16 Tsugaru City, Aomori
Kamegaoka Burial Site
Designated as a Historic Site on June 26, 1944
Stage IIIb (ca. 1,000 BCE – 400 BCE) (Historic Site:ca. 1,000 BCE – 400 BCE)
This site is located in Tsugaru City on the Tsugaru Peninsula in Aomori Prefecture, on a hill at an elevation of 7 to 18 meters along the Iwaki River. It is on what used to be an inland bay called Paleo-Lake Jusanko, which appeared during a marine transgression. Deciduous broadleaved forests spread in the hinterland.
Spreading on the plateau is a burial area with many groups of pit graves, where pots and other votive offerings have been unearthed, as have gems and other burial goods. Since the burial area was built over a long period of time, it is considered that ancestor worship was performed continually.
In the boggy lowlands of the area that surrounds the plateau, dumping grounds were established for ritual purposes, from which many artistic lacquered pots and potshards, lacquerware items, clay figurines, plant-based objects, jade gems, and other artifacts have been unearthed. Among them, a large clay figurine without a left leg was unearthed in 1887 (designated by the national government as an Important Cultural Property). It is well known for its distinctive eyes, earning it the description of “goggle-eyed clay figurine.” It is widely recognized internationally, along with pottery that features elaborate geometric patterns.
This component part, which dates from the second half of the maturation stage of sedentism, is an archaeological site of a large cemetery, illustrating a high degree of spirituality. It is an important archaeological site that attests to a livelihood in a brackish inland area as well as to rituals and ceremonies with a high degree of spirituality.
Site tours
- Location
- Kizukuri Tateoka, Tsugaru, Aomori Prefecture
- Access
-
From Kizukuri Station (JR Gono Line):
- Approx. 20 min. by car
From Goshogawara Station (JR Gono Line):
- Approx. 34 min. by Konan Bus on the Goshogawara–Shiurachosha route to the Kamegaoka bus stop
From the Tagoyano Site:
- Approx. 3 min. by car
- Approx. 10 min. on foot
From the Tsugaru City Kizukuri Kamegaoka Archaeological Museum:
- Approx. 10 min. by car
From the Tsugaru City Jomon Dwelling Museum Kamegaoka Archaeology Collections:
- Approx. 20 min. by car
- Site guides
-
Volunteer guides (free, in Japanese, for 30 – 60 min.)
- For general visitors
- Available between 10:00 and 15:00 on weekends and national holidays from April to November
(Guides are on standby at the Information Counter in the southern area of this site.) - Reservations are not required.
Site tours by specialist staff (in Japanese/English)
- Group of 10+: Reservations are required one week in advance.
- Remarks
- Closed in winter (from December 1 to March 31)
Visitor facilities
- Name
- Tsugaru City Kizukuri Kamegaoka Archaeological Museum
- Address
- Kizukuri Tateoka Byobuzan 195, Tsugaru, Aomori Prefecture, 038-3283
- Tel.
- 0173-45-3450 / +81-173-45-3450
- Fax.
- 0173-45-3450 / +81-173-45-3450
- Website
-
Kizukuri Kamegaoka Archaeological Museum (the City of Tsugaru website) [in Japanese]
- Hours
- 9:00 – 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 29 – January 3) - Admission
-
General visitors
- Adults: 200 yen; High school and university students: 100 yen; Elementary and junior high school students: 50 yen
Group of 15+
- Adults: 100 yen; High school and university students: 50 yen; Elementary and junior high school students: 20 yen
- Facility guides
-
Exhibit explanations by specialist staff (free, in Japanese/English, for 20 to 60 min.)
- Group of 10+: Reservations are required one week in advance.
- Facility
information -
- Access
-
From Kizukuri Station (JR Gono Line):
- Approx. 20 min. by car
From Goshogawara Station (JR Gono Line):
- Approx. 40 min. by Konan Bus on the Goshogawara-Shiurachosha route to the Tateoka bus stop, and then approx. 15 min. on foot
Facility introduction
- Name
- Tsugaru City Jomon Dwelling Museum Kamegaoka Archaeology Collections
- Facility
introduction -
This facility features artifacts unearthed at archaeological sites in Tsugaru City.
- Address
- Kizukuri Wakamidori 59-1, Tsugaru, Aomori Prefecture, 038-3138
- Tel.
- 0173-42-6490 / +81-173-42-6490
- Fax.
- 0173-42-6490 / +81-173-42-6490
- Website
- Name
- Tsugaru City Morita Historical and Folklore Museum
- Facility
introduction -
This facility exhibits mainly artifacts excavated at the Ishigami Site in Aomori Prefecture (collectively designated as an Important Cultural Property of Japan). The Ishigami Site features a cylindrical pottery culture and is the same age as the Tagoyano Site.
- Address
- Morita Tsukimino 340-2, Morita-cho, Tsugaru, Aomori Prefecture, 038-2816
- Tel.
- 0173-26-2201 / +81-173-26-2201
- Fax.
- Website
-
Tsugaru City Morita Historical and Folklore Museum (the City of Tsugaru website) [in Japanese]
CONTACT
Department of Social Education and Culture, Tsugaru City Board of Education
Kizukuri Wakamidori 52, Tsugaru, Aomori Prefecture, 038-3138
TEL： 0173-49-1194 / +81-173-49-1194 ／ FAX：0173-49-1212 / +81-173-49-1212
Department of Social Education and Culture, Tsugaru City Board of Education [in Japanese]
Pamphlets, etc.
-
World Heritage Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan, Kamegaoka Burial Site
[pamphlet in English and Japanese, November 2021]
