Obsidian’s Hometown

The Takayama Site Cluster

The Kirigame Plateau is a bustling tourist attraction known for being the origin of a multitude of Palaeolithic ruins and relics. In the traces of the central town where obsidian spears in particular were produced, 18,000-year-old remains of stone barbeques were discovered. One can paint a picture of how this obsidian hometown once looked: a vivid scene of a group of hunters gathered within a magnificent high moor.