NARA, Dec 04 (News On Japan) - Archaeological surveys conducted in Gose City, Nara Prefecture, have uncovered additional burial remains that, when combined with previously excavated sites in the area, have revealed what is now understood to be the largest communal cemetery ever found in the prefecture.
The newly identified features were discovered at the Deyashiki-Kita Jūsanzuka archaeological site in Gose, where researchers found 52 rectangular moated graves dating back to the Yayoi period. Including earlier discoveries in the surrounding area, the total number of graves now reaches 135, establishing the site as the largest collective burial ground known within Nara Prefecture. Researchers also found that, separate from the burial area, another zone within the site had been used as a residential space.
Maeda Toshio, a senior research fellow at the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, said the clear spatial division offers important clues about the values of the community at the time, noting that “although land was available on the settlement side of the river, they never built graves there” and adding that he felt “a strong intention to clearly separate the world of the living from the world of the dead.”
The findings are considered significant in deepening understanding of how land was managed and used during the period, shedding new light on social customs and spatial organization among Yayoi communities.
Source: KTV NEWS
