E251320052

Machida

Tokyo Metropolitan Government designated Historic Site

1971/03/29 2007/03/15　(additional designation)

3112-2, Oyamamachi, Machida City and others

Machida City

The relics of stone circle at Tabata was identified in 1968, when the remains were discovered during taming the soil, and the relics of stone circle were found through the second investigations. The relics comprise the natural gravels piled in a shape of strip, and as a whole have a form of ellipse being 9 meters long in direction of the long axis (from the east to the west), and 7 meters long in direction of the short axis (from the south to the north); in the peripheries of a long strip in a circular shape, tomb surrounded by stones, pit tombs and others were identified. In 1971 the relics were designated as historic site on the ground that they were important as relics with religious character in the late and the final Jomon period. Since then, they had been exhibited in an open air. However, judging from that it was difficult to preserve under that situation, the relics were buried again, and their replica were exhibited on the ground. The remains underwent, judged from the results of the areas around, a transition in function from a settlement in the middle of the middle period, followed by a grave site in the first half to the middle of the late period, finally to the relics for worship to the gods in the middle of the late period to the final period. Therefore, the relics of stone circle in this section are rare in Tokyo, in that one may trace the process of the transition in function, starting from the area for living, then the grave site and finally the relics for worship.

Historic Sites of Tokyo; Relics of Stone Circle at Tabata, Machida City