The is an

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology a ...

containing the ruins of the

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...

to early

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese ...

government administrative complex for Shiga District , Suruga Province, located in the Minamisurugadai neighborhood of the city of

Fujieda, Shizuoka is a city located in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 145,032 in 59,480 households, and a population density of 750 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Fujieda is a member of the World Health O ...

in the

Tōkai region The is a subregion of the Chūbu region and Kansai region in Japan that runs along the Pacific Ocean. The name comes from the Tōkaidō, one of the Edo Five Routes. Because Tōkai is a sub-region and is not officially classified, there i ...

of Japan. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 1980. Gunga are ancient Japanese administrative buildings.

Overview

In the late

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the c ...

, after the establishment of a centralized government under the ''

Ritsuryō , , is the historical law system based on the philosophies of Confucianism and Chinese Legalism in Japan. The political system in accord to Ritsuryō is called "Ritsuryō-sei" (律令制). ''Kyaku'' (格) are amendments of Ritsuryō, ''Shiki'' ...

'' system and

Taika Reform The were a set of doctrines established by Emperor Kōtoku (孝徳天皇 ''Kōtoku tennō'') in the year 645. They were written shortly after the death of Prince Shōtoku and the defeat of the Soga clan (蘇我氏 ''Soga no uji''), uniting Jap ...

s, local rule over the

provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

was standardized under a '' kokufu'' (provincial capital), and each province was divided into smaller

administrative districts Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...

, known as (郡, gun, kōri), composed of 2–20 townships in 715 AD. Each of the units had an administrative complex built on a semi-standardized layout based on contemporary Chinese design. The Shida Gunga ruins are located in a hilly valley on the north side of the delta formed by the

Ōi River The is a river in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Geography The Ōi River flows from the Akaishi Mountains, the branch of the Japanese Southern Alps which form the border between Shizuoka, Nagano and Yamanashi prefectures. These mountains, with p ...

on the west bank of Suruga Bay. The valley has a width of about 100 meters and extends for about 150 meters, with the site located at the highest elevation within the valley. The ruins were discovered during construction work on a housing development in 1977 and was excavated starting in 1980. The foundations of 30 buildings, with a well, gates, and roads were uncovered. The site was compactly arranged on narrow alluvial land measuring 80 meters east-to-west and 60 meters north-to-south. The complex was destroyed in rebuilt several times throughout the Heian period. The eastern side of the site had an earthen rampart with a wooden palisade, but this was replaced by the 8th century by a group of densely packed granaries, with only small fenced section in the southeast corner. A road with a width of four to six meters ran outside a wooden palisade on the southern side, and there was a gate in the western wooden palisade. Artifacts included

roof tile A roof ( : roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of temper ...

s and numerous items, such as farm implements, dolls, wooden tags, and over 200 pieces of

Haji ware is a type of plain, unglazed, reddish-brown Japanese pottery or earthenware that was produced during the Kofun, Nara, and Heian periods of Japanese history. It was used for both ritual and utilitarian purposes, and many examples have been found ...

Sue ware was a blue-gray form of stoneware pottery fired at high temperature, which was produced in Japan and southern Korea during the Kofun, Nara, and Heian periods of Japanese history. It was initially used for funerary and ritual objects, and origina ...

pottery and lacquer with the word "Shida" written in black ink. Together with the layout of the ruins, it was determined that this was the government center for Shida County from the early 8th to late 9th century. The housing development project was cancelled, and site was made into an

archaeological park An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and ...

, with reconstructed buildings and a museum. the . The site is a three minute walk from "Fujieda Health Center Mae" on the Shizutetsu Justline Bus from

Fujieda Station is a railway station in Fujieda, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, operated by Central Japan Railway Company (JR Tōkai). Lines Fujieda Station is served by the Tōkaidō Main Line, and is located 200.3 kilometers from the starting point of the lin ...

Gallery

File:Shida-gunga-ato well.JPG, Well File:Shida-gunga-ato building-A.JPG, Building under reconstruction File:Shida-gunga-ato entrance.JPG, Reconstructed gate and palisade File:Shida-gunga-ato street.JPG, reconstructed road File:「志太」墨書銘土器.JPG, pottery fragment with "Shida" inscription

References

External links

Fujieda city official site
{{in lang, ja Nara period Heian period History of Shizuoka Prefecture Fujieda, Shizuoka Historic Sites of Japan Archaeological sites in Japan Suruga Province

Overview

Gallery

See also

References

External links