5 Shichinohe Town, Aomori
Futatsumori Site
Designated as a Historic Site on January 16, 1998
Stage IIa (ca. 3,500 BCE – 3,000 BCE) (Historic Site: ca. 3,500 BCE – 2,000 BCE))
This site is located in Shichinohe Town in eastern Aomori Prefecture, on a terrace at an elevation of approximately 30 meters on the west bank of Lake Ogawara along the Pacific Ocean. It lies in the most inland area of what used to be lakes and marshes during a marine transgression period. This place was ideal for inland-water fishing and shellfish harvesting. Deciduous broadleaved forests spread in the hinterland.
The numerous remains of pit dwellings and storage pits that have been found here indicate that it was a large settlement. Shell mounds are found on the northern and southern slopes of the plateau. The lower layers contain the shells of saltwater shellfishes, and the upper layers contain those of brackish shellfishes. This clearly demonstrates environmental changes caused by marine transgression and regression.
The shell mounds have yielded shells (from Japanese basket clams, common Orient clams, etc.), fish bones (from Japanese sea bass, red sea bream, puffer fish, etc.), bird bones (from swans, ducks, etc.) and mammal bones (from deer, wild boar, etc.), as well as bone and antler objects such as fishhooks and harpoons. Among them, an exquisitely crafted antler comb demonstrates a high degree of spirituality and artisanship for the period. These artifacts serve as valuable sources of information on the diet and subsistence activities, including hunting, fishing, and gathering, of people at that time.
This component part, dating from the first half of the development stage of sedentism, is an archaeological site of a settlement accompanied by large shell mounds. It is an important archaeological site that attests to a livelihood oriented around lakes and marshes and to people’s adaptation to environmental changes, such as marine transgressions and regressions.
Site tours
- Location
- Kaizukaienomae, Shichinohe, Kamikita-gun, Aomori Prefecture
- Access
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From Shichinohe-Towada Station (JR Tohoku Shinkansen Line):
- Approx. 20 min. by car
From Kamikitamachi Station (Aoimori Railway Line):
- Approx. 10 min. by car
From Shichinohe IC (Tohoku Expressway):
- Approx. 6 min. by car
From the Futatsumori Shell Midden Museum:
- Approx. 3 min. by car
- Site guides
-
Volunteer guides (free, in Japanese, for 40 min.)
- Available between 10:00 and 16:00 from April to November
- Reservations required two weeks in advance for groups
- Remarks
- Hours: 9:00 – 17:00 (Futatsumori Historic Site Park is closed in winter.)
Visitor facilities
- Name
- Futatsumori Shell Midden Museum
- Address
- Hachimoritai 181-26, Shichinohe, Kamikita-gun, Aomori Prefecture, 039-2752
- Tel.
- 0176-68-2612 / +81-176-68-2612
- Fax.
- 0176-68-2645 / +81-176-68-2645
- Website
- Hours
- 10:00 – 16:00
- Closed
-
Mondays (or Tuesday if Monday is a national holiday)
The day following a national holiday
Year-end and New Year's holidays (December 27 – January 4) - Admission
-
Free
- Facility
information - Access
-
From Shichinohe-Towada Station (JR Tohoku Shinkansen Line):
- Approx. 15 min. by car
From Kamikitamachi Station (Aoimori Railway Line):
- Approx. 10 min. by car
From Shichinohe IC (Tohoku Expressway):
- Approx. 5 min. by car
Shellinu
Shellinu is the unofficial mascot of the Futatsumori Site. It was inspired by the buried dog that was excavated there.
CONTACT
World Heritage Management Office, Shichinohe Town Board of Education
Shichinohe 31-2, Shichinohe, Kamikita-gun, Aomori Prefecture, 039-2592
TEL: 0176-58-5530 / +81-176-58-5530 / FAX:0176-62-6256 / +81-176-62-6256
World Heritage Management Office, Shichinohe Town Board of Education (Facebook)
Pamphlets, etc.
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[pamphlet in English and Japanese, November 2021]