Ancient site · Settlement
Yoshinogari
Yoshinogari, in Saga Prefecture on Kyushu, is the largest and best-known Yayoi settlement in Japan. Radiocarbon dates suggest its first Yayoi phase began before 400 BCE.
In the late Yayoi period it was surrounded by a deep V-shaped outer moat about 2.5 km long, enclosing some 40 hectares, with wooden fences, earth ramparts and watchtowers. Inside were raised-floor storehouses, storage pits, ritual areas and burials, with finds of pottery, bronze, iron and wood. Much of it is now a reconstructed historical park.
- Dates
- before 400 BCE – 3rd century CE
- Still standing
- No, or only traces
- Location
- 33.32° N, 130.39° E
How we know
The village is dated by pottery and radiocarbon; Chinese chronicles describe Japan's chiefdoms of this time, but none names Yoshinogari.
Nearby sites
- Bangudae Petroglyphs c. 5000 BCE – 9th century CE (approximate)
- Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa dolmens c. 1000–300 BCE (Bronze Age; Gochang group c. 7th century BCE)
- Songguk-ri c. 850–300 BCE
- Daisenryō Kofun mid-5th century CE
- Hashihaka Kofun mid-3rd to early 4th century CE (debated)
- Mausoleum of Tangun legendary date 2333 BCE; present monument built 1994
Related
- Yayoi culture archaeological culture
- The world in 400 BCE: Age of Philosophers chapter