Uki-Kunden Site

Overview

The Uki-Kunden site in Uki, Karatsu City, Saga Prefecture, is an archaeological site centered on the Yayoi period, notable for also preserving traces from the transition between the Jomon and Yayoi periods.

Highlights

• ●A rare site preserving the Jomon-to-Yayoi transition
• ●One of the few sites with rice grains found in Jomon layers
• ●A Yayoi jar-coffin burial yielding 63 bronze objects
• ●Jadeite magatama beads recovered from the same burial area

History

Grains of rice have been recovered from Jomon-period layers here, a rare occurrence among Jomon sites, leading some archaeologists to suggest that Jomon people rather than Yayoi people may have once lived at the site. A burial believed to belong to a person of high status, in a large jar coffin typical of Yayoi burial customs, has yielded 63 bronze objects dated to the middle Yayoi period, along with jadeite magatama beads. These finds have led some to regard the area as one possible starting point for agriculture in Japan.

Map

33.4068, 130.0112 · Wikidata

Suggested itinerary

1. 1Head to the Uki district of Karatsu City to find the site
2. 2Read any on-site information about the Jomon-to-Yayoi transition
3. 3Learn about the jar-coffin burial and its bronze finds
4. 4Pair the visit with other historic sites in the Karatsu area to deepen understanding of Jomon and Yayoi culture

Did you know?

💡 The discovery of 63 bronze objects together with jadeite magatama beads in the same burial area points to the presence of an influential figure in the middle Yayoi period, while the site is also one of the few Jomon-era sites where rice grains have been found.

Nearby spots