"Isedodai Ruins" is a mysterious ruin registered as a World Heritage Site! [Akita Prefecture]

The Isedotai Ruins are a Jomon period ruins located in Kitaakita City, Akita Prefecture.

Its greatest feature is the presence of four stone circles, and because the ruins are in such a good state of preservation, they have been designated a national historic site and are registered as one of the World Cultural Heritage sites "Jomon Sites in Hokkaido and Northern Tohoku."

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Stone circles are common around the world and are places of prayer at the center of settlements

A notable feature of the Ise Dodai ruins is that four stone circles were built in the same square. This is the only place in Japan where four such circles have been found in the same place.

Stone circles are circles of stones arranged in a circular shape, and similar structures exist all over the world, including the world-famous Stonehenge in England. Many have been found in Japan, from the Tohoku region to southern Hokkaido, with over 20 large ones measuring over 30m in diameter. The largest and most famous is the 52m diameter Manza Stone Circle (Kazuno City, Akita Prefecture), which is part of the Oyu Stone Circle

What was the stone circle built for? There are many theories, including that it was a circular arrangement of dwellings, a cemetery, or an astronomical object (such as a sundial), but the most popular theory is that it was a place for prayer and ceremonial rites, as well as a graveyard

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The area around the ruins was suitable for human habitation approximately 4,000 years ago

It is known that the Isedotai ruins were built relatively early in the Late Jomon period (early Late Jomon period)

The Jomon period lasted for over 10,000 years, from about 15,000 years ago, when the Paleolithic period ended, to about 2,400 years ago

This 10,000-year period is divided into the following periods: Incipient (up to approximately 11,000 years ago), Early (up to approximately 7,000 years ago), Early (up to 5,000 years ago), Middle (up to approximately 4,000 years ago), Late (up to approximately 3,000 years ago), and Late (up to approximately 2,400 years ago), which then gave way to the Yayoi period, when agricultural lifestyles were the norm

Reference: Official website of the World Heritage Site "Jomon Sites in Hokkaido and Northern Tohoku"

The early part of the late Jomon period, when the Isedo ruins were built, was a comfortable time to live in, with temperatures close to those of today, despite the fact that the Jomon period saw major climate changes such as ice ages and periods of global warming

The ruins are surrounded by deciduous broadleaf forests, where salmon and other fish could be caught from the Yoneshiro River and other sources, and chestnuts and acorns, which were staple foods, could be gathered in the fall.In addition, the falling leaves in winter improve visibility, making it an ideal place for hunting animals

Despite the cold and snowy winters, it is believed that they had no shortage of food

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The Ise Dodai ruins were discovered after the Heisei era began

The Ise-dodai ruins are located on a river terrace about 42 to 45 meters above sea level on the Yoneshiro River, a large river that flows through northern Akita Prefecture. Ise-dodai is a place name meaning "Ise-do Hill (Dai)," and although it is unknown when, it is said that there was a shrine called Ise-do nearby

The Isedotai ruins were discovered in 1992 (Heisei 4) during an investigation into the planned access road site for Odate-Noshiro Airport, which opened in 1998 (Heisei 10). Full-scale investigations began in 1994 (Heisei 6), and stone circles A and B were excavated the following year, followed by stone circle C in 1996

As a result, pressured by local residents and prefectural residents who wanted the ruins preserved, the decision was made to reroute the access road

Excavations continued after that, and the remains of post-hole buildings (buildings where the posts were buried directly in the ground rather than erected on a foundation), pit graves (graves where the burial took place in holes dug directly into the ground), post holes, etc. Furthermore, a fourth stone circle (Stone Circle D) was discovered in 2000 (Heisei 12)

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Stone Circle A remains unfinished after 200 years

All four stone circles are over 30m in diameter, and the stones were brought in from a riverbank some distance away and placed in a large circle

Stone Circle A, the northernmost, is slightly oval in shape and has a long diameter of 32m. It consists of 1,272 stones, more than 20 different types and colors. There are some stone arrangements that appear to have been intended to surround the outside with a double stone row, and it is said that this was unfinished

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Partially excavated stone circle B

Only a portion (arc) of a circle measuring approximately 15m has been discovered as part of Stone Circle B. Excavation surveys revealed no signs of it having been scraped away, suggesting that only a portion of it was built for some reason

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Stone Circle C is the largest of the four, with a diameter of 45m

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Stone Circle D: Future excavations are expected to reveal

Stone Circle D is the southernmost and is oval in shape with a major axis of approximately 36m. The stone circle is thought to have been double-layered, but many parts have lost their original shape, and like Stone Circle C, it was built on artificially leveled land. Only the northern half has been excavated

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Abandoned after 200 years? The mysterious Ise Dodai ruins

The stone circle at the Ise Dodai ruins is still shrouded in mystery

One of the reasons is that one of the four is incomplete. Stone circles are not built all at once, but are completed over a long period of time, and the fact that they are left unfinished indicates that people have left the area

Excavations have suggested that the period spans approximately 200 years. There is still much we do not know about the Jomon period, and hopes are high for future research

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More than 13,000 artifacts have been excavated from the ruins, some of which are designated as tangible cultural properties of Akita Prefecture

Many pottery vessels, clay figurines, stone tools, etc. have been discovered in and around the stone circle. Excluding fragments, a total of 13,088 items have been excavated, of which 280 items that still retain their original form have been designated as tangible cultural properties of Akita Prefecture

Among the excavated items, numerous fragments of clay figurines were discovered in the pit tomb of Stone Circle B, and of these, only a plate-shaped clay figurine was able to be completely restored. Its maximum height is 18.8 cm, maximum width is 13.0 cm, and maximum thickness is 1.5 cm, and it is on display at the Isedodai Jomon Museum

-Dodai Jomon Museum at the Ise-Dodai ruins , where many excavated items are on display. There is also a guide video screened, so by visiting the ruins together with the museum, you will gain a deeper understanding of the Ise-Dodai World Heritage Site.

Ise Dodai Ruins <Information>

• Facility name: Ise-dodai Ruins and Ise-dodai Jomon Museum
• Address: 100-1 Nakada, Ogata, Wakigami, Kitaakita City, Akita Prefecture
• Phone number: 0186-84-8710
• Opening hours:
  • Ise Dodai Ruins / 9:00-16:30
  • *Closed in winter from November to mid-April to preserve the stone circle
  • Ise Dodai Jomon Museum / 9:00-17:00
• Closed: Mondays (or the following day if Monday is a public holiday), New Year's holidays (December 29th to January 3rd)
• Admission fee and exhibition viewing fee: Free
• URL: Ise-dodai Jomon Museum
• access:
  • Train: Akita Nairiku Jukan Line, about 5 minutes on foot from Jomon Ogata Station
  • By car: Approximately 10 minutes from Ise-dodai IC on the Akita Expressway

GOOGLE MAP

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