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Yoshinogari Historical Park

Yoshinogari (Yoshinogari iseki) is the name of a large and complex Yayoi archaeological site in Yoshinogari and Kanzaki in Saga Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan.

According to the Yayoi chronology established by pottery seriations in the 20th century, Yoshinogari dates to between the 3rd century BC and the 3rd century AD.

This archaeological site is of great importance in Japanese and world prehistory because of the massive size and important nature of the settlement and the artifacts found there.

Yoshinogari consists of a settlement, a cemetery, and multiple ditch-and-palisade enclosed precincts.

Yoshinogari Historical Park map.

Entrance gate.

South inner enclosure (Minami Naikaku).
The earliest component of the Yoshinogari settlement formed at the southern end of the low hill extending out from the Sefuri Mountains.


South Village (Minami no Mura).
The earliest settlement was about 3 hectares in area and contained a ditch-enclosure. A small number of pit-houses, pit-features, and burial jars dating to this sub-period have been excavated.


North inner enclosure Main shrine (Kita Naikoku).

Yoshinogari leaders discuss important matters.
On the first floor of the Main shrine, there is a scene where Yoshinogari leaders discuss important matters.


High priestess receiving a revelation.
On the second floor of the Main shrine, there is a scene of the high priestess (shrine maiden) receiving a revelation.


Rows of Burial Jars (Kamekan Boretsu).
More than 2000 burial jars dating to the Middle Yayoi have come to light, both inside and outside of ditched areas.

  • Many of these burials were laid out in a long row, some hundreds of metres long, parallel with the length of the low hill in the middle of the site.

Shrine (Shido).
People made offerings to the spirits of successive kings and ancestors as well as using this shrine to pray.


North Burial Mound (Kita Funkyubo).
Mortuary features are prominent in the Middle Yayoi. For example, a 30 x 40 m mounded burial was constructed on the northern end of the low hill.

  • Five of six jar burials in the centre of the mounded burial contained cylindrical jade-like glass ornaments from China and bronze daggers from the Korean peninsula.
  • The mounded burial is located in an area away from the majority of burials, confirming the thoughts some archaeologists that those interred in the burial mound were the leaders of Yoshinogari.

Source

Location

Location: Yoshinogari Historical Park, 1843 Tade, Yoshinogari, Kanzaki District, Saga 842-0035, Japan