Congratulations! Kasori Shell Mounds will become a special historic site!
★As a shell moundIt will be Japan's first special historic site.★
It has been decided that the Jomon period ruins, the Kasori Shell Mound, will be designated as a special national historic site!
The citizens of Chiba are proud that this special historic site, a symbol of Japanese culture, is located in the city.
Let's all continue to cherish it.
This is the first time in 17 years since 2000 that a special historic site has been designated, and it is the fourth special historic site from the Jomon period.The first shell mound in Japan.
Incidentally,The Kasori Shell Mound is the first special historic site in the prefecture.Will be! !!
*For more details, please see here (Chiba City website).
What is a special historic site?
Among the historic sites designated by the government under the Cultural Properties Protection Law, this one has particularly high academic value and is a symbol of our country's culture.
It is of the same rank as a national treasure (a concept used for architecture, fine arts and crafts, documents, etc.).
The four values of the Kasori Shell Mound
Point 1: Japan's largest shell mound
There are approximately 2,400 Jomon period shell mounds across the country.
One-third of these, approximately 700 shell mounds, are concentrated along the coast of Tokyo Bay.
The area with the highest concentration of shell mounds is Chiba City (approximately 120 locations), and the Kasori Shell Mound is known as one of the largest shell mounds in Japan.
Point 2: A 2,000-year-old village that conveys the prosperity of the Jomon culture
It is extremely valuable not only as a shell mound but also as the remains of a settlement.
They lived in the same place for 2,000 years (approximately 5,000 to 3,000 years ago).
This is the only example of a single site that allows us to trace the transition in lifestyle and culture from the beginning of the formation of large shell mounds along the coast of Tokyo Bay to their decline.
The fact that they were able to continue living in the same place while living a hunter-gatherer lifestyle that was dependent on nature is evidence that they had developed a culture of living in harmony with nature and built a sustainable society.
Point 3: The landscape that has continued since the Jomon period still remains today
The natural environment used by the Jomon people, such as the surrounding rivers and forests, has been preserved.
In the lowlands on both sides of the Sakazuki River, strata formed during the Jomon period remain untouched.
In the 1960s, when the area was facing the threat of development, a citizen-led movement to preserve the ruins was launched nationwide, which was almost unprecedented at the time, and led to its preservation. This movement was also actively discussed in the Diet, and had a major impact on cultural property protection thereafter.
Point 4: Contributing to the development of archaeological research
Since the Meiji period, many anthropologists and archaeologists have visited the site to carry out excavations, and it has become a stage for the development of Japanese archaeology.
A survey conducted by the Department of Anthropology at Tokyo Imperial University in 1924 confirmed differences in pottery depending on the excavation site and layer, marking the beginning of the establishment of a chronological system based on Jomon pottery.
About the Kasori Shell Mound Museum
The Kasori Shell Mound Museum opened in November 1966 within the ruins of the Kasori Shell Mound.
The exhibition room displays stone tools and Jomon pottery excavated from the Kasori shell mound, and provides easy-to-understand explanations of the lives of the Jomon people who lived around Tokyo Bay.
In addition, the Kasori Shell Mound also has an outdoor facility where you can observe the inside of the shell mound. This is an actual shell mound that was excavated and a building was built on top of it, where you can see the remains of pit dwellings and layers of abandoned shells dug up from the ground.
Additionally, the area around the shell mounds still retains natural forests of chestnut and oak trees, as well as the ancient topography, making it suitable for learning about Jomon period villages and the natural environment.
To date, approximately 134,500 square meters of the Kasori Shell Mound has been preserved and is a nationally designated historic site.
●Address
8-33-1 Sakuragi, Wakaba Ward, Chiba City
●TEL / FAX
TEL:043-231-0129 FAX:043-231-4986
●Access
・Take Keisei Bus No. 9 from JR Chiba Station bound for Senjyodai Garage (via Municipal Cemetery), get off at Sakuragicho, then walk 15 minutes
・15 minutes walk from Sakuragi Station on the Chiba Monorail
●website
https://www.city.chiba.jp/kyoiku/shogaigakushu/bunkazai/kasorikaizuka/top.html
Why not try experiencing the Jomon period at Jomon Square?
At the Kasori Shell Mound Museum, you can try out fire-making, making accessories, and knitting angin. A restored dwelling is also open to the public, and you can try on Jomon clothing and other items.
Please join us!
Jomon Experience Dates:2nd and 4th Sunday of every month (except April, August, and January)
*For more information, click here (Chiba City website)
Please come visit the Chiba City Kasori Shell Mound Museum.
