Goshono Site, located in north-eastern Japan in the town of Ichinohe, Iwate Prefecture, comprises the remains of a settlement dating back to the Jōmon period.
It is currently being developed as an historic park, somewhere to explore and share the life and culture of Jōmon people, as well as a place of relaxation for local residents. Goshono Site is supported by large numbers of people who work there as guides, cleaners, event assistants, and other roles.
The Jōmon period
The Jōmon period began about 15,000 years ago, towards the end of the last Ice Age, and lasted until around 2,300 years ago, when rice cultivation and iron tools were introduced to the Japanese archipelago. It was the period when humans began to live in established settlements, primarily hunting, gathering and fishing and continuing to exploit the resources of nearby mountains, rivers and seas, while creating a complex spiritual culture.
In 2021, seventeen archaeological sites across southern Hokkaido and three northern Tōhoku prefectures were added to Unesco’s World Heritage List as ‘Jōmon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan’. Apart from Goshono Site, these include the Sannai-Maruyama Site in Aomori Prefecture, which is the site of a large-scale settlement, and the Ōyu Stone Circles site in Akita Prefecture, which consists of two large stone circles..
The Jōmon archaeological sites were assessed against four attributes: ‘demonstrating lifestyles characterized by managed use of natural resources’, ‘demonstrating complex spirituality, as evident in rituals and ceremonies’, ‘demonstrating diverse relations between settlement locations and livelihoods’ and ‘demonstrating the transition in the form of settlements’.
A visualisation of how the Goshono Jōmon site might have looked when populated
A visualisation of how the Goshono Jōmon site might have looked when populated: a gallery of 7 items.
The Goshono Villages extend through an elongated plateau running east to west. The East, Central and West Village each feature houses with earthen roofs, and their residents would have used the nearby forests to hunt wild boar or deer, as well as gathering nuts (e.g. chestnuts) and cutting timber. Tasks requiring water would be performed at areas set up alongside the river that runs through the plateau. Their lives naturally reflected the seasons around them.
The Central Village acted as a site for Jōmon prayers and festivals, and included ritual stone structures and graves.
Living in a bountiful yet harsh environment, the Jōmon people of Goshono relied on cooperation and mutual aid to survive.
Goshono Site
Goshono Site is what is left of a hub settlement built on a river terrace approximately 5,000–4,200 years ago, in the latter half of the Middle Jōmon period.
It has a circular structure, with burial and ritual areas, surrounded by pit dwellings. Many carbonized nuts including walnuts, chestnuts and horse chestnuts were found in the central area, together with burnt animal bones, suggesting that fire rituals were performed there. This is evidence that it was just around this time that ritual areas became a prominent part of such sites.
A gallery of 2 items.
Pit dwellings
Jōmon people are thought to have lived in pit dwellings, which were built by digging into the ground, producing a hardened floor, then using wood to erect pillars and roofs. Much of the timber was made from chestnut, which is good at resisting insects and rot.
The remains of a burnt pit dwelling have been found at Goshono Site. An investigation into the accumulated layers of carbonized wood and burnt soil revealed that turf had been on top of the roof. It is believed that turf was placed on the roof to improve the dwelling’s thermal insulation and heat retention.
A turf-roofed pit dwelling fumigated by a fire in the hearth is currently being reconstructed on the basis of discoveries made while excavating the site. In the Jōmon period, fire would have played a role in lighting, heating, cooking and fumigation, as well as creating a space for people to relax.
Once reconstruction is complete, the dwelling will continue to be monitored and tested, to enhance scientific understanding and offer feedback for subsequent restorations.
A gallery of 3 items.
Jōmon pottery
Jōmon people produced earthenware and used it for cooking. The surfaces of these earthenware vessels were decorated with a variety of code marks (jōmon). This came to be called jōmon pottery, which in turn led to the naming of the Jōmon Period.
Earthenware with highly decorative designs was produced in the Kantō and Kōshinetsu regions, especially during the Middle Jōmon period. Such designs and patterns are thought to have followed rules particular to each region and to have been important to Jōmon people.
Earthenware excavated from the Goshono Site consists of two types: ‘cylindrical’ pottery, showing clay rope designs at the top, and Daigi-style pottery, bearing distinctive spiral patterns.
Miniature earthenware vessels too small to have been used for cooking, as well as clay discs made from earthenware shards, have also been found at various archaeological digs, including Goshono Site. These are believed to have been ritual artefacts.
Design perspectives
The architect Tane Tsuyoshi visited Goshono Site on a cold, snowy winter’s day to research the pit dwelling, complete with a blazing fire in its fireplace, and the items on display at Goshono Jōmon Museum. In the exhibition Design Discoveries: Towards a DESIGN MUSEUM JAPAN, Tane comments that ‘sedentism – becoming settled in one location – made people aware of place and time, which meant they already started designing things in the Jōmon period, be it fire, pottery, dwellings, or even whole settlements’.
A gallery of 1 item.
Goshono Jōmon Museum
The museum adjacent to Goshono Site displays items actually excavated from the site, including earthenware, stone tools and carbonized nuts. Projection mapping is also used to show a year in the life of some Jōmon people as they coexist with nature, and bring you into their world.
Visitors to the museum can take part in a variety of handicraft activities, such as making earthenware or bark straps, and, depending on the season, may also be able to gather bark and fibres to make baskets and ropes, or join some stargazing sessions.
A gallery of 1 item.
Creating a Jōmon satoyama
Mountainous areas close to human settlements, from which people derive their livelihoods, are called satoyama. Goshono Jōmon Museum grows plants as used by Jōmon people both inside the site and in the forest to its eastern side. The aim is to grow chestnut trees for building material, horse chestnuts and walnuts for food, konara oaks for firewood, and lindens for rope fibres, and to work with local residents and visitors to create a ‘Jōmon satoyama’. The future of the Goshono Site looks set to take it ever closer to the original landscape of the Jōmon period.
Images courtesy of Ichinohe Town Board Education.
Learn more about Jōmon sites in northern Japan
About the author: Goshono Jōmon Museum
Goshono Jōmon Museum and the rest of Goshono Site are reached by crossing a wooden suspension bridge – the “Kikiki” bridge – from the car park. The museum blends in with its surroundings thanks to its green roof, which is modelled on the earthen roofs of the site.
It exhibits and maintains a collection of numerous artifacts excavated from Goshono Site and other locations around the town of Ichinohe, alongside miscellaneous historical resources and folklore materials.
The museum has a mission to promote Goshono Site and other attractive aspects of local culture to a wide audience.