At long last, the Jomon archaeological sites in northern Japan, which convey the lifestyle and spiritual culture of the Jomon period (ca 10,000 B.C.-ca 300 B.C.), are expected to have their value recognized by the world.
It has been more than 13 years since the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate and Akita proposed to the Cultural Affairs Agency in 2007 that the ruins located in their areas be registered as a World Heritage cultural site.
The people involved in the proposal were delighted by the International Council on Monuments and Sites' recommendation that the ruins be listed.
"Finally, the registration of [the Jomon sites] as a World Heritage site is getting underway," said Takumi Itchoda, representative of a group of local volunteer guides for the Sannai-Maruyama archeological site in Aomori City.
The ruins were discovered during excavations that began in 1992 for the construction of a baseball stadium. "I was excited by the excavation's findings, which showed the life of the ancient people and their advanced technology, including the remains of a huge six-pillar building," said Itchoda, 83. He was the principal of an elementary school at the time the ruins were found.
However, efforts to register the ruins as a World Heritage site ran into trouble. For five years in a row from 2013, the central government declined to nominate the sites in Hokkaido and the northern Tohoku region for the list of World Heritage sites. The government argued that there was insufficient reason to list only the Jomon remains in Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate and Akita prefectures, despite the fact that such remains exist across the nation.
Yasuhiro Okada, a specialist in the registration of World Heritage cultural sites for the Aomori prefectural government, was among those who rewrote the draft of the recommendation to the central government more than 100 times. They sought to have the central government recognize the value of the region, where hunting and gathering culture continued for more than 10,000 years.
"I'm very happy. I'm so relieved," said Okada, 63.
Shiro Kimura, 79, chairman of a citizens group aiming to have the Oyu Kanjo Resseki stone circle in Kazuno, Akita Prefecture, listed as a World Heritage site, said happily, "It's been 90 years since the discovery of the ruins, and now we can finally have the world's eyes on a local treasure."
Kaori Yamada, 43, a representative of a citizens group for the promotion of Jomon culture based in Hakodate, Hokkaido, said, "I want to convey the charm of the Jomon culture, such as that shown in clay figures, to the whole world."
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10,000 years of coexistence between human beings and nature
By Masafumi Taga / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
Humans and nature coexisted for more than 10,000 years in the Jomon culture, a highly rare phenomenon in world history.
The recent recommendation that the Jomon archaeological sites in Hokkaido and the northern Tohoku region be added to the World Cultural Heritage list is an acknowledgment of that achievement.
During the Jomon period, the Japanese archipelago was divided into several cultural regions. In particular, Hokkaido and the northern Tohoku region had abundant beech-covered forests and ocean waters where warm and cold currents converged.
The Jomon people utilized such plants as chestnuts and walnuts, as well as plenty of fish and shellfish in their daily life.
They also adapted to climate change and settled here without shifting to agriculture. This differs from Western history, in which people settled down alongside a transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture and livestock farming.
Regretting that World Heritage sites have placed a disproportionate emphasis on Western palaces and churches, UNESCO is increasing its registration of prehistoric sites. The recognition of the Jomon archaeological sites will have great significance.
The 17 sites reflect changes in the Jomon period from the use of pottery to the formation of large communities and the development of graves and clay figurines. However, the state of conservation varies from site to site.
ICOMOS has deemed nearby roads and other structures as "unsuitable" and called on local residents to reduce their impact on the World Heritage sites, a request that may affect the daily lives of people there. It will be important for municipalities to work together to advocate the value of preservation and gain the understanding of local communities.
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