Stories of the Japanese 00048 [Yayoi] The Discovery of the Yoshinogari Site*

Following the Toro site, let us look at the Yoshinogari site.
In 1986, in the midst of the bubble economy, the Saga Prefectural Government planned the construction of the Kanzaki Industrial Park with the aim of attracting businesses. Estimates suggested it would create 2,000 jobs and have an economic impact of 85 billion yen. The town was full of energy.
To begin construction, an excavation survey based on the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties was required, and a six-person team was organized by the Saga Prefectural Government. The person appointed to lead it was Tadaaki Shichida (1952–), who worked in the Cultural Affairs Division.
Upon hearing the location of the planned construction site, Shichida gasped. The place, called Yoshinogari, was where his late father, Tadashi Shichida (1912–1981), had predicted that a massive ruin must exist and had excavated on his own.
When Shichida began the excavation survey, Yayoi pottery was unearthed one after another over a truly vast area. The scale reached 30 hectares. However, at this point, the entire excavation team assumed that the industrial park would be built once the survey was finished. But one day, a team member found a jar coffin (a coffin shaped like a jar) over one meter long, and human bones were found inside it. Furthermore, the remains of a moat three meters deep were unearthed, and it was discovered that the moat extended one kilometer from north to south, revealing that it had been a settlement of a considerably massive scale.
Shichida began to wonder if there was any way to preserve this site. However, all the townspeople were looking forward to the construction of the industrial park in hopes of job creation. He did not think he could gain the understanding of the townspeople for a project that did not lead to economic development, such as excavating ruins.
Driven to desperation, Shichida called Makoto Sahara (1932–2002) of the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, an authority on Yayoi period research.
"It is an amazing site. Please, just come and see it."
Sahara, who arrived 10 days later, was overwhelmed by the scale of the moat.
"I have never seen such a large-scale moated settlement. Could this be a strong candidate for the site of Yamatai-koku?"
Surprised by a reaction that exceeded his expectations, Shichida appealed to his superiors for the preservation of the site.
A meeting was held at the prefectural office. While many of the executives argued that the construction of the industrial park should be prioritized, Governor Kumao Katsuki (1916–1995) made a bold decision.
"Why don't we conduct another excavation survey and judge the value of the site?"
March 2, 1989. The fateful excavation that would decide whether to preserve or demolish the site began. Sure enough, a new jar coffin was unearthed, and a tubular bead and a bronze sword were found inside. These are symbols of a king's authority. It became clear that the grave of a ruler of the country had been at Yoshinogari.
March 7. Saga Prefecture decided to preserve the Yoshinogari site. Since then, further excavation surveys have been carried out at Yoshinogari, and it has now surpassed the Toro site to become a representative site of the Yayoi period.
Currently, a national park has been built at Yoshinogari, and it is visited by 500,000 tourists annually.