One Cave Site, Designated by the State in 1986
Sembokuji Cave (泉福寺洞窟, Senpukuji Dokutsu in the record's reading) lies at 1-1571 Setogoe, Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture, and was designated by the state on 7 March 1986. Its category is that of historic sites.
The owner is Sasebo City.
The prefecture describes it as a cave site formed in the rock face of a hill's southern slope on the left bank of a river, 89 metres above sea level, used over a long span from the Late Palaeolithic to the Heian period.
A Sequence of Pottery Laid Out in the Order of the Layers
The kinds of pottery can be followed in the order in which the soil built up.
The prefecture records that 10 excavations have been made since the cave was found in 1969, and that 12 layers of soil have been identified.
The pottery, it continues, has been traced through a sequence of five kinds, from bean-dot ware through raised-line, nail-impressed and pressed-and-drawn ware to impressed-pattern ware.
Five kinds of pottery appear in turn from the lower layers to the upper. Which came first and which later is shown by their place in the ground.
At Hibakoiwa Cave, 3 excavations yielded raised-line and nail-impressed sherds whose marks placed them in the earliest Jomon: there the period is shown.
Here 10 excavations and 12 layers show the order within the period too. The prefecture says the sequence has been worked out layer by layer, making this a site that marks the beginning of the Jomon period in Japan.
Bean-Dot Ware, With the Possibility of Being Among the World's Oldest
Of the oldest pottery, the record speaks without asserting.
The prefecture records that the bean-dot ware, among the oldest pottery and found together with microblades, showed an age of 12,000 years by the scientific dating of the time.
It adds that it has the possibility of being among the oldest pottery in the world.
Bean-dot ware is decorated with small applied pellets like beans. Found together means found in the same layer.
The words of the time mark the measurement as belonging to that moment. The words has the possibility hold back from asserting.
At Himeshima, ages from two methods are set side by side. Here one figure is given with the caution that it was the measurement of its time.
Layers of Pottery Above Layers of Stone Tools
Tools from before pottery appeared remain in the same cave.
The prefecture records that the cave was chiefly used from the Palaeolithic to the earliest Jomon, with a layer of knife-shaped stone tools at the bottom and a thick layer of microblades above it.
Knife-shaped tools are chipped stone blades; microblades are small stone blades set together in a haft.
Knife-shaped tools at the bottom, microblades above, and with the microblades the bean-dot ware. The passage from a time without pottery to a time with it is layered in one cave.
The chief stone tools include knife-shaped tools, end scrapers, side scrapers, cores and microblades.
The cave has 4 chambers opening to the south, with a steep valley in front and a spring at the valley floor.
Visiting
The site lies at 1-1571 Setogoe, Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture, owned by the city.
The prefecture gives the nearest station as the local railway's station bearing the same name, 5 minutes' walk away.
The national online heritage database has no entry for this site. This article rests on the prefecture's cultural properties database.
The English name in the database reads Sembokuji, but the recorded reading is Senpukuji.
This is an open-air site, so whether and how it may be visited follows the arrangements of the local authority. Check before travelling.
Q&A
- When was the cave designated?
- On 7 March 1986, by the state, as a historic site.
- What pottery has been found?
- Bean-dot, raised-line, nail-impressed, pressed-and-drawn and impressed-pattern ware, their sequence confirmed in the order of the layers.
- How old is the bean-dot ware?
- The scientific dating of the time gave 12,000 years, and the prefecture says it has the possibility of being among the oldest pottery in the world.
- Are there layers older than the pottery?
- Yes. A layer of knife-shaped stone tools lies at the bottom, with a thick layer of microblades above it.
- How many times has it been excavated?
- Ten times since it was found in 1969, identifying 12 layers of soil.
Basic Information
| Name | Sembokuji Cave (泉福寺洞窟); the recorded reading is Senpukuji Dokutsu |
|---|---|
| Location | 1-1571 Setogoe, Sasebo City, Nagasaki Prefecture |
| Designation | Historic site; designated as an archaeological site rather than as a building or a work of art |
| Year Designated | 1986 (7 March), designated |
| Quantity | 1 cave site, of 4 chambers |
| Dimensions | Formed in the rock face of a hill's southern slope on the left bank of the river, 89 metres above sea level, opening to the south. 12 layers of soil have been identified |
| Owner | Sasebo City |
| Public Access | An open-air site; visiting follows the arrangements of the local authority |
References
- Nagasaki Prefecture cultural properties database: the cave
- https://www.pref.nagasaki.jp/bunkadb/index.php/view/217
- Agency for Cultural Affairs, National Cultural Properties Database
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/
- Sasebo City
- https://www.city.sasebo.lg.jp/
- Nagasaki Prefecture: cultural properties
- https://www.pref.nagasaki.jp/bunkadb/
Last verified: 2026.09.22