The site of in
Rikubetsu
is a town located in Tokachi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan.
Geography
It is located on the edge of the Tokachi Plain at an altitude of above sea level.
Population
As of September 2016, the town has an estimated population of 2,528 and a ...
,
Hokkaidō
is the second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by railway via the Seikan Tunnel.
The ...
, Japan, is that once occupied by the
Ainu chashi
is the Japanese term for the hilltop fortifications of the Ainu. The word is of Ainu origin, from チャシ (''casi'', ), which means palisade or palisaded compound; a rival theory relates this to the Korean term 잣 (''cas'', ''jat'', ) o ...
of Yukuepira, one of the largest on the island. It has been
designated
Designation (from Latin ''designatio'') is the process of determining an incumbent's successor. A candidate that won an election, for example, is the ''designated'' holder of the office the candidate has been elected to, up until the candidate's ...
a
National Historic Site.
Name
Yukuepira is derived from the
Ainu ''yuk'' "deer", ''e'' "eat", and ''pira'' "cliff".
The site also goes by the name of .
Overview
One of a number of
chashi
is the Japanese term for the hilltop fortifications of the Ainu. The word is of Ainu origin, from チャシ (''casi'', ), which means palisade or palisaded compound; a rival theory relates this to the Korean term 잣 (''cas'', ''jat'', ) o ...
situated along the and opposite a steep cliff, the site is defined by a large embankment. Skeletal remains from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries of some ten thousand deer may be linked to trade in skins, and Yukuepira is understood to have functioned not only as a fort.
Investigation of the site from 2002 to 2004 has uncovered remains of a palisade, holes for posts, and a layer of ash. Artefacts of iron and bone have been recovered together with evidence for the diet, which included fish, nuts, and seeds. Earlier
Jōmon and
Zoku-Jōmon lithics
Lithic may refer to:
*Relating to stone tools
** Lithic analysis, the analysis of stone tools and other chipped stone artifacts
** Lithic core, the part of a stone which has had flakes removed from it
** Lithic flake, the portion of a rock removed ...
and
ceramics
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porce ...
have also been found.
See also
*
List of Historic Sites of Japan (Hokkaidō)
This list is of the Monuments of Japan, Historic Sites of Japan located within the Prefectures of Japan#Hokkaidō, Circuit of Hokkaidō.
National Historic Sites
As of 1 February 2024, fifty-five Sites have been Cultural Properties of Japan, desi ...
*
References
External links
Yukuepira Chashi{{in lang, ja
Chashi
Historic Sites of Japan
Archaeological sites in Japan
Castles in Hokkaido