The Sannai Maruyama Site
An Extraordinarily Large Settlement in Prehistoric Japan

The Sannai Maruyama Settlement
After Reconstruction①Stone Circles with Burials②RoadsJomon Jiyukan(Park Center)1

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Introduction
Located ininAomori
AomoriPrefecture
Prefecture
in northern
Japan,
Locatedin northern
Japan,
the the
Sannai Maruyama site is one of thethe largest
largest Jomon
Jomon Period
Periodsites.
A series of excavations conducted to date has revealed alarge
prehistoric
settlement
the andEarly
andlarge prehistoric
settlement
dateddated
to thetoEarly
MiddleMiddleJomon (approximately
Periods (approximately
5,900
to 4,300
Jomon Periods
5,900 to 4,300
years
ago),
years
as well asfrom
pit-dwellings
from theHeian
as wellago),as pit-dwellings
the Heian Period(approxiPeriodago)
portion ofmately (approximately
1,000 years ago)1,000
and ayears
portionof anda latea Medievala(approximately
late Medieval 400(approximately
400 years ago) castle.
years ago) castle.
of thisthislarge
largeJomon
Jomonsettlement
settlementhas
hasexposed
exposedExcavation ofmany pit-dwellings,
pit-dwellings, postholes
postholesofofsix-pillared
six-pillaredbuildings,
buildings,
wetlands filled
filledwith
withwaterloggedwaterlogged
trash,
large
mounds,trash,
large
mounds,burials ofof adults
adultsandandchildren,
children,andandclayclay
miningminingpitspits
for forpottery production.
Mammalandandfishbones,and pollens
Mammalfish
bones,
plantplantseedsseeds
and pollens
retrieved from wetlands
wetlands provide
provideususwith
withcrucial
crucialkeys
keys
to to
understanding
theprehistoricprehistoricnatural
naturalenvironment
understanding theenvironment
andandfoodways.
Artifacts made of jade, amber, and obsidian indicate thethepresence of long-distancelong-distance trade
tradewithin
withinJapan.
Japan.Evidence
Evidence
for lacquerware production implies
implies thethe existence
existence ofofcraftcraft
specialists.
indicate, thethe Sannai
Sannai Maruyama
Maruyamasitesiteisis
As these findings indicate,an invaluable
invaluablesource
sourceofofinformation
information
understanding
forforunderstandingthethelifewaysof Jomonthe Jomon
people.
In 2000,
thewassitedeswas
lifewaysof thepeople.
In 2000,
the site
designateda Special
National
Historicalof Japan.
ignated as aasSpecial
National
Historical
SiteSiteof Japan.
Furthermore, in 2003,
2003, aaset
setofof1,958
1,958artifacts
artifacts
excavatedexcavated
atat
wasdesignated
Important
CulturalAsset,
thethesitesitewasdesignated
as as
an an
Important
CulturalAsset,aadistinction
distinctiononly
onlythetheJapaneseJapanesegovernment
governmentmay
maygrant.
grant.
Theprefecturalprefectural
governmentof Aomorihas beenThe
governmentof Aomorihas been
engaged in the conservationconservation andanddevelopment
developmentofofthe
thesitesitearea asas aahistoricalhistoricalpark,
park,where
wherevisitors
visitors
experiencecancanexperience
the Jomon ‘village.’

11

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10

⑪ Pit-dwellings(reconstruction)

Pit-dwellings in this photo arereconstructed as thatched houses.
Some other pit-dwellings at thesite have been reconstructed withwood frames and bark or sod roofing.

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③ South Mound④ Longhouses

An exhibit facility constructed
over this mound contains a crosssection, enabling the visitors toview the 1,000 year-long historyof the site.

(reconstruction)

The reconstructed longhouse,
which measures 32 m long, is thelargest among the eleven longhouses excavated from the site.

