Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan

Overview

The property consists of 17 archaeological sites in the southern part of Hokkaido Island and northern Tohoku in geographical settings ranging from mountains and hills to plains and lowlands, from inland bays to lakes, and rivers. They bear a unique testimony to the development over some 10,000 years of the pre-agricultural yet sedentary Jomon culture and its complex spiritual belief system and rituals. It attests to the emergence, development, maturity and adaptability to environmental changes of a sedentary hunter-fisher-gatherer society which developed from about 13,000 BCE. Expressions of Jomon spirituality were given tangible form in objects such as lacquered pots, clay tablets with the impression of feet, the famous goggle eyed dogu figurines, as well as in ritual places including earthworks and large stone circles reaching diameters of more than 50 metres. The serial property testifies to the rare and very early development of pre-agricultural sedentism from emergence to maturity.

Selection Criteria

(iii)(v)

Components(17 locations)

• •Irie Site1632-010
• •Ofune Site1632-008
• •Goshono Site1632-009
• •Tagoyano Site1632-004
• •Korekawa Site1632-017
• •Kitakogane Site1632-003
• •Kakinoshima Site1632-002
• •Futatsumori Site1632-006
• •Oyu Stone Circles1632-014
• •Odai Yamamoto Site1632-001
• •Sannai Maruyama Site1632-007
• •Takasago Burial Site1632-011
• •Kamegaoka Burial Site1632-005
• •Komakino Stone Circle1632-012
• •Isedotai Stone Circles1632-013
• •Omori Katsuyama Stone Circle1632-016
• •Kiusu Earthwork Burial Circles1632-015

Details

Countries

Japan

ISO Codes

JP

Area

141.9 ha

Coordinates

41.0656, 140.5522