Takayama-ji shell mound

Japanese: 高山寺貝塚 - こうざんじかいづか

<br /> A shell mound site from the early Jomon period in Inari-cho, Tanabe City, Wakayama Prefecture. It is located within the grounds of Kosanji Temple, on a hill 32 meters above sea level overlooking Tanabe Bay. The shell mound was discovered on the western slope of the temple grounds in the autumn of 1938 (Showa 13), and excavation surveys conducted revealed that it was the only one in the Kinki region made up of marine shells, and became famous as a landmark site for unearthing Kosanji-style pottery from the early Jomon period. The shell mounds are scattered in three places on the slope, and were named Shell Mound No. 1, Shell Mound No. 2, and Shell Mound No. 3 in the order of their discovery. They were designated a national historic site in 1970 (Showa 45). The shell mounds were left 1m thick on the slope of the valley, and mainly contained marine shells such as blood cockles, blood oysters, and clams. The pottery is cone-shaped with a pointed base, and the design is mainly oval with a lattice pattern and a mountain pattern mixed in, with a groove-like diagonal pattern on the inside of the rim, which is called the Kosanji style. Stone tools excavated include rounded pebbles with rough chipping on one end, chippings with simple blades, and stone arrowheads . It is about a 10-minute drive from Kii-Tanabe Station on the JR Kisei Main Line.

Source: Kodansha National Historic Site Guide Information

Japanese:

和歌山県田辺市稲成町にある縄文時代早期の貝塚遺跡。田辺湾を望む標高32mの丘陵上、高山寺の境内に所在する。貝塚は1938年（昭和13）の秋に寺の境内西斜面で発見され、発掘調査が実施された結果、近畿では海水産の貝殻からなる唯一のもので、縄文時代早期の高山寺式土器を出土する標式遺跡として有名になった。この貝塚は、斜面の3ヵ所に点在し、発見順に第1号貝塚、第2号貝塚、第3号貝塚と名付けられ、1970年（昭和45）に国の史跡に指定された。貝塚は谷の斜面に1mの厚さで残され、ハイガイ、ヒメアカガイ、カキ、ハマグリなど海産貝が中心であった。土器の形状は尖底(せんてい)円錐形で、文様は楕円文を主体に格子文、山形文を混じえる押型文で、口縁部の内側に溝状の斜行文をほどこし、高山寺式と呼ばれている。石器は、円礫(えんれき)の一端に粗い剝離を加えたものや、剝片に簡単な刃をつけたもの、石鏃(せきぞく)などが発掘されている。JR紀勢本線紀伊田辺駅から車で約10分。

出典　講談社国指定史跡ガイドについて　情報

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