⑤ Large, Six-pillared Building(reconstruction)

The height of the reconstructed structureis 14.7 m. The original archaeological feature, which is associated with six large
postholes containing chestnuts posts, is on
exhibit in a roofed facility.

Exhibit hall

⑥ Burials of Children(Burial Jars)

Excavated burial jars for children are
exhibited in a roofed exhibit facility.

3⑦ North Mound

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Numerous pots and potsherds buried in
the mound can be viewed.

5⑧ ‘Northern Valley’ Midden(Waterlogged Trash Layers)

9
7

6
8
The Sannai Maruyama Site

⑩ Burials of Adults(Burial Pits)

Each adult burial is an oval pit
about 2 m in length. So far,approximately 500 burial pits
have been excavated.

⑨ Six-pillared Buildings(reconstruction)

Three features, each of which is
associated with six postholes,
have been reconstructed as rectangular, raised-floor buildings.

Location of the Site

The Sannai Maruyama Site
During Excavation② Roads[Approximately
5,400-4,300 years old]Three long roads were constructedon the eastern, southern and western sides of the site. Each road is
about 5-14 m wide. Rows of adultburials are placed along each road.

①Stone Circles with Burials[Approximately 4,400 years old]

Stone circles with burial pits. Thesestone circles are located along the roadon the southern side of the site.

1

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⑪ Pit-dwellings[The dwelling shown in the photois about 5,000 years old]
Compared to pitdwellings excavatedat other Jomon sites,
the majority of thepit-dwellings at Sannai Maruyama aresmaller.

⑨ Remains of Six-pillared Buildings[Approximately 4,700 years old]

In this area, many post holes are overlapping, indicating that the structures were repeatedly constructed at the same location and facing in the same
direction. Individual buildings are believed to be
represented by setsof six postholesarranged in a rectangular plan.

③ South Mound④ Longhouses[Approximately
5,400-4,300 years old]

In addition to domestic refuse, ceremonial
artifacts such as clay
figurines and jadewere repeatedly thrown
away, resulting in asmall mound after
about 1,000 years.

⑤ Large, Six-pillared Building[Approximately 5,400 years old]

[Approximately 4,500 years old]

The longhouse shown in the photomeasures 15 m in length and 10 m inwidth. The floor area of this house was
expanded after its initial construction.

This feature is the largest six-pillaredbuilding excavated from the Sannai
Maruyama site. Chestnut posts, each ofwhich measures about 1 m in diameter,
were found at the bottom of these postholes.

⑥ Burials of Children (Burial Jars)[The jars shown in the photo are about
5,000 years old]

3

These pots wereused as funeraryurns, with many ofthem being placednear the clusters of
pit-dwellings.

5⑦ North Mound

9[Approximately 5,400-4,300 years old]

Numerous potsherds and stone
tools were piled
up with dirt, forming a small moundthat measures over2 m high.

78
6⑧ Northern Valley

Midden(Waterlogged Trash Layers)

A naturally formed watercourse was used as a refuse
disposal area from about
5,900 to 5,400 years ago.
Disposed refuse formed
organic layers that provide
invaluable information about
the natural environment andfoodways at that time.

History of Excavation at Sannai Maruyama
The oldest record noting the Sannai Maruyamasite is dated to the early 17th century. By the
18th century, a famous travel writer visited thearea and left several drawings of pottery andclay figurines.
From 1953 to 1967, research institutions suchas Keio University and the Board of Educationof Aomori City conducted excavations of thesite. In 1976 and 1987, the Boards of Educationof Aomori Prefecture and Aomori City conducted excavations of the southern part of the site.

