室谷洞窟 | |
 Muroya Cave | |
  Muroya Cave Show map of Niigata Prefecture Muroya Cave (Japan) Show map of Japan | |
| Location | Aga, Niigata,Japan |
|---|---|
| Region | Hokuriku region |
| Coordinates | 37°32′35″N139°21′46″E / 37.54306°N 139.36278°E /37.54306; 139.36278 |
| Type | settlement |
| History | |
| Periods | Jōmon period |
| Site notes | |
| Public access | Yes (no public facilities) |
Muroya Cave (室谷洞窟,Muroya dōkutsu) is anarchaeological site consisting of aJōmon period cave dwelling in the Kamiya neighborhood of the town ofAga,Niigata Prefecture in theHokuriku region ofJapan. The site was designated aNational Historic Site of Japan in 1980.[1]
The cave is located deep in the mountains on the west bank of the Muroya River, one of the tributaries that flows north into theAgano River, which crosses the Echigo Mountains from east to west. It was formed by erosion of arhyolite outcrop on the river's left bank at an elevation of 218 meters. The opening is to the south and faces a narrowriver terrace on its east side. The cave is approximately three meters in height, seven meters in width and extends for eight meters into the mountain. The interior was excavated from 1960 to 1962 by the Nagaoka City Science Museum and theNiigata University School of Medicine, during which time numerous examples ofJōmon pottery from the earliest stage of the Jōmon Period andstone tools andscrapers were discovered.[2]
The cave was found to contain 15cultural layers. The uppermost layer containedSue ware andHaji ware and the second layer containedYayoi pottery. The third layer containedJōmon pottery and the buried remains of mature women. From the bottom of the third layer to the 15th layer, various early Jōmon pottery styles were found; however, there was a large change in the type of pottery between the 5th and 6th layers. The upper layers had pottery decorated with twisted yarn designs, and the lower layer had a combination of pinnate and rope patterns. Large numbers of animal bones, fromserow,rabbits andAsian black bear were also found in the lower strata. Also found were human bones from the earliest and early Jōmon periods, which were dated to be the oldest found within Niigata Prefecture. As so few human remains from this period have been discovered, this was regarded as a valuable find. In total, over 20,000 artifacts were recovered. These artifacts were collectively designated anNational Important Cultural Property in 2000.[3] Some of the artifacts are now displayed at the Nagaoka City Science Museum.[2]
The cave is located about two hours by car fromNiigata Station; however, there are no facilities at site.
