Okinawa's First Gusuku-Period Field Site!

Hello everyone! 😊 M here, to bring you another new blog post!

Today, I will be introducing a site that was designated in 2005 as an important historical site, the Nodake Tamatabaru Site. Much like the Uehara Nuribaru Site introduced in the previous post, this is also an important production site.

Located near the Nodake Gate of the Futenma Air Station, the Nodake Tamatabaru Site was first found in December 1990 during a survey conducted by the city board of education at the request of the Naha Defense Administration Bureau for a drainage construction project. Subsequently, various discoveries were made during the extent investigations that were carried out between fiscal year 2002 and 2003 to examine the remains in greater detail😯.

Recognized as the first 'field remains' from the Gusuku period in Okinawa, the Nodake Tamatabaru Site yielded a cluster of small pits during the 1990 survey. These holes are shallow—about 10 to 14 centimeters deep—and arranged at intervals of 5 to 30 centimeters, earning them the name 'aligned pit clusters.' These pits are thought to represent cultivation traces—specifically, sowing holes for planting seeds or planting holes for root crops. Based on the results of dating analyses and the overlapping soil layers, these remains are estimated to date back to the Gusuku period of the 14th to 15th centuries.

A total of 46 pits were identified across the 1990 and 2002 surveys. These remains are thought to possibly represent agricultural field cultivation traces created by digging holes in the ground with a digging stick, much like the description found in the historical text, the Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty😊!

Pit clusters have also been confirmed at several other sites within Okinawa. Although it was initially unclear what these holes were originally used for, the investigation of the Nodake Tamatabaru Site marked an important discovery pointing to the possibility of 'planting traces.' It is acutally a well-known site that introduced the concept of so-called 'planting traces'!

Additionally, retaining-wall-like stone structures were detected. Alongside these, multiple ditches likely dating to various periods were found, as well as a single row of stones estimated to date from the Gusuku period to the Old Ryukyu era.

These stone structures are in relatively good condition. However, there are examples where the limestone has collapsed, exposing the internal clayey soil due to weathering.

In addition to the presumed field remains, the investigation of the Nodake Tamatabaru Site revealed areas where burned soil accumulated in ditch-like patterns. Furthermore, a hearth trace that was formed in a relatively large pit shape was found.

This hearth is about 140 centimeters in diameter and about 42 centimeters deep, with layers centered around charcoal and carbonized materials inside. These layers suggest that the hearth was used multiple times.

These detected hearth remains are estimated to date from the modern to contemporary eras 😯.

Based on the survey results from 1990 and 2002-2003, the Nodake Tamatabaru Site has proved to be a valuable archaeological site for understanding the history of land use from the Gusuku period 😊.

Though there are no confirmed results of what exactly was planted in this field, these investigation findings naturally spark your imagination, making you wonder if staples like yams or nutrient-rich beans were once grown there... ✨

Stay tuned for the next post as there are still plenty of fascinating archaeological sites remaining within Futenma Air Station 🫡!