Rescue excavations that began in 1992, which
preceded the construction plan of a prefectural
baseball stadium, revealed an extraordinarily
large settlement associated with an unprecedented amount of artifacts, including pottery, stone
tools, and clay figurines.
In June 1994, a large, six-pillared structurewith remains of 1 m chestnut posts was excavated. As public support for the preservation of
the site increased, Aomori Prefecture acknowledged the importance of the site. In August

1994, the prefecture announced the decision topreserve the site permanently and utilize it as ahistorical park. After this decision, most of the
excavated areas were backfilled for protection.
Conservation of the site and the development of
the historical park have been continuing to thisday.
In addition to the 1992-1994 rescue excavation, 26 test excavations were conducted from1995 to 2003. As a result, approximately 40
percent of the entire site has been excavated.

Environment
4230±4014C bp
4170±4014C bp
4220±5014C bp
4180±4014C bp
4300±4014C bp

Cross-section of the chestnut post used for
dendrochronology and carbon dating

Charred chestnuts

Elderberry bush at the site today

The Sannai Maruyama site is located at theedge of a plateau leading to the Hakkoda
Mountains, at the elevation of 20 m above sea
level. On the north side of the site runs Okidate
River.
What were the characteristics of the naturalenvironment that surrounded the Sannai
Maruyama settlement? Pollen analysis indicatesthat oak and beech forests that dominated the sitearea prior to the establishment of the settlement
were rapidly replaced first by Fagaceae trees suchas walnut, then almost exclusively by chestnuts.
Some scholars suggest that such rapid changes
must have involved active environmental management, such as planting or tending of chestnut
trees. In addition to pollens, a large amount ofchestnut shells have been recovered from therefuse area. Chestnut trees were used also as
tools and building material, as well as fuel.
These lines of evidence suggest that the chestnut
was an important resource for the residents of
Sannai Maruyama.
In addition to pollen analysis, excavations of
two wetland areas of the sites have provided
excellent data for analyses of fungi, alage, phytoliths, seeds, woods, plant DNA, fish bones, mammal bones, insects, and parasites. Results ofthese analyses have revealed active interaction
between the natural environment and the site residents.

Food
A large amount of animal bones and plant seeds
have been excavated from wetland areas.
The majority of mammal bones are those of rabbits and flying squirrels. Only a small amount oflarge terrestrial mammals such as deer and boar
have been found. Some marine mammal
remains, such as those of whales and sea lions,have also been identified.
Ducks and geese make up the majority of thefowl found.
Among the fish bones, vertebrae of yellowtails
and sharks are ubiquitous. In addition, bones of avariety of fish from multiple habitats and withvarying fishing seasons have been identified.
Remains of blowfish, a species that requires
sophisticated anti-poison measures before consumption, have also been found. These lines ofevidence indicate the wealth of knowledge offisheries among the site occupants.
From the water-screened soil, numerous
amounts of fruit seeds, such as wild grapes andactinidia, were found. An abundance of elderberry seeds, many of which formed thick layers or
lumps, have made several scholars suggest thepossibility of fruit wine-making.
Large seeds excavated from the site includenuts, such as chestnuts, Japanese walnuts, andbuckeyes. Seeds of several non-native species,
including bottle gourd, have also been recovered.

Various kinds of bones

Snapper (estimated body length: 1 m)

Various plant seeds

Japanese walnuts

Elderberry seeds

Settlement Changes through Time
Pit-Dwellings

Longhouses

Roads and Burial Pits
(Adult Burials)

MoundsMiddens accumulated in
Wetlands and on Slopes
Burial Jars
(Burials of Children)

Early Jomon Period: Approximately 5,900-5,400 years ago

Storage Pits

Six-pillared Buildings

First Half of the Middle Jomon Period: Approximately 5,400 to 4,900 years ago

0

Second Half of the Middle Jomon Period: Approximately 4,900-4,300 years ago

50m

Architecture

Remains of a Chestnut Post Associated with the Large,
Six-pillared Building

Reconstructed Large, Six-pillared Building and a Longhouse

Wooden architecture of the Jomon period includes pit-dwellings and six-pillared buildings.
Pit-dwellings, the most common type of residential building during the Jomon period, were semi-subterranean structureswith circular or oval floor plans.
Over 500 pit-dwellings have been found at Sannai Maruyamna. These pit-dwellings show gradual changes over time infloor plans, arrangement of the posts, and the location of the hearth. An average sized pit-dwelling measures about 3-4 m indiameter, and about 12 m2 in floor area. In addition to these regular sized pit-dwellings, a small number of extremely large

