Washinoki Stone Circle
Washinoki Ruins No.5
Late Jomon (c.2000 BCE)·Late Jomon (Mori)·🇯🇵 Hokkaido, Kayabe District, Mori Town, Washinoki-cho, Japan
About
About Washinoki Stone Circle
Late Jomon triple stone circle (diameter 37 m, largest in Hokkaido) on hill above Funka Bay in Washinoki, Mori Town, discovered during expressway construction and preserved by tunnel built beneath. Excavated by Mori Town Board, the oval arrangement of ~600 stones with central pit cemetery (mass grave) dates to c.2000 BCE, displaying Komagatake volcanic ash preservation and ritual alignment visible over Funka Bay.
Why it mattersLargest Hokkaido Late Jomon stone circle with triple rings and mass-grave pit above Funka Bay
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Was central pit mass grave epidemic or ritual?
- 02Funka Bay visibility alignment intentional?
Theories
- 01Hokkaido Late Jomon ritual landscape: Washinoki–Oshoro stone circle alignment theory
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c.2000 BCE
- Period
- Late Jomon (c.2000 BCE)
- Culture
- Late Jomon (Mori)
- Builders
- Late Jomon ritual builders
- Purpose
- Largest Hokkaido oval stone circle and pit cemetery
- Abandoned
- c.1500 BCE
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c.2000 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1440 CE
Rediscovery
On the ground
Structures & features
42.1178° N · 140.5386° E · 70 m · 2 mapped features
Triple stone circle
megalithicThree concentric ovals of granite and river stones 37 m across
42.1181° N · 140.5389° ECentral pit cemetery
burialCircular pit mass grave within stone circle interior
42.1175° N · 140.5383° E