Sannai-Maruyama Site

Overview

The Sannai-Maruyama Site in Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture, preserves the remains of a large Jōmon-period settlement inhabited from the mid-Early to the end of the Middle Jōmon period, roughly 5,900 to 4,200 years ago. It is designated a Special Historic Site of Japan and was inscribed in 2021 as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Jōmon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan."

Highlights

• ●The reconstructed symbolic three-story raised-pillar structure
• ●Remains of clusters of pit dwellings
• ●Remains of clusters of raised-floor storehouses
• ●The Jomon Jiyukan exhibition hall displaying excavated artifacts

History

The settlement was occupied from the mid-Early to the end of the Middle Jōmon period, about 5,900 to 4,200 years ago, surrounded by managed deciduous broadleaf forest of chestnut and walnut trees, on a river terrace on the right bank of what is now the Okidate River. The site was designated a Special Historic Site of Japan, and on July 27, 2021, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Map

40.8117, 140.6956 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Visit the Jomon Jiyukan hall to see excavated artifacts and materials
2. 2View the symbolic three-story raised-pillar structure
3. 3Walk through the remains of the pit dwelling clusters
4. 4Tour the remains of the raised-floor storehouse clusters

Did you know?

💡 The Aomori Prefectural Board of Education's Sannai-Maruyama Site Center continues ongoing excavation work at the site.

Nearby spots