Cluster of Pit-Dwellings

Overlapping Postholes of Six-pillared Buildings

oval-shaped semi-subterranean dwellings (longhouses) were also constructed. The largest longhouse at Sannai Maruyama measures 32 m inlength. Since the number of longhouses is quite
small, possibly one for each occupational phase,
scholars suggest that longhouses may have functioned as meeting halls or workshops.
In addition, many postholes, which are identified
as remains of six-pillared buildings, were recovered
between the North and South Mounds. Since nofloors were associated with these features, they are
assumed to have been raised-floor buildings, possibly for storage or funeral rites.
The large, six-pillared building is the one found at
the northwestern area of the site. This feature consists of six large chestnut posts that are arranged ina rectangular shape. Given the extremely large sizeof these posts, this structure may have functioned asa shrine, a watchtower, or a monument. Each post
measures about 1 m in diameter, and is placed atexactly 4.2 m apart (a distance measured between
the center of each post). After measuring distances
between postholes of other six-pillared buildings,
some scholars suggest that either 35 cm or 70 cm
may have been the measurement unit of the site residents.

Organization of the ‘Village’

Eastern Road

Cross-section of the South Mound

In addition to the construction of wooden architecture, large-scale civilengineering projects such as road construction were also conducted.
The first road runs from the center of the site to the east for about 420 m(the Eastern Road), and the second road runs from the center to the southeast
for about 390 m (the Southern Road). The third road, which measures about
40 m in length (the Western Road), was excavated at the western part of thesite. These roads were constructed by flattening the earth to create the roadsurface of 5-14 m wide. Clayish soil was applied to strengthen the areas
with loose ground.
Backdirt of these construction projects, together with broken pots and stone
tools, were piled up in certain designated areas of the site. Repetition ofthese activities resulted in the formation of the North, South and West
Mounds, part of which measures as tall as 2 m.
Distribution of features within the site shows systematic patterns. Roads
were arranged in a particular way, with the mounds built to avoid the roads.
Six-pillared buildings are placed at the end of the roads, and adult burials areconstructed along both sides of the roads. The main cluster of pit-dwellings
is away from adult burials, and is located within the areas that are surrounded by six-pillared buildings and mounds. Unlike
adult burials, children’s burials are heavily concentrated around the pit-dwellings. The basic patternsof these arrangements were maintained for over
1,000 years.

Numerous Potsherds Excavated at the North MoundArtifacts 1 (Pottery and Stone Tools)

Ento Style Pottery

Stone Tools

Grinding Stones and Stone Mortar

Two of the most representative types of artifacts at
the Sannai Maruyama sites are pottery and stone
tools. They make up the majority of the 40,000
boxes of artifacts that have been excavated so far.
This overwhelming amount reflects the tremendous
size of the settlement as well as its long history.
Pottery found at this site is called Ento (cylindrical) style pottery. A typical Ento style pot is characterized by an elongated bucket shape with a wide
opening, and is decorated with cord marks (jomon).
Ento style pottery from the Early Jomon period is
decorated primarily with a variety of cord marks,
whereas that from the Middle Jomon period is morecommonly decorated with appliqué or wavy rims.
Although the majority of excavated pots are deep
jars, which were used primarily for cooking, shallow bowls and plates are also present. Some potsare coated with lacquer.
Stone tools found from the site include hunting
tools such as arrowheads, crafting tools such asawls, cutting tools such as polished stone axes, andfood-processing tools such as grinding stones.
Stone implements for ritual purposes are also abundant.

