Chitose is known as the city famous for the New Chitose Airport, the gateway to Hokkaido and for its natural beauty like Lake Shikotsu. However, today I would like to introduce a historically significant location.
It is a park called ‘Kiusu Earthwork Burial Circles,’ located approximately 13 kms north of the Airport. Here, circular burial grounds constructed by people who lived during the late Jomon period (approximately 2,800 to 3,200 years ago) remain clearly identifiable, and the deciduous forest covering them has also continued to regenerate naturally since that time.
The earthen mound burial sites (called “Shuteibo”) are circular in shape, varying in size, with the largest measuring approximately 83 meters in diameter—larger than a jumbo jet. All those Shuteibo feature the excavated pit in the center, a doughnut-shaped mound made of excavated soil surrounding the pit, and multiple graves within the pit and the mound. This type of burial site is unique to Hokkaido, with those in Chitose and its periphery being particularly large.
One of them has a depth of nearly 5 meters from the bottom of the pit to the top of the mound. This means that approximately 3,000㎥ of soil was excavated and moved to construct this ancient tomb. Assuming that a single Jomon person could move 1㎥ of soil per day using only tools from 3,000 years ago, it would have taken 25 people four months to complete.
It is remarkable that such a feat was possible during the Jomon period, when hunting and gathering were the center of their daily life. Artifacts have also been excavated from these burial mounds, including pottery, stone tools, ritual implements and lacquerware, in addition to tombstones. At its core lies the heart of mourning the deceased and the fact that relatives and villagers collaborated to create communal graves for them.
Recognized as a unique cultural heritage site that illustrates the diversity and depth of Jomon culture, the Kiusu Earthwork Burial Circles was registered as part of the ‘Jomon prehisoric sites in Northern Japan’ UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021, and a new visitor center opened this year.
If you have time before departing from the New Chitose Airport, I recommend visiting this hidden gem. The forest with a 3,200-year history, unusual plants, beautiful singing birds and kind volunteer guides will surely welcome you.
K MINA
