Makimuku:
Were the huge buildings, neatly lined up, a palace?
A discovery enlivens debate over the country of Yamatai.

A group of neatly aligned buildings Four buildings and a fence built in the first half of the third century have been found. They are seen to have been built with a common axis and orientation.

Adapted from Hakkutsu sareta Nihon rettō 2010 [Excavations in the Japanese Archipelago, 2010] (Bunkachō [Agency for Cultural Affairs], ed., Asahi Shimbun Publications, 2010).

Large-scale Building D Boasting the largest scale among the four structures found, its dimensions are reconstructed as 19.2 m north-south by 12.4 m east-west, in the highest class for its time.

Panorama of the Makimuku site (from the west) The Makimuku site spreads northwest from Mt. Miwa, worshipped from ancient times as an object of religious belief. Adapted from Hakkutsu sareta Nihon rett 2010 [Excavations in the Japanese Archipelago, 2010] (Bunkachō [Agency for Cultural Affairs], ed., Asahi Shimbun Publications, 2010).

Setting of the Makimuku site Features extend atop slightly elevated locations set between rivers. At the time of the site's appearance in the first half of the third century (Shōnai pottery phase) its area was approximately 1 km in diameter, and at its height in the latter half of the third century (Furu pottery phase) it grew in extent to approximately 2 km east-west by 1.5 km north-south.

Adapted from Hakkutsu sareta Nihon rett 2010 [Excavations in the Japanese Archipelago, 2010] (Bunkachō [Agency for Cultural Affairs], ed., Asahi Shimbun Publications, 2010).

Wooden mask
Early Kofun period, third century. Length: 26.0 cm; width: 21.5 cm. Made by re-utilizing a broad-bladed hoe of Asian oak, the mouth used the socket for the hoe handle, while the eyes were newly opened holes. Also, two small holes were made to express the nose. Eyebrows are depicted by lines incised with a bladed instrument. At the time of discovery a very small amount of red pigment adhered to it. This mask was recovered from a pit regarded as ritual in nature, and is thought to have been used in rites related to agriculture.

Wooden shield fragment
Early Kofun period, third century. Length: 15.0 cm; width: 2.5 cm. A small fragment of a shield made of fir. Recovered together with the wooden mask from a pit. Broken at the time it was discarded, from observations of the fractured surface it is seen to have been cut with a sharp blade, but no fragments from other parts of the item were found. Horizontal rows of holes were made in regular fashion, and the surface was painted with pigments. There are both red and black pigments, apparently used differently with the back painted only in black, and the front in red and black.

Wooden scythe handle
Early Kofun period, third century. Length: 48.2 cm; width: 3.2 cm. A scythe handle made of oak, with a knob on one side at the head. Directly below it, a hole 2.5 cm long and 0.3 cm wide was made completely through the handle. This is thought to have held the blade of an implement used together with the shield and other items in the rite with the mask.

Safflower pollen
Large amounts of pollen were recovered from a ditch of around the mid-third century. It is the oldest such find for Japan, and is thought to have possibly been used for dyeing.

Wooden implements Early Kofun period, third century. (Item at left, waterfowl-shaped wooden implement) Length: 19.4 cm; greatest width: 9.5 cm; cypress. (Item at center, boat-shaped wooden implement) Length: 41.0 cm; width: 9.6 cm; cypress. (Item at right, foot portion of a wooden pedestaled dish) Diameter at base: 45.5 cm; zelkova. Together with pottery, a boat-shaped wooden implement, and many wooden artifacts including a pedestaled dish, plus natural wood and charred wood were recovered from a pit. Many of the wooden implements were partially burned. These items are thought to have been used in ritual conducted in the Early Kofun period. (Kitai Toshiyuki)

Adapted from Hakkutsu sareta Nihon rett 2010 [Excavations in the Japanese Archipelago, 2010] (Bunkachō [Agency for Cultural Affairs], ed., Asahi Shimbun Publications, 2010).

Makimuku Site, Sakurai City, Nara Prefecture

The vast birthplace of the early Yamato polity

Makimuku is a settlement site from the start of the Kofun period, spreading across the vicinity of the JR Makimuku station in the southeast portion of the Nara basin. Stretching approximately 1.5 km north-south by 2 km east-west, it is famous throughout the nation as the birthplace of the early Yamato polity, and as the eastern candidate competing with various sites of Kyushu as the locus of the country of Yamatai, noted in the History of the Kingdom of Wei.

Although at present excavations have been conducted continuously more than 167 times since 1971, the area of investigation is less than five percent of the total estimated for the site, and many aspects of its nature remain unclear.

The first city in Japan ?

The site's duration is roughly from the start of the third century to the beginning of the fourth, and points of difference from ordinary settlements noted for it include the extremely large area, the pottery brought in from other regions accounting for 15 - 30 percent of the total, the broad area of that pottery extending from northern Kyushu to southern Kantō, and the early mounded tombs (kofun) such as Hashihaka, Makimuku Ishizuka, and Hokenoyama built there in concentrated fashion. Because of this, views have been expressed that it was the first city in Japan, or site of the first palace of the early Yamato polity.

Another characteristic is the discovery of a variety of unusual artifacts, and investigations of recent years have also found items such as safflower pollen from the mid-third century, the oldest such discovery in Japan, and a wooden mask from the start of that century.

A group of buildings, of the largest class, neatly aligned

During excavations conducted in recent years within the settlement area, a group of buildings has been detected from the first half of the third century sharing the same axis and orientation, and included among these are large buildings boasting the greatest scale for the time, a discovery drawing close attention for considering the history of the formation of the ancient Japanese state. (Hashimoto Teruhiko)

A site and artifacts supporting eastern arguments for Yamatai

Beginning with Hashihaka, mounded tombs from the start of the Early Kofun period concentrate at Makimuku. Pottery brought from throughout the archipelago is recovered, showing that people from all over gathered here.

Hashihaka mound At the southern edge of the site is the Hashihaka mound, displaying its graceful form. A keyhole-shaped tomb of approximately 280 m in overall length, it is the largest within the site. There are theories taking it to be the grave of Himiko or her successor Iyo (Ito).

Adapted from Hakkutsu sareta Nihon rett 2010 [Excavations in the Japanese Archipelago, 2010] (Bunkachō [Agency for Cultural Affairs], ed., Asahi Shimbun Publications, 2010).

Ceramics of the Makimuku site and pottery brought from various regions
Early Kofun period, third century. 1: Handwarmer-shaped pottery (height: 12.7 cm; greatest diameter: 12.0 cm) 2: Small round-bottomed vessel with a wide-flaring rim 3: Small vessel stand 4: Kibi style jar 5: Pedestaled dish 6: Hokuriku style cooking pot 7: San'in style jar 8: Straight-necked jar 9-10: Tōkai style jars 11: Straight-necked jar 12-14: Pedestal legs 15: San'in style cooking pot 16: Kibi style cooking pot 17: Straight-necked jar 18: Tōkai style cooking pot
In addition to local pottery, ceramics of various regions are recovered from the Makimuku site. The range is broad, stretching from northern Kyushu to southern Kantō. Among these, pottery from the Tōkai region is found in quantity. These regional ceramics are not only items brought directly from the outside, but also examples made at the Makimuku site. No other site for the Early Kofun period has been found with this much regional pottery, and the Makimuku site was probably a settlement where people from all over the country gathered at the time. (Kitai Toshiyuki)