Artifacts 2(Lacquerware, Wooden Objects,
and Bone and Antler Implements)

Digging Stick Excavated from the ‘Northern Valley’ Midden

Lacquerware Excavated from the ‘Northern Valley’ Midden‘Jomon Pochette’ (Basket with a Walnut Interior)

Bone Fishhooks and Harpoon Heads

Bone Needles

Organic artifacts about 5,900 years old have been foundfrom two wetland areas of the site. Wood artifacts include
digging sticks, lacquerware and combs, as well as manyothers the functions of which are unidentified. In addition tolacquerware, tools for lacquerware production and seeds oflacquer trees were found, suggesting that the production oflacquerware took place at the site. Other artifacts made ofplant materials include a small basket named ‘Jomon
pochette’. These lines of evidence suggest that a variety ofplant-material containers were commonly produced and used.
Bone and antler implements include harpoon heads, fishhooks, needles, awls and hairpins. Needles are the most abundant type of bone tools. Their varying length, thickness andthe eye size indicate that the Jomon people developed a variety of specialized tools for different purposes. At Sannai
Maruyama, most of the bone needles are made of mammal
ribs.

Ornaments and Ritual Goods
In addition to artifacts for daily household use such as pottery
and stone tools, a large number of ornaments and ritual-related
objects have been excavated.

(Left Top) Various Earrings (Right Top) Textile Fragment(Left Bottom) Crown-shaped Stone Artifacts(Right Bottom) Ceremonial Bone Artifacts

Ornaments include pendants and earrings made ofclay and stones, hairpins and pendants made of animal bones and tusks, and combs coated with redlacquer. A braided rope, which was made of fivepairs of twisted string, is probably a bracelet fragment. Fragments of fabric made of twisted warp
may have been part of clothing.
Other ritual-related artifacts include clay and stone
figurines, miniature pottery, triangular clay objects,
stone rods, crown-shaped stone artifacts, a boarshaped clay figurine, clay pieces decorated with
walnut shells, and sword-shaped artifacts made ofwhale bone.
Clay and Stone Figurines

Over 1,600 clay figurines have been foundat Sannai Maruyama.
Compared to other
Jomon sites in Japan,
this number is astonishing.
Most Middle
Jomon clay figurines atSannai Maruyama areflat and cross-shaped,with the face, chest and bellybutton usually represented. Many of themwere found in fragments, and only a few can be restored to their complete
condition. In some instances, some of the fragments found from separate
locations within the site were later refitted as one piece.
Most of these ritual-associated implements were found from the mounds,suggesting the significance of the mounds as a ground for ceremonial
practices.

(Left) Miniature Pottery(Bottom) Various Clay and Stone Artifacts

Mortuary PracticeStone Circle with Burial Pits
Adult Burial (Burial Pit)
Burial of a Child (Burial Jar)

Rows of burial pits for adults are arranged along bothsides of the three roads. They extend for about 420 m
along the Eastern Road, 310 m along the Southern Road,
and 40 m along the Western Road. Most burials are represented only by oval-shaped pits. Some burial pits aremarked with large stones or small mounds. The burial
rows along the Southern Road include burial pits surrounded by circular stone arrangements. The distributionof this type of burial extends for about 210 m. Several
burials were associated with jade ornaments, stone tools
such as arrowheads, and red pigments.
Burial jars, which are assumed to have been children’sburials, were found on the northeast area of the settlement,in between the ‘North Valley’ midden and the North
Mound. Pots for daily use were reused as burial urns, butthey usually had holes drilled in the bottom. Some burial
jars were associated with stone tools as in the case of adultburials. Others contained fist-sized cobbles.

