Ofune Site

Hakodate, Japan

The Ōfune Site (大船遺跡, Ōfune iseki) is an archaeological site consisting of a series of large shell middens and the remains of an adjacent settlement from the Jōmon period. 

The Ōfune Site was a community with over 100 pit dwellings, including smaller family homes and some larger homes that were inhabited from 3500 BC to 2000 BC. The dates of the site's habitation correspond to the early and middle Jōmon period of Japanese history. The community was positioned alongside the Pacific Ocean, enabling easy access to fishing and whaling grounds and providing an avenue for the site's people to trade extensively with other communities in the Tōhoku region. Pottery from the Tōhoku region and central Hokkaido was found in the sites burial mound, providing basis for the site's function as a trade center.

The Ōfune Site was discovered during surveying work in 1996. Initial discoveries included a large pit dwelling, embankments, and a storage pit.

The Ōfune Site is one of the Jōmon Archaeological Sites in Hokkaidō, Northern Tōhoku, and other regions, a group of Jōmon period archaeological sites in Hokkaido and northern Tōhoku that was recommended by Japan in 2020 for inclusion to the UNESCO World Heritage List, under criteria iii and iv. The submission currently resides on the Tentative List.

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Hakodate, Japan
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Founded: 3500-2000 BCE
Category: Prehistoric and archaeological sites in Japan

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

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User Reviews

大野晋司 (3 months ago)
Nice view for the sea.
森下敦 (5 months ago)
There are many remains of pit dwellings, some of which have been dug to a depth of nearly 2 meters. It seems that there is no other pit dwelling like this. We also asked a volunteer who had been involved in excavations for a long time. I thought they were digging deep into measures against the cold and snow, but that's not necessarily the case, so it's a mystery. ・There are dozens of Jomon ruins in Hokkaido, but this is the only one where the pit dwellings are dug so deep. - As a measure against the cold, the ``furnace'' used in the cold season is cut large, and the ``furnace'' used in the warm season is smaller. We have both types here. It's strange.
KS Chak (6 months ago)
Very nice place to visit with recreated dwelling of the Jomon culture.Anned by very friendly locals
Artur Kulczynski (18 months ago)
This is a very interesting archeological site. Great stop during the drive along there coast.
MMT1206 (2 years ago)
It is one of the World Heritage "Jomon Archaeological Sites in Hokkaido and Northern Tohoku". These are ruins from 5,500 to 4,000 years ago. It is roughly the same age as the Sannai-Maruyama site in Aomori Prefecture. The characteristic is the depth of the pit. More than 100 pit dwellings dug down to a depth of about 2m have been confirmed. Since whale bones, tuna bones, shellfish, and chestnuts have been unearthed, it is presumed that the area was rich in resources at that time.
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