Gushibaru Shell Mound

A Shell Mound in the Dunes of Iejima

The Gushibaru Shell Mound (具志原貝塚, Gushibaru Kaizuka) is a prehistoric shell mound on the south coast of Iejima in Ie Village, Kunigami District, Okinawa Prefecture, which in 1986 was designated a Historic Site, with an additional area designated in 1998.

The Agency for Cultural Affairs lists it under the criterion for shell mounds, settlements, burial mounds and similar sites. Ie Village places it in the dunes by Ie Port on the island's south coast, and notes that it was designated by Okinawa Prefecture in 1974 before becoming a national Historic Site in 1986.

The name is read Gushibaru.

Why It Matters: Kyushu Pottery and the Shell Trade

Ie Village says the Gushibaru Shell Mound is known as the first site in Okinawa where Yayoi pottery from Kyushu was found. Many finished and half-finished objects of gohora shell have come from it, pointing to an active trade in shells.

Shell tools are plentiful, including bracelets, dishes and shell plaques. The Agency's database holds photographs of a cluster of cone shells as found, shell ornaments, Menda-type pottery and Yayoi pottery, which give a sense of what the site contained.

How Old It Is

Ie Village notes that the lowest layers contain pottery with scraped-line decoration equivalent to the Early Jomon period, making this the oldest Neolithic site on Iejima, going back about 5,000 years. Human burials have also been found.

The village rates the Gushibaru Shell Mound as one of the most varied and rich of Okinawa's many sites.

Visiting the Gushibaru Shell Mound

The Gushibaru Shell Mound lies in the dunes near Ie Port on the south coast of Iejima. No official information on visiting conditions or on-site displays could be found.

Digging within the Historic Site or taking away shells or potsherds is not permitted. Enquiries go to the Ie Village office, 0980-49-2001.