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All Japan Ichikawa Ubayama Shell Mound
AO Edited

Ubayama Shell Mound

At this Neolithic site, the remains of ancient humans have been found alongside the bones of the toxic fugu pufferfish.

Ichikawa, Japan

Added By
Fred Cherrygarden
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Ubayama Shell Midden, a nationally designated historic site.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Ubayama Shell Midden, a nationally designated historic site.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The seashell-covered ground of the park.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Ancient shells, scattered around.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
The trench where the “family” was found.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
A photo from the 1932 excavation report.   Tokyo Imperial University
The trench area.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Point B, once visited by Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
Point E.   Fred Cherrygarden / Atlas Obscura User
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About

One of the delicacies Japanese cuisine is known for is fugu, a potentially deadly fish that people have been eating not only for centuries but for millennia. Fugu bones are found from time to time at Neolithic settlement sites as old as 4,000 years, suggesting that the history of it as food in Japan is quite long.

One such site is the Ubayama Shell Mound in Ichikawa, one of the many archaeological sites in the region. Dated to the mid-to-late Jōmon period (5,000-3,000 years ago), it has been excavated numerous times since 1893, providing a huge, diverse collection of shell and pottery specimens.

In 1926, archaeologists discovered the remains of a pit dwelling in Ubayama, in which a "family" of five—two adult females, two adult males, and a child—were found, striking the academic world with intrigue. The skeletons lay over one another and alongside them were fugu bones. Could this mean that they cooked the fish wrong and discovered its poison the hard way?

The answer is yet to be revealed, but recent DNA tests indicated that the child, a five-year-old boy, was not related to either of the women, contesting the conventional theory that one must have been his mother. The causes of their deaths are still unclear, but recent theories suggest that their bodies were laid on the floor by other villagers as a sort of makeshift burial, rather than them being victims of an accident, be it food poisoning or earthquake.

So far, a total of 39 pit dwellings and 143 human remains have been found at the Ubayama Shell Mound, making it one of the most notable archaeological sites in Japan. It was designated as a National Historic Site in 1967 and has been maintained as a public park, popular among kids and dog walkers unaware of the mysteries buried underneath.

Related Tags

Neolithic Fish History & Culture Archaeology Middens Mounds Shells

Know Before You Go

The park is open 24/7. To visit the site, first get to either Moto-Yawata Station or Funabashi-Hoten Station. rom the former, take the No. 13 bus (frequency: every 20 minutes), get off at Ichikawa Higashi Koko Iriguchi stop, and then walk for 20 minutes. From the latter, it's a 20-minute walk.

Though there aren't many archaeological remains per se, look closely at the ground and you may find ancient shells scattered around.

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Fred Cherrygarden

Published

August 19, 2024

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Ubayama Shell Mound
Ichikawa, 272-0802
Japan
35.737675, 139.965232
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Nearby Places

Tobinodai Shell Midden

Funabashi, Japan

miles away

Kafū Nagai’s Study

Ichikawa, Japan

miles away

Yawata no Yabushirazu

Ichikawa, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Ichikawa

Ichikawa

Japan

Places 2

Nearby Places

Tobinodai Shell Midden

Funabashi, Japan

miles away

Kafū Nagai’s Study

Ichikawa, Japan

miles away

Yawata no Yabushirazu

Ichikawa, Japan

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Ichikawa

Ichikawa

Japan

Places 2

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