Archaeological Study on Spatial Structure of Medeival Harvor Site centering on Tosaminato Site in Aomori Prefecture

The second major discovery of this season was that the measured surveys revealed more than 40 dwellings inside this castle. Two of them are dwellings strongly associated with iron production. In dwelling no. 1, there are seven smith's hearths, and in dwelling no. 2 there is one. Between the two dwellings, there are the remains of two iron-producing furnaces. Until these came to light, it was thought that settlements surrounded by moats and earthworks were of purely military significance, as evidence of warfare between the tribes of northern Japan, known as 'Emishi'. We now think that we have to re-evaluate the significance of such settlements. Specifically, we should emphasize their role as distribution centers linking the Tsugaru plain in Aomori and the southern part of Hokkaido. These archaeological discoveries show that the area around Lake Ju-san played a remarkably important role as a focus for trade not only in the medieval period but also in ancient times.