Fudōdō Site
Fudōdō Site (不動堂遺跡, Fudōdō Iseki) is an archaeological site with the ruins of a middle Jōmon period (around 2500 BC) settlement in what is now part of the town of Asahi, Toyama Prefecture in the Hokuriku region of Japan. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1986.[1]
不動堂遺跡 | |
 Fudōdō Site with reconstructed pit dwellings | |
 .svg.png){kind=icon} Fudōdō Site  Fudōdō Site (Japan) | |
| Location | Asahi, Toyama, Japan |
|---|---|
| Region | Hokuriku region |
| Coordinates | 36°55′15″N 137°33′13″E |
| Type | settlement |
| History | |
| Periods | middle Jōmon |
| Site notes | |
| Ownership | National Historic Site |
| Public access | Yes |
Overview
The Fudōdō site is located at the eastern margin of the Toyama Plain. In 1972, the remnants of 21 pit dwellings as well as food storage pits and many artefacts such as fragments of pottery and stoneware were discovered. Of especially interest was the central part of the ruins, which contained the foundations of a long oval structure measuring 17 meters east-to-west and 8 meters north-south, making it one of the largest pit dwellings found in Japan. At the center of the floor, four stone enclosures are regularly arranged on the longitudinal axis, of which two in the east are rectangular and two in the west are circular. It is presumed that the building served as a public structure, possibility for ceremonial purposes.
The site is now an archaeological park, with several reconstructed pit dwellings, and is open to the public.
References
- "不動堂遺跡" [Fudōdō Site] (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs.
External links
- Toyama Prefectural touist information home page (in Japanese)
- Asahi town home page (in Japanese)