Oshoro Stone Circle: Hokkaido's Largest Jōmon Ring of Standing Stones
On a quiet river terrace at the foot of Mt. Mikasa in western Otaru, an oval ring of weather-worn stones rises gently from the grass. This is the Oshoro Stone Circle (Oshoro Kanjō Resseki), one of Japan's most important prehistoric monuments and the largest of more than eighty stone circles known from the Otaru–Yoichi region. Built roughly 3,500 years ago in the Late Jōmon period, the site was designated a National Historic Site of Japan on March 10, 1961, and offers visitors a rare and moving glimpse into the spiritual life of Hokkaido's ancient inhabitants.
A Monument from the Late Jōmon Period
The Jōmon period (roughly 14,000 BCE to 300 BCE) was one of the longest-lasting cultures in human history, defined by hunter-gatherer-fisher communities, distinctive cord-marked pottery, and remarkably stable settlements. By the Late Jōmon period, communities across northern Honshu and Hokkaido had begun constructing large communal ritual monuments, including stone circles, earthwork mounds, and arrangements of standing stones.
The Oshoro Stone Circle was built during this remarkable era of monument-making. The standing stones were quarried not from the immediate vicinity but from the rocky shore of Cape Shiripa in present-day Yoichi Town, around nine kilometres away — a clear sign that the site was the product of organised, cooperative labour drawing on multiple communities along the coast.
The Birthplace of Japanese Stone-Circle Archaeology
The Oshoro Stone Circle holds a special place in the history of Japanese archaeology. It was first reported to a learned society in 1886 (Meiji 19), making it the very first stone circle in Japan to be introduced to the academic world. From the late nineteenth century onward, scholars travelled to this remote coastal village to study its stones, and the monument quickly became a touchstone for understanding the prehistoric cultures of northern Japan.
While some of the stones have since fallen or shifted, the overall plan of the circle is still clearly visible, and continued research has steadily revealed how the site was built, used, and revered.
Why It Was Designated a National Historic Site
Several qualities led to the site's recognition as a National Historic Site. First, it is the largest stone circle so far identified in the dense cluster of monuments stretching from Otaru into Yoichi, and it is considered the central ritual focus of that group. Second, the standing stones were transported across a considerable distance from Cape Shiripa, demonstrating sophisticated planning and inter-community cooperation. Third, archaeological investigation has shown that the circle was once surrounded by tall wooden posts, suggesting an elaborate above-ground ritual landscape that has long since vanished.
Together with the adjacent Oshoro Doba Site — excavated between 1985 and 1987 and rich in pottery, stone tools, wooden building materials, lacquer wares, nuts, and animal bones — the stone circle helps reveal the abundance and complexity of Late Jōmon life in this part of Hokkaido. Stone circles of this scale are now widely understood as places of communal burial and ritual, anchoring the spiritual world of their builders.
Highlights of the Site
The circle measures approximately 33 metres north-south and 22 metres east-west, forming a long oval on a gentle terrace about 20 metres above sea level. The slope was carefully cut, levelled, and covered with a layer of gravel before the stones were placed. Around the perimeter, a band two to three metres wide is paved with smaller stones (around 10–20 cm), while the larger standing stones — many between one and two metres tall — are arranged within and around this band. Along the southern and eastern edges, a striking double row of stones can still be observed.
What makes the site especially evocative is its setting. There are no signs of intensive modern development around the circle; the visitor walks up a quiet rural lane, the trees give way to a clearing, and suddenly the great stones are simply there, weathered and patient, on the same land where Jōmon people gathered millennia ago. Standing at the chain that protects the perimeter, it is easy to imagine the wooden posts that once rose above the ring and the gatherings that took place beneath them.
Visiting the Stone Circle
The Oshoro Stone Circle is freely open to visitors throughout the year, with no admission fee and no fixed opening hours. To protect this fragile monument, however, a chain has been placed around the perimeter, and visitors are kindly asked to view the site from outside the chain rather than walking among the stones themselves.
From central Otaru, the site is around fifteen kilometres west and is best reached by car or by a combination of train and bus. The nearest railway station is JR Ranshima Station, about a 25-minute walk away, while Hokkaido Chūō Bus services stop at the "Oshoro" bus stop, around a 7-minute walk from the site. Because the surrounding lanes are narrow and the site has limited facilities, please drive carefully and bring drinking water, especially in summer.
