Located in Nagano’s Omachi City (長野県大町市), this site consists of two small stone circles which date back approximately 5000 years ago to the middle of the early Jomon period.
There are various theories about the purpose of this site, such as functioning as a sundial (i.e. used as a Jomon calendar), used for religious ceremonies in the Jomon community, or a place for gatherings, but the exact purpose is unknown.
It’s in a great location at the foot of the mountains leading towards Kurobe Dam.
Location: https://goo.gl/maps/LU11X9qv3gScZytt9
More info (Japanese): https://shinshu-style.com/matsumoto-region/city-omachi/nn533/
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Q: What am I watching here ?
A: You are watching footage of a “kofun/古墳” – kofun are tombs in Japan that were created during the Kofun Period (roughly between the 3rd and 7th Century AD) – this era was preceded by the Jomon and Yayoi periods, and followed by Asuka, Nara and so on. These tombs were built as burial chambers for people from Japanese imperial families and other people of higher status in society during those days. The most well-known and generally largest tombs are found around Kyoto and Osaka, but they are found all over Kansai, Kanto, Tohoku etc., and even in other parts of Japan such as Shikoku and Kyushu. Figures vary greatly, but some sources state there are over 160000 of these kofun in Japan. At times you will see haniwa on and around kofun – haniwa are terracotta figures which were made in various shapes, including being formed as people and animals.
Have a read of the the Wikipedia article for more information : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kofun
Ideally I’d like to build a kofun appreciation community of sorts, but that is just a dream right now. You can hit me up on:
https://www.facebook.com/japankofun/
https://www.instagram.com/japankofun/
1 Comment
Suspect it is a combo of a few of the events. You would need something to tell you when to sow or get ready for migrating game. Such events would also be worthy of celebration too. Earth &/or stone circles crops up all over the globe – would only take the builders a couple of years to suss out if they were set up right when they were new.