Hokuto Archaeological Site 北斗遺跡

Semi-basement huts over five of the square pits have been recreated. The square pits were 5–10 m long on each side and 1 m deep. Tree trunks were used for the huts’ pillars and beams, and reeds were used for the thick-hipped roof that extended to the ground. Inside, there was a sleeping area as well as fireplaces for cooking. The people of the Satsumon period typically lived in settlements along rivers where they could fish for salmon and trout. They lived as hunters, fishermen, and plant gatherers, and cultivated various grains. It is not known why the pit dwellings were eventually abandoned.

The Archeological Site museum is open from April to November. On display are earthenware and stone artifacts, a diorama of the area as it was in ancient times, a full-scale square pit dwelling, and information on the history of the ruins. A video provides a fascinating look at the history of the land and its people.

Leaving the Walkway Loop at Hidamari Square, visitors arrive at the observatory with its view of the Hokuto Archaeological Site. This area is believed to have been continuously inhabited from the Palaeolithic period more than 10,000 years ago to the Satsumon period (700–1200). Throughout this long time span, the people of the area lived in pit dwellings. There are 102 circular and oval shallow pits that were built in the Jomon and Post-Jomon periods (14,000 BCE–700CE), and 232 square-shaped pits from the Satsumon period. Excavations so far have unearthed traces of fireplaces from the Palaeolithic period, and dwellings, tombs, and shell mounds from the Jomon period. In addition, ironware, textile relics, parts of weaving looms, dwellings, and the seeds of cultivated plants from the Satsumon period have all been discovered.

The Hokuto Archaeological Site reveals that Kushiro was continuously settled for over 10,000 years. Archaeological findings at the site, from stone tools and pottery shards to ironware and simple agricultural implements, show how prehistoric society developed in the region.

The site is located on a plateau on the west side of the Kushiro Wetlands. This area was settled from around 13,000 BCE all the way to the thirteenth century CE. At the end of the Jomon period, around 400 CE, residents of the islands of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu adopted rice cultivation and later developed into an agrarian society. In Hokkaido, however, the climate was not suitable for rice cultivation. The hunter-gatherer society that characterized the Jomon period continued.

New technologies and materials were obtained through trade in the Satsumon period (700–1200 CE), but the hunter-gatherer lifestyle remained much the same. Iron tools have been found at the Hokuto Archaeological Site, indicating trade with Honshu.

The Exhibition Hall

The exhibition hall at the entrance to the site displays artifacts, diagrams, and dioramas of the geological and human history of the site. The exhibitions are arranged in chronological order, helping visitors understand the development of technology and the changing lifestyles of the inhabitants over thousands of years. A full-sized model of a Satsumon-period (700–1200 CE) pit dwelling inside the hall helps visitors visualize ancient life in the area.

The Exhibition Hall is open 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. from April to November (closed on Mondays).

Visiting the Archaeological Site

Just beyond the exhibition hall, an observatory provides an elevated view of the Hokuto Archaeological Site. In front of the observatory, a path leads through the forest, up to the plateau. The plateau is pitted with shallow depressions, each around a meter deep, where pit dwellings once stood. There are 102 circular and oval pits that were dug in the Jomon and post-Jomon periods (13,000 BCE–700 CE), and 232 square pits from the Satsumon period (700–1200 CE).

There are five full-sized models of Satsumon-style pit dwellings at the site, which visitors can enter. Each dwelling is composed of a square, earthen pit around 1 meter deep, with sides of 5–10 meters long. Support poles hold a thatched roof, several meters high in the center, which slopes to the ground. The dwellings have a central hearth for heating and smoking food, a space for sleeping, and a small clay oven. Villages like this were usually built along rivers and coastlines, so the residents could fish as well as hunt and forage.