An Ironworking Village in the Hills of Awaji
The Funaki Site (舟木遺跡) is a Late to Terminal Yayoi settlement on the hills of northern Awaji Island in Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture, designated a Historic Site in 2021.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs lists it under the criterion for shell mounds, settlements and tombs.
According to the Agency, it lies 150 to 200 metres up, extending about 800 metres north to south and 500 metres east to west.
Remains and Finds
According to the Agency, the settlement dates from the early first to the early third century. Twenty pit buildings including four smithies have been found, with more than 170 iron objects, showing large-scale ironworking.
On an isolated ridge at the centre, a ritual area yielded many pots including salt-making vessels and octopus traps, and iron fishhooks and harpoons. Finds also include fragments of a Later Han mirror made of material from southern China and a spear-plane from Kyushu.
What to Look For
The Agency concludes that, though in the hills, it was a major base closely tied to sea-borne exchange, making iron tools from iron brought by that trade. At a time when power shifted between northern Kyushu and the Kinai, it served for about two centuries as a hub of Inland Sea trade and ironworking.
Awaji City regards Funaki as the centre of the Yayoi sites spread over the hills of northern Awaji, including the Gossa Kaito site.
Visiting the Funaki Site
No official visitor information could be found.
Enquiries: Awaji City board of education, 0799-64-2520.
Q&A
- When was the Funaki site designated?
- On 26 March 2021.
- How old is it?
- Late to Terminal Yayoi, first to early third century.
- What was found?
- Twenty buildings including smithies and over 170 iron objects.
- What came from the ritual area?
- Salt-making pots, octopus traps, iron fishhooks and harpoons.
- Why is it important?
- It was a hub of sea trade and ironworking for about 200 years.
Basic Information
| Name | Funaki Site (舟木遺跡) |
|---|---|
| Location | Awaji City, Hyogo Prefecture |
| Designation | Historic Site |
| Year Designated | Designated 2021/3/26 (Reiwa 3) |
| Quantity | Not recorded in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Dimensions | Settlement about 800 by 500 metres |
| Owner | Not recorded in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | No official visitor information found |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Funaki Site (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/401/00004115
- Cultural Heritage Online: Funaki Site (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/595719
- Awaji City: Funaki Site Report (Japanese)
- https://www.city.awaji.lg.jp/soshiki/shakai/28635.html
Last verified: 2026.09.29