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Kiusu Earthwork Burial Circles: Echoes of the Jomon Past

Explore ancient burial grounds in Chitose, Hokkaido, and discover the mysteries of the Jomon people at the Kiusu Earthwork Burial Circles.

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The Kiusu Earthwork Burial Circles in Chitose, Hokkaido, are a significant archaeological site dating back to 1200 BCE. These large circular earthworks, part of the Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan, reveal complex burial practices and the sophisticated engineering of the Jomon people.

A brief summary to Kiusu Earthwork Burial Circles

Local tips

  • Wear comfortable shoes for walking around the site's earthen embankments and pathways.
  • Visit the Chitose City Buried Cultural Properties Center to view artifacts and learn more about the Jomon period.
  • Consider visiting between late April and late November to take advantage of the free guided tours.
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Getting There

  • Car

    The Kiusu Earthwork Burial Circles are accessible by car. From Chitose Station or Osatsu Station, it's approximately a 15-minute drive. From the Chitose-Higashi Interchange on the Doto Expressway, it's about a 2-minute drive. Parking is available at the site.

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Discover more about Kiusu Earthwork Burial Circles

The Kiusu Earthwork Burial Circles, located in Chitose, Hokkaido, offer a fascinating glimpse into the late Jomon period (13,000–400 BCE). Constructed around 1200 BCE, these earthworks served as communal cemeteries for the settled communities of prehistoric northern Japan. The site features nine burial circles, with eight still visually recognizable, each measuring over 30 meters in diameter. The largest, Earthwork Burial Circle 1, stretches 83 meters in diameter and reaches a depth of 4.7 meters from the crest of the earthwork to the bottom of the pit. These impressive earthworks were created by digging large circular pits and using the excavated soil to build embankments around the edges. Earthwork Burial Circle 2, one of the largest, features embankments over 4 meters tall and more than 20 meters thick at the base; archaeologists estimate it would have taken 25 people approximately 4 months to construct. The circles are arranged in a manner suggesting significant planning, with some sharing embankments and lower sections that may have served as entrances. Archaeological surveys, beginning in the 1960s, have uncovered burial pits containing artifacts such as broken clay figurines, stone arrangements, traces of red ochre, and polished stone staffs with intricate engravings. A stone pillar, thought to have been a grave marker, was discovered in Earthwork Burial Circle 1. These findings indicate the complex burial practices and sophisticated funeral rites of the Jomon people. Visitors can explore the site via a path that leads around the earthwork circles and along some of their embankments. To learn more about the artifacts and history of the site, visit the nearby Chitose City Buried Cultural Properties Center, which displays items excavated from the burial circles and other archaeological sites.

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