A Yayoi Village on the Hibiki Sea
The Ayaragi-go Site (綾羅木郷遺跡) is a site centred on the Yayoi period at Ayaragi, Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, designated a Historic Site in 1969.
The Agency for Cultural Affairs lists it under the criterion for shell mounds, settlements and tombs; part of the designation was lifted and further areas added in 1981.
Yamaguchi Prefecture notes that it lies on the Hibiki Sea at the western tip of Honshu, an area that with northern Kyushu was a centre of Yayoi culture.
Remains and Preservation
According to Yamaguchi Prefecture, pit dwellings and burials were found in the east of the terrace, and in the centre and west many bag-shaped storage pits typical of the early Yayoi, with middle and late Yayoi ditches. There are also Kofun-period dwellings (late third to seventh century), and a keyhole tomb with a box-shaped stone coffin at the northwest tip. Finds include early Yayoi pottery and many stone tools.
The prefecture records excavations from 1965 to 1968 ahead of silica sand extraction, the destruction of unexcavated areas by a company on 8 March 1969, and the company's suit to cancel the designation, settled with the state on 17 July 1981 after twelve years of hearings.
What to Look For
The prefecture notes that the finds are designated prefectural cultural properties, kept at Shimonoseki's archaeological facilities.
The Shimonoseki City Archaeological Museum describes the site park with reconstructed Yayoi and Kofun-period pit dwellings. In its western area are the Wakamiya tombs, including a fifth-century keyhole tomb about 40 metres long, and Yayoi burial mounds.
Visiting the Ayaragi-go Site
The museum says the site park's lawns are popular for walks, and the chamber of the relocated Iwaya tomb can be entered.
Q&A
- When was the site designated?
- In 1969, with changes to the area in 1981.
- What has been found?
- Dwellings, storage pits, ditches, a keyhole tomb, and early Yayoi pottery and stone tools.
- What happened over its preservation?
- Silica sand extraction destroyed parts of it; a lawsuit against the designation was settled in 1981.
- Can I visit?
- Yes, as a site park with reconstructed dwellings.
- How is 綾羅木郷 read?
- Ayaragi-go.
Basic Information
| Name | Ayaragi-go Site (綾羅木郷遺跡) |
|---|---|
| Location | Ayaragi, Shimonoseki City, Yamaguchi Prefecture |
| Designation | Historic Site |
| Year Designated | Designated 1969/3/11 (Showa 44); area revised 1981 |
| Quantity | Not recorded in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Dimensions | Not recorded in the Agency for Cultural Affairs database |
| Owner | Managed by Shimonoseki City |
| Public Access | Open as a site park |
References
- Agency for Cultural Affairs Database: Ayaragi-go Site (Japanese)
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/401/2435
- Cultural Heritage Online: Ayaragi-go Site (Japanese)
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/162248
- Yamaguchi Prefecture Cultural Properties: Ayaragi-go Site (Japanese)
- https://bunkazai.pref.yamaguchi.lg.jp/sp/bunkazai/summary.asp?mid=10029
- Shimonoseki City Archaeological Museum: Site Park (Japanese)
- https://www.shimo-kouko.jp/exhibition/historic-park/
Last verified: 2026.09.29