Yoshinogari
Visited in 2011. Getting there: It is a 15 minute walk from either JR Kanzaki Station or JR Yoshinogari Koen Station. I went via the first and returned in the second. The site is 117 hectares (about 63 you walk through). So expect a bit of walking. And don't miss the entrance to get inside the buria
History
The Yoshinogari settlement is one of the earliest fortification types found in Japan. As populations began to swell and people fought for resources and arable land, they also began to fortify their villages with moats. Artifacts found at the Yoshinogari site can be dated to various times in the Yayoi Period showing that it flourished throughout. Yoshinogari is particularly important because of it's incredibly vast size. It's size and location have led some researchers to theorize that it was the capital of the Yamatai country as noted in some ancient Chinese texts, but there is no proof linking them together. It was long known that some important relics could be found in this area but serious excavations did not begin until 1986.
Field Notes
Visited in 2011. Getting there: It is a 15 minute walk from either JR Kanzaki Station or JR Yoshinogari Koen Station. I went via the first and returned in the second. The site is 117 hectares (about 63 you walk through). So expect a bit of walking. And don't miss the entrance to get inside the burial mound and see the burial pots in situ, you can only see it from one side and may think there is nothing more to see past the buildings. The profile was written in part by AllenK. The photos are a combination of photos contributed by AllenK and MalcolmF.
| Castle Profile | |
|---|---|
| English Name | Yoshinogari |
| Japanese Name | 吉野ヶ里 |
| Founder | |
| Year Founded | Yayoi Period (300 B.C. - 300 A.D.) |
| Castle Type | Flatland |
| Castle Condition | No main keep but other buildings |
| Designations | Top 100 Castles, National Historic Site, Special Historic Site |
| Historical Period | Pre Edo Period |
| Artifacts | Wooden reconstructions of guard towers, town and palace buildings. |
| Features | turrets, trenches |
| Visitor Information | |
| Access | Kanzaki or Yoshinogari Koen Stations (Nagasaki Line), 15 min walk |
| Hours | January 1 - May 31 9:00 ~ 17:00; June 1 - August 31 9:00 ~ 18:00; September 1 - December 30 9:00 ~ 17:00 Adult (15 and up) 400yen |
| Time Required | 3 hrs+ |
| URL | Castle Website |
| Location | Yoshinogari, Saga Prefecture |
| Coordinates | 33.32424, 130.3901 |
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| Admin | |
| Added to Jcastle | 2013 |
| Contributor | AllenK |
| Admin Year Visited | Viewer Contributed |
