Photo/Illutration The Sannai Maruyama site is one of the Jomon Period ruins found across Hokkaido and the northern Tohoku region, shown here in Aomori on May 24. (Ryo Ikeda)

Emblazoned with big letters spelling out JOMON JAPAN, banners snapped in the breeze everywhere in the city of Hachinohe in Aomori Prefecture.

They also bore a design of a huge wave connecting Hokkaido and the Tohoku region, which looked to me like a piece of earthenware pottery.

To the delight of local residents, 17 ancient Jomon Pottery Culture Period (14,500-1000 B.C.) sites spanning four prefectures--Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, and Akita--have just been added to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list.

Among them is the Korekawa Site in Hachinohe, where excavations began back in the Taisho Era (1912-1926). One of Japan's most prominent archaeological sites, it has been mentioned often together with Tokyo's Omori Shell Mound, another well-known monument of the Jomon Period.

I visited the Korekawa Archaeological Institution, where my eyes were drawn to lacquered bracelets and vermilion earrings. There was a relic called a "Jomon koto" (harp) that appeared to be a musical instrument. I was surprised to realize that Jomon people were obviously fashionable and had a keen sense of color and sound. 

Prior to the selection of the 17 sites for World Cultural Heritage designation, two Jomon sites were demoted to "related properties" status.

One was the Choshichiyachi Shell Mound in Hachinohe, the reason being that it is surrounded by factories.

The other was the Washinoki Ruins in Hokkaido, the value of which was "marred" by a tunnel running right beneath it.

It was back in 2007 that the four prefectures agreed to jointly aim for UNESCO recognition. Together, they sought the endorsement of the Cultural Affairs Agency at home, only to be turned down repeatedly.

"In the meantime, UNESCO's screening standards rose higher," recalled Takuya Kokubo, 45, a curator at the Korekawa Archaeological Institution. In addition to the value of each candidate site itself, the surrounding scenery also became an important factor, explained Kokubo.

The Choshichiyachi site has neither an exhibition hall nor any reproduction of a Jomon dwelling. Still, it is one of Tohoku's few shell mounds from the early Jomon Period, and is valuable from the standpoint of learning how fishermen lived back then.

Borrowing the buzzword "B-kyu gurume," meaning B-class cuisine that's actually quite good and worth the price, let me call Choshichiyachi a "B-class World Cultural Heritage" site.

The next time you are in Hachinohe, why not check it out?

--The Asahi Shimbun, July 28      

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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