Bishamon Cave

Japanese: 毘沙門洞穴 - びしゃもんどうけつ

A sea cave located in Bishamon, Miura City, Kanagawa Prefecture. It is also called Bishamon Cave. It is a cave ruin from the late Yayoi period, located at the southern tip of the Miura Peninsula. Four caves are lined up, spaced a few meters apart, on the middle of a cliff on a sea-eroded plateau about 20 meters high facing Sagami Bay. The entrances to these caves range in width from 2 to 11 meters, and their depths range from 8 to 20 meters. All of the caves were used as homes for fishermen in the early late Yayoi period, but were abandoned due to roof collapses and other reasons. Some were inhabited or used as cemeteries during the Kofun period or later.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

神奈川県三浦市毘沙門にある海食洞穴。毘沙門洞窟ともいう。弥生時代後期の洞窟遺跡で，三浦半島南端に位置する。相模湾に面した高さ約20mの海食台地の断崖中腹に，数mから十数mの間隔をおいて4洞が並ぶ。それらの入口の幅は，2mから11mのものまであり，奥行きは8mから20mにおよんでいる。どの洞窟も弥生時代後期初頭に漁労民の住居として使用されたが，天井の落盤などによって放棄された。古墳時代またはその後にも，人が住みついたり墓地として利用されたものがある。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

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