Kanai Higashiura ruins - Shibukawa

It's a very valuable discovery. .. It was reclaimed with gravel, leaving a normal construction site. A signboard printed by a printer was set up on the paper. What a poor management. It may have been hidden by the administrative body so as not to affect the construction of the motorway.

Ruins from the late Kofun period at the tip of the fan about 8.5 km northeast of Mt. Haruna. In November 2012, an excavation survey conducted by the Prefectural Buried Cultural Property Research Agency in connection with the construction of a national highway bypass revealed that it was the first state in Japan to be armored from beneath the pyroclastic flow deposits of Futatsudake that erupted in the 6th century. An adult male bone was found. Research and review committees by experts in archeology and volcanology are at the center of the analysis.

It is a ruin discovered during high-speed construction. Right now, it's just a pole that has been leveled and shows a sign and an excavation site.

Although there are small signboards with explanations, I can't decide if it's okay to enter the unfinished gravel land. Gunma TV introduced a cross-section of the overpass construction method, so I tried to visit it, but I was a little disappointed because I could not approach it.

This area is at the foot of Mt. Haruna, and volcanic eruptions may have occurred frequently at that time. It is believed that this area was a horse-producing area and a ranch. It was discovered by chance that a samurai was wearing armor and was buried in volcanic ash. Imagine that the samurai continued the ritual until the last minute because it was a ritual to stop the eruption of the volcano, but it seems that he was involved in the eruption. Due to the eruption, the situation at that time is buried as it is, and the ancient state is known.

No way in such a place? It is in a place like that. There is an explanation board, but when I think of it as the site of the great discovery of that century, I missed it. Mt. Haruna Futatsudake, which caused the catastrophe, could not be seen from here. Did you see the buried tumulus at the end? Excavated materials can be viewed in detail at the Gunma Prefectural Buried Cultural Property Research Center Excavation Information Center.

The Kanai Higashiura Site was excavated by the Gunma Prefectural Buried Cultural Property Research Corporation from September 2012 due to the construction of the Kanai Bypass (Joshin Expressway) on National Highway No. 353. The "old burial mound wearing an instep" was discovered in November 2012 in a ditch filled with volcanic ash and pyroclastic flows at the beginning of the 6th century on Mt. Haruna. During the early 6th century eruption of Mt. Haruna Futatsudake, a total of 15 ash falls, including pyroclastic flows, have been confirmed. Located 8 kilometers northeast of Mt. Futatsu, the site is believed to have been quickly buried in volcanic ash after being hit directly by the pyroclastic flow that occurred after the first eruption and ash fall. At the Kanai Higashiura Site, pit dwellings, groove-shaped remains, roads, and two tumuli in the latter half of the 5th century were discovered under the volcanic ash that had accumulated over 2 meters. The "old burial mound in the instep" bent his knees at the bottom of the ditch, put his arms on the ground, and collapsed on his stomach. He is 164 centimeters tall and is estimated to be in his 40s. In addition, one female human skeleton with a necklace (an old burial mound with a necklace), one infant human skeleton (an infant burial mound), and one infant human skeleton (an infant burial mound) were discovered. The "necklace burial mound" was hit by the pyroclastic flow and fell prone so that it would rotate around the left foot, and the "baby burial mound" had only the skull left. The "infant burial mounds" were all victims of the pyroclastic flow, with their limbs spread out in large letters and collapsed. It is unprecedented to discover the remains of Kofun period people who were caught in a pyroclastic flow while wearing a small bill and possessing abundant belongings such as a ram, a bow and arrow, and a whetstone. It was a valuable discovery that remains in the history of science. I think it is best to visit the Gunma Prefectural Buried Cultural Property Research Center Excavation Information Center (784-2 Shimohakoda, Hokkitsumachi, Shibukawa City) at the same time as the ruins. The Excavation Information Center has set up an exhibition corner from May 12, 2013, displaying a full-scale replica of the "old burial mound wearing an instep" and disseminating information on the ruins. Furthermore, from July 2, 2014, the Kanai Higashiura Ruins Exhibition Corner will be expanded to display a three-dimensional model (diorama) and some of the excavated items. I will introduce some of them with images.