Editorial: Jomon World Heritage listing to highlight ancient Japan's deep ties to nature [View all]

July 30, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)

UNESCO has decided to register a group of Jomon period prehistoric sites in Japan's northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido and the northern Tohoku region on the World Cultural Heritage list. The listing recognizes the universal value of a culture there where society lived in harmony with nature over long periods -- a rare specimen in the annals of world history.

The archaeological sites consist of 17 historic remains in four prefectures, including the Sannai Maruyama Site in Aomori Prefecture, known as one of the largest Jomon period settlement ruins, and the Oyu Stone Circles in Akita Prefecture.

The Jomon period is said to have spanned more than 10,000 years, from around 15,000 years ago up until around 2,400 years ago. People in those days lived in fixed dwellings, hunted, fished and gathered while adapting themselves to the natural environment to form a highly sustainable society.

People then led a different way of life from that of their counterparts across the Eurasian continent, where agriculture and livestock farming came in tandem with a settled lifestyle.

Another feature of the Jomon period is its highly spiritual culture, as seen in the stone circles believed to have been used in ancient rituals and "dogu" clay figures in which people apparently entrusted their prayers.

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https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20210730/p2a/00m/0op/039000c