The Settlement of the Circulation and Cultural Exchange of Obsidian

The Onitan Site

On the bank of the large river that flows from the source is the largest settlement from the Jōmon Period that supports the obsidian mine and became the centre of obsidian distribution. At the Onitan site, earthenware from Nagano prefecture was discovered together with earthenware with designs that were popular in the Hokuriku, Kanto and Tohoku regions. Obsidian was in demand, and it is possible that people from all over the country would gather in this settlement for it. This obsidian settlement, found in the heart of the Japanese archipelago near a watershed can be thought of as the crossroads of the exchange of culture.