Burial Pits Placed along the Road

Overlapping Burial Pits

Interaction between Settlements

Large Jade Beads

Unworked Jade and Incomplete Jade Beads

Spear point Made of Obsidian from Hokkaido

Most artifacts used for daily activities, such as pottery, were made at the site using locally available materials. However,certain items came from far away. These include artifacts that were made of non-local materials. In some cases, chemical
analyses can help us identify the provenance of these materials. Jade and obsidian are two representative examples that wereobtained through long-distance exchange.
Jade was favored by the Jomon people, and was especially valued in northern Honshu, where Sannai Maruyama is located,and southern Hokkaido. Jade raw material came from the Itoi River region in Niigata Prefecture, about 500 km away fromthe site. In addition to complete artifacts such as large beads, unworked jade and uncompleted jade beads have also beenfound. This indicates that the production of jade artifacts took place at the site. Obsidian found at the site came from multiple sources, including Hokkaido and Nagano Prefecture, the latter being about 580 km away from the site.
In addition, natural asphalt, which was used as glue to attach arrowheads to arrow shafts, and pieces of amber were brought
to the site from areas within 200 km away.

The Jomon Period
Dates
Over 12,000 years ago, when the climate became warmer and the deciduous forest began
to spread throughout the Japanese archipelago, a new culture characterized by the production of pottery began to emerge. Because many of the pots from this period are decorated with cord marks (jomon), the culture is named the Jomon. The people from this period
are called the Jomon people. The Jomon culture lasted about 10,000 years, ending approximately 2300 years ago when rice agriculture diffused from continental Asia and marked the
beginning of the Yayoi period.

Physical Characteristics
The origin of the Jomon people is a hotly debated topic. Physical anthropological studies
indicate that skeletal remains of Jomon people show similar characteristics to those of“archaic” type of Asian population groups, who originally lived in Southeast and part of East
Asia. It is believed that the modern Japanese population consists of the mixture of the Jomon
lineage and waves of immigrants from continental Asia during and after the Yayoi period.

Food
Jomon people were living primarily on hunting, gathering and fishing. Terrestrial mammal
and bird hunting was conducted using bows and arrows, and sometimes with the aid of traps.
Fishing in the sea, rivers and lakes is evidenced by the presence of fish spears, harpoon heads,
fishhooks and weirs. Plant food gathering and shellfish collecting seem to have been especially important. Typical cooking methods included stewing in pottery vessels, but discoveriesof cookie- or bread-like lumps from several Jomon sites indicate other cooking methods werealso used.

Villages and Social Organization
A typical Jomon village consisted of pit-dwellings, storage pits, graves, and a central plaza.
Certain regions and sub-periods were also characterized by the presence of large longhouses, shell-middens, mounds, six-pillared buildings, and ceremonial features marked withlarge stones. The minimum social unit probably consisted of several households. Opinions
vary regarding the degree of Jomon social stratification, since neither burial structure nor
grave goods shows marked status differences.

Crafts and Rituals
Representative craft products from the Jomon period include pottery, clay figurines (usually
representing female), and stone or bone tools for hunting, fishing and cooking. In addition,baskets and textiles made of plant fiber, clay, stone and ivory earrings and pendants, shellbracelets, combs and hairpins have also been found. No metal tools were used, but the production of lacquered wood containers and jade beads indicate the high level of Jomon craft
skills.
Ritual artifacts include clay figurines, phallic stones, and other clay and stone objects. An
abundance of ritual artifacts, as well as the construction of large-scale ceremonial features
such as stone circles, indicates the complexity of Jomon ceremonial practices. Despite therichness of archaeological record regarding rituals, we know very little about the worldview of
the Jomon people.

Interaction between Villages
Stylistic similarity of pottery between villages, long-distance trade of exotic items, and discoveries of dugout canoes all indicate intensive interaction within and between each region.
These interaction networks often extended for over 100 km. No evidence of warfare has
been reported.

Sannai-Maruyama Site Preservation Office, 2004
Cultural Properties Protection Division,
Aomori Prefectural Board of Education
293 Sannai-Maruyama, Aomori City, 038-0031, Japan Tel. 017-781-6078
URL http://sannaimaruyama.pref.aomori.jp/