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The Sannai-Maruyama Site is an ancient archaeological site located in Maruyama, Sannai, Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture. It is the remains of a large settlement that is believed to have existed for over a thousand years, from the Early Jomon period to the end of the Middle Jomon period (approximately 5,900 to 4,200 years ago).
Japan's largest ancient ruins
The Sannai-Maruyama ruins are located on a high terrace of the Okidate River, and are thought to have been surrounded by a well-maintained deciduous broadleaf forest of chestnuts, walnuts, and other trees at the time
With a total area of approximately 35 hectares, it is one of the largest settlement sites in Japan and was designated a Special National Historic Site in 1997. In 2021, it was registered the "Jomon Sites of Hokkaido and Northern Tohoku" along with Circle .
The existence of ruins at this location has been known since the Edo period, and the Eiroku Diary, which records the affairs of the Hirosaki domain, records the excavation of a large number of clay figurines. Masumi Sugae, who traveled around the country, including the Tohoku region, also wrote in his travelogue that clay figurines and other artifacts had been excavated
In the Showa era, when plans to build a prefectural baseball stadium in this location arose, a survey of buried cultural assets was carried out in advance. The results revealed that the site was the remains of a large Jomon period settlement, and the construction plans were cancelled, with the decision made to preserve and utilize the ruins instead
At the Sannai-Maruyama site, remains of large Jomon period post-hole buildings, pit dwellings, raised-floor warehouses, storage pits, and pit graves have been discovered, and it is clear that these were connected by roads and were arranged in a planned manner
A large amount of excavated items, including pottery and stone tools
A large amount of artifacts, mainly pottery and stone tools, were excavated from the site, and the number is said to have reached tens of thousands of cardboard boxes
Exhibits at the Jomon Jiyukan Museum
Other excavated items include clay products such as Japan's largest clay figurine, minerals such as obsidian and amber that are thought to have been obtained through trade, lacquerware, large jade beads, and other processed and decorative items
Numerous restored buildings
At the Sannai-Maruyama ruins, you can see a number of restored buildings that have been recreated to resemble the original state based on the traces that were discovered
Six pillar building ruins
These are the remains of a building that was constructed by digging holes in the ground and erecting pillars. The chestnut wood pillars had been treated with a preservative by charring the edges and bottoms, so when they were discovered, they had not rotted
Restored large pillared building
the most important relic discovered at the Sannai-Maruyama site , and the precisely placed pillar holes are all uniform in spacing, width, and depth, measuring 4.2m, 2m, and 2m, respectively.
This shows that surveying technology already existed at the time, and is considered evidence that the villagers had advanced technology
On the other hand, the purpose of this building remains a mystery, and although it has been restored to its current form through research by the restoration project team at the time, it is still unclear whether this form is correct
Remains of a large pit dwelling
A large dwelling is defined as one that is 10 meters or longer, and the remains of the largest dwelling discovered at the Sannai-Maruyama site were approximately 32 meters long and 10 meters wide
Reconstructed remains of a large pit dwelling
They are often found near the center of settlements, and are thought to have been places where residents gathered for some reason, such as meeting halls, communal workshops, or shared housing
Remains of pit dwellings
This is a reconstruction of the remains of a typical dwelling from that time, and it is imagined and reconstructed to look like a building with three different types of roof: thatched, bark, and earth
Reconstructed remains of a pit dwelling (residence)
The settlement is believed to have existed for over a thousand years, so it is likely that the shape of the dwellings, including the roofs, the arrangement of the pillars, and the location and structure of the hearths have changed over time
Remains of a post-hole building (remains of a raised-floor warehouse)
A dense cluster of post holes thought to belong to post-hole buildings was excavated in the centre of the settlement and on the west side of the southern mound, but as no traces of life were found in the surrounding area, it was determined that the post-hole buildings were likely to have been raised-floor buildings or storehouses, and they have been restored
Reconstructed remains of a post-hole building (remains of a raised-floor warehouse)
It is thought that post holes were dug in the ground and posts were erected to support the roof
summary
Various other remains have been discovered at the Sannai-Maruyama site, including pit graves, road remains, storage pits, and a garbage dump from that time
The Jomon Jiyukan, located at the entrance to the facility, houses a museum where you can see exhibits of various excavated items and information about the ruins, as well as a large theater, an experience workshop, a restaurant, a souvenir shop, and more, making it a popular tourist destination in Aomori Prefecture
Sannai-Maruyama Site <Information>
Name: Special Historic Site Sannai Maruyama Ruins
Address: 305 Sannai Maruyama, Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture, 038-0031
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