Kabira Shell Mound

The Kabira Shell Midden (川平貝塚, Kabira kaizuka) is an archaeological site in what is now the Kabira neighborhood of the city of Ishigaki, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. The site was designated a National Historic Site in 1986.^[1]

Kabira Shell Midden

川平貝塚
Kabira Shell Midden Kabira Shell Midden Show map of Okinawa Prefecture Kabira Shell Midden Kabira Shell Midden (Japan) Show map of Japan
Location	Ishigaki, Okinawa, Japan
Region	Okinawa
Coordinates	24°28′01″N 124°07′58″E
Type	shell midden
Site notes
Public access	Yes (no facilities at site)
National Historic Site of Japan

Overview

The Kabira Shell Mound is located on a low, independent hill in the center of the peninsula that juts northwest of Ishigaki Island, separating Kabira Bay and Sakieda Bay. It was first excavated in 1904 by Tokyo University’s Dr Torii Ryuzo, and was the first site discovered in the Yaeyama Islands.^[2]

The site is considered important for understanding the culture of the Sakishima Islands, which differs from that of the Okinawa Islands, having a stronger connection to the Jōmon people of mainland Japan.

Artifacts discovered include pottery, celadon, stone axes, concave stones, stone pestles, stone plates, shell plates and shells, and mammal and fish bones. Yaeyama pottery is clearly distinct from that of Okinawa's main island, instead suggesting a connection to Taiwan, most notably to the Yami tribe of Orchid Island. The pottery’s horizontal handles are an important characteristic of Yaeyama pottery, leading to its being named "outer ear pottery.”

Based on the discovery of Chinese celadon pottery, the site is estimated to date to the 15th or 16th century.^[3]

See also

• List of Historic Sites of Japan (Okinawa)

External links

• Ishigaki City home page (in Japanese)