June 7, 2008

• Yoshingari, Saga Prefecture

  

  Yoshinogari is located in Saga Prefecture on Japan's southernmost islahd of Kyushu and is an archeological site that dates back to the Yayoi Period, around 2000 years ago.  This archeological site has been under excavation since 1986 and consists of a village complex surrounded by a ditches and palisades.  After excavation, the village was recreated according to what it is thought was formerly there.

  Thanks to Barbara S. for recommending that I be sure to take a hat or parasol, as there was not much shade to be had.  I would not recommend visiting Yoshinogari in the summer unless you want to be as dried out as the fish and octopi that will appear in some of these pictures.

  

  Ladies at the ticket booth are dressed in period costumes.

  

  We have lunch of tea noodles and tempura before entering the village.

  

  The time slip is about to take place.

  

  We enter the village through the main gate.  There seem to be no guards on duty.

  

  Go in the gate and look to your left to see a ditch that encircles the village as well as a fence and pikes to keep intruders out.

  

  Yes, times were not entirely peaceful, and several of the former inhabitants of this village were found buried headless.

  

  Hub tries to provide the fellow with assistance.

  

  Let's enter part of the village after getting permission from the people in the guardhouses.

  

  Is it just me, or is this picture done a la Escher?

  

  Some homes in the village.  These are dug out and have about five steps down to enter.  The roofs are thatched.

  

  Another cluster of houses.

  

  Here is a roofed area for town meetings, and a shrine like building can be seen towering in the background.

  

  Let's visit the inside of a few of these homes.  Here are two ladies combing each other's hair.

  

  One man is checking out a bronze dagger.

  

  Here is an ancient bed against the wall inside of one of the houses.

  

  Dear, if you change that channel one more time I am gonna smack you!

  

  This is a replica of an ancient "dotaku" bell.  It has a wooden clapper inside.

  

  Let's go into the "shine" area.  The entry is curved and does not allow direct straight access into the area, making it easier to defend against invaders.

  

  The main "shrine" building.  It us supposed that the leaders of the village would  meet on the second floor.

  

  On the top floor were held services in which shrine maidens would "consult the gods" about important events such as when to plant rice and when to harvest.

  

  Reports of the divination were given to the leaders waiting in the hall below.

  

  The "high priestess" was literally that - her home was on pillars and not dug out of the ground.

  

  Several hundred ancient graves were found on this historical site.  The departed were placed in coffins made of two earthen jars sealed together with clay.

  

  This dearly departed must have been of the ruling class judging from his fancy clothes, bead necklace and bronze dagger.

  

  This is only a small sample of all of the graves found in this part of the village.  In the background is a tumulus where more earth was piled up to cover the graves of the rulers.

  

  An unobstructed view of the tumulus.

  

  Inside another house that raised silkworms.  To the right you see a loom and mulberry leaves used to raise silkworms.

  

  To the left are spinning implements and cacoon racks.

  

  A ditch in another part of the village to protect the valuables seen below.

  

  Here are weapons:  shields, armor, spears and halberds. 

  

  What else is considered valuable in this fortified part of the village?

  

  Iron ore, and various metal ingots used in making tools and weapons were stored here.

  

  This is a drum in a tower of the market area that announced when the market was open for business.

  

  The drum tower

  

  Hey, what is a foreigner doing here?? 

  

  The view across a pond in the village

  

  Here is the south part of the village where the working class lived.  Here are some of their wooden farm implements.

  

  Little octopi hung out to dry and eat later.

  

  Fish are also dried for preservation.

  

  About this time somebody yelled, "TEKI ga kuru zo!! The ENEMY is coming!!" from a guard house.  The smoke in the background is actually from modern day farmers burning straw off their fields after harvesting wheat.

  

  Some local residents - one is mending a flax garment and the other is spinning silk thread.

  

  These are stone knives used to clip off ripe heads of rice and tools that were used to make the holes through which a straw rope was passed to make holding the knife easier.

  

  Musical instruments of the day - a goat skin drum, clappers and bamboo/clay flutes.

  

  Laundry hung out to dry?

   

  What was on the ancient menu besides dried fish and octopus?  I am not sure what this is, but it didn't have much taste when I sampled it.

  

  Turnips, beans, chestnuts, walnuts sweet potatoes and dried apricots

  

  Dried potatoes and other dried things in the baskets below that I could not readily identify.

  

  Now this fish was certainly dry!

  

  OK, time to go home.  I decided that this manhole cover was too heavy for a souvenir, so I just took a picture.

  • 09:13
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