A Basic study on Early Medeival Harbor Sites in the North-East Japan Sea-Centered on Tosaminato site in Aomori prefecture-

2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 14310185
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 考古学(含先史学)
• Research Institution: CHUO UNIVERSITY
• Principal Investigator: MAEKAWA Kaname Chuo University, Faculty of Literature, Professor, 文学部, 教授 (70229285)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): SENDA Yoshihiro The Museum of Japanese History, Archaeology Section, Associate Professor, 考古研究系, 助教授 (70226695) ; HIDEO Sakai Toyama University, Faculty of Science, Professor, 理学部, 教授 (30134993) ; KOJIMA Michihiro The Museum of Japanese History, Bibliography Section, Associate Professor, 歴史研究系, 助教授 (90183805) ; SAKATA Satoshi Chuo University, Faculty of Literature, Professor, 文学部, 教授 (20235154) ; SHIRANE Yasuhiro Chuo University, Faculty of Literature, Associate Professor, 文学部, 助教授 (80250653)
• Project Period (FY): 2002 – 2004
• Keywords: Medeival period / harbor / Tosaminato site

Research Abstract

This is a report on archaeological investigations at Tosaminato site in the north of Aomori Prefecture, Japan. The site is situated along the Japan Sea. Three summers of archaeological fieldwork have been carried out by the Department of Archaeology at Chuo University, assisted by the staff of the Shiura Village Board of Education. The work has been funded by a Grant-in-aid for Scientific Research from the Japanese Ministry of Education and Science.
This report outlines the results of fieldwork undertaken annually in July and August from 2002 to 2004. The three years of fieldwork resulted in the discovery of a part of early Medeival harbor. Before survey-work here began, this site was thought to have had associations with the Ando Family who ruled Tosa Minato, one of the most important ports in the region at that time. The results of this survey, however, show that it dates back to the late 10th ~ early 11th centuries. This discovery has surprised archaeologists who specialize in mediev al castles, because similar moats and earthworks, which are densely distributed throughout Aomori, are generally thought to belong to the Sengoku period (16th century). Moreover, the area of this castle is 80,000 square meters, making it the biggest ancient castle in northern Japan.
The second major discovery of this season was that the measured surveys revealed more than 40 dwellings inside this castle. Two of them are dwellings strongly associated with iron production. In dwelling no. 1, there are seven smith's hearths, and in dwelling no.2 there is one. Between the two dwellings, there are the remains of two iron-producing furnaces. Until these came to light, it was thought that settlements surrounded by moats and earthworks were of purely military significance, as evidence of warfare between the tribes of northern Japan, known as 'Emishi'. We now think that we have to re-evaluate the significance of such settlements. Specifically, we should emphasise their role as distribution centers linking the Tsugaru plain in Aomori and the southern part of Hokkaido. These archaeological discoveries show that the area around Lake Ju-san played a remarkably important role as a focus for trade not only in the medieval period but also in ancient times.