizuoka Prefecture designated tangible cultural property