Before or after your visit, you may also wish to stop at the Otaru City General Museum's Canal Wing (Unga-kan), where a detailed model of the Oshoro Stone Circle and finds from the adjoining Oshoro Doba Site are on display, providing valuable context for what you see in the field.
Exploring the Wider Jōmon Landscape
The Oshoro area is part of an extraordinary cluster of Jōmon monuments along the western Otaru and Yoichi coastline. Just one kilometre west, on the summit of Mt. Jichinzan, lies the smaller Jichinzan Stone Circle, also a National Historic Site, where twelve large stones form an oval thought to mark an individual burial. Further west in Yoichi Town, the Nishizakiyama Stone Circle and the Yoichi Hachimanyama Stone Circle complete a remarkable chain of related sites.
Nearby, the National Historic Site of Fugoppe Cave preserves Jōmon-era engravings of human and animal figures, while in central Otaru the Temiya Cave Preservation Hall protects another set of carved figures of national importance. Together these sites allow visitors to trace the spiritual and artistic life of Hokkaido's coastal Jōmon communities. The entire region is also celebrated as part of the broader cultural landscape that surrounds the UNESCO-listed "Jōmon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan," which includes the renowned Kiusu Earthwork Burial Circles near New Chitose Airport.
- 📍 Plan Your Visit to Hokkaido
- Find tours, activities & transport passes near Oshoro Stone Circle
- [ Explore Sapporo Snow Festivals & Lavender Fields ]
Q&A
- How old is the Oshoro Stone Circle?
- The site dates to the Late Jōmon period, roughly 3,500 years ago. It was first reported to a Japanese learned society in 1886 and designated a National Historic Site in 1961.
- What was the stone circle used for?
- Stone circles of this kind are thought to have served as communal burial and ritual sites for Late Jōmon communities. The Oshoro example is considered the central ritual focus of more than eighty stone circles known from the Otaru and Yoichi area.
- Where did the stones come from?
- Research has shown that the standing stones were brought from Cape Shiripa in present-day Yoichi Town, about nine kilometres west of the site. Transporting and erecting them required the organised cooperation of multiple Jōmon communities.
- Can visitors walk inside the stone circle?
- For preservation reasons, a chain surrounds the monument, and visitors are asked to view the circle from outside the chain. The site is otherwise open year-round, free of charge.
- What is the easiest way to reach the site?
- The simplest route is by rental car from central Otaru, about a 25–30 minute drive. By public transport, take the JR Hakodate Line to Ranshima Station and walk approximately 25 minutes, or take a Hokkaido Chūō Bus to the "Oshoro" bus stop and walk about seven minutes.
Basic Information
| Name | Oshoro Stone Circle (Oshoro Kanjō Resseki) |
|---|---|
| Designation | National Historic Site of Japan |
| Designation Date | March 10, 1961 |
| Period | Late Jōmon period (approximately 3,500 years ago) |
| Dimensions | Oval, approximately 33 m (north–south) × 22 m (east–west) |
| Location | Oshoro 2-chōme, Otaru City, Hokkaido |
| Access | Approx. 7-min walk from "Oshoro" Hokkaido Chūō Bus stop; approx. 25-min walk from JR Ranshima Station |
| Admission | Free, open year-round (viewing from outside the perimeter chain) |
| Inquiries | Otaru City Board of Education, Lifelong Learning Division / Otaru City General Museum Canal Wing (Tel: 0134-22-1258) |
References
- Oshoro Kanjō Resseki — Cultural Heritage Online (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://bunka.nii.ac.jp/heritages/detail/160418
- National Designated Cultural Properties Database (Agency for Cultural Affairs)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/401/37
- Oshoro Kanjō Resseki — City of Otaru
- https://www.city.otaru.lg.jp/docs/2022030700055/
- Oshoro Kanjō Resseki — Northern Jōmon Portal Site
- https://kitano-jomon.jp/ruins/oshoro/
- Oshoro Kanjō Resseki — Otaru Tourism Portal "Otaru Meguritai"
- https://unga-plus.com/?pid=158685651
- Oshoro Kanjō Resseki — Hokkaido Jōmon Town Network
- http://www.jomon-town.org/site/忍路環状列石/
Last verified: 2026.05.08