One of Japan's Earliest Villages, below Mount Fuji
The Oshikakubo Ruins (大鹿窪遺跡, Oshikakubo Iseki) are the remains of an Incipient Jomon settlement at Oshikakubo, Fujinomiya City, Shizuoka Prefecture, which in 2008 were designated a Historic Site.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs records the location at designation as Shibakawa Town, Fuji District. Fujinomiya City notes that the site became one of its national Historic Sites when Shibakawa merged into the city in March 2010.
The Agency describes it as among the very earliest settlements made up of pit dwellings, with more dwellings than any other site of the period in Japan.
Setting
Fujinomiya City explains that the site lies southwest of Mount Fuji, on a gentle west-facing slope on the left bank of the Shiba River, and was found in excavations for farmland improvement. It sits directly on the Shibakawa lava flow from Mount Fuji.
From the centre of the site, Mount Fuji can be seen over the Habuna hills to the east; the Agency also notes the view of Fuji to the north.
The city dates the Shibakawa lava flow to about 17,000 calendar years ago and the dwellings to about 13,000 years ago.
Features and Finds
The Agency records 14 pit dwellings, the most known for the period. Post holes run along their walls and outside them, and some have a pit in the centre of the floor thought to be a hearth. The dwellings are laid out deliberately in a semicircle around what is thought to have been an open plaza.
About 26,000 finds, chiefly pottery and stone tools, have been recovered. The pottery is mainly of Incipient Jomon types decorated with pressed cord, raised lines or nail marks. Stone tools include arrowheads, spear points and tanged points for hunting, querns, grinding stones and hammerstones for processing plants, and arrow-shaft smoothers typical of the period.
The Agency notes that evidence of settlement at the birth of Jomon culture has mostly come from caves and rock shelters, making this a rare open-air site that shows how a village was organised. Fujinomiya City adds that the protected area includes the lava and valley landforms that show the site's original setting.
Visiting the Oshikakubo Ruins
No official information on visiting conditions could be found. Digging within the site or removing finds is not permitted.
Enquiries go to the Fujinomiya City board of education.
Q&A
- When were the Oshikakubo Ruins designated?
- They were designated a Historic Site on 28 March 2008.
- How old are the Oshikakubo Ruins?
- They date from the Incipient Jomon period; Fujinomiya City dates the dwellings to about 13,000 years ago.
- How many pit dwellings are at the Oshikakubo Ruins?
- 14, according to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the most for the period in Japan.
- What has been found at the Oshikakubo Ruins?
- About 26,000 finds, mainly Incipient Jomon pottery and stone tools such as arrowheads, spear points, querns and arrow-shaft smoothers.
- Where are the Oshikakubo Ruins?
- At Oshikakubo in Fujinomiya City, Shizuoka Prefecture, on the left bank of the Shiba River.
Basic Information
| Name | Oshikakubo Ruins (大鹿窪遺跡) |
|---|---|
| Location | Oshikakubo, Fujinomiya City, Shizuoka Prefecture |
| Designation | Historic Site |
| Year Designated | Designated 2008/3/28 (Heisei 20) |
| Quantity | 14 pit dwellings |
| Dimensions | Not recorded in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Owner | Not recorded in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Public Access | No official visitor information found |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Oshikakubo Ruins (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/401/00003569
- Cultural Heritage Online: Oshikakubo Ruins (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/164741
- Fujinomiya City: Oshikakubo Ruins (Japanese)
- https://www.city.fujinomiya.lg.jp/3010400000/p001930.html
Last verified: 2026.09.28