Decision 44 COM 8B.37

Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan (Japan)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Documents WHC/21/44.COM/8B and WHC/21/44.COM/INF.8B1,
2. Inscribes Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan, Japan, on the World Heritage List on the basis of criteria (iii) and (v);
3. Adopts the following Statement of Outstanding Universal Value:

   Brief synthesis

   Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan consists of 17 archaeological sites that represent the pre-agricultural lifeways and complex spiritual culture of a prehistoric people. Located on the southern part of Hokkaido Island and across the Tsugaru Strait on the northern part of the Tohoku region, this serial property attests to the emergence, development, and maturity of a sedentary hunter-fisher-gatherer society that developed in Northeast Asia from about 13,000 BCE to 400 BCE. The series of settlements, burial areas, ritual and ceremonial sites, stone circles, and earthworks is located in a variety of landforms such as mountains, hills, plains, and lowlands, as well as near inner bays, lakes, and rivers.

   This area of northern Japan had rich arborous and aquatic resources, with deciduous broad-leaved forests that featured abundant nut-bearing trees, as well as ideal fishing conditions created by the intersection of warm and cold currents off the coast. Over a period of more than 10,000 years, the Jomon people continued hunter-fisher-gatherer lifeways without changing to an agrarian culture, adapting to environmental changes such as climate warming and cooling and the corresponding marine transgression and regression.

   The Jomon people initiated a sedentary way of life about 15,000 years ago, as indicated tentatively at first by the use of pottery, and later by the construction of more permanent dwellings and ritual sites, and the year-round exploitation of nearby resources. Already in the very early stage of sedentary life, the Jomon people developed a complex spiritual culture. They made graves and also created ritual deposits, artificial earthen mounds, and stone circles that were probably used for rituals and ceremonies, and confirmed a social bond across the generations and between the settlements.

   Criterion (iii): The Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan bears exceptional testimony to a globally rare prehistoric sedentary hunter-fisher-gatherer society which nurtured a complex spiritual culture, as revealed by archaeological artefacts such as clay tablets with the impression of feet and the famous goggle-eyed dogu figurines, as well as remains including graves, ritual deposits, artificial earthen mounds, and stone circles.

   Criterion (v): The Jomon Prehistoric Sites in Northern Japan are an outstanding example of sedentary modes of settlement and land-use from the emergence of sedentism through its subsequent development and ultimate maturity. The Jomon people maintained an enduring hunter-fisher-gatherer way of life by adapting to a changing climate without altering the land significantly, as was the case with agrarian societies. To secure food in a stable manner, diverse locations were selected for settlements, including near rivers where fish swimming upstream could be caught, in tidelands where brackish shellfish could be gathered, and near colonies of nut-bearing trees where nuts and berries could be collected. Skills and tools for obtaining food were developed in accordance with the specific conditions of different locations.

   Integrity

   The integrity of the serial property is based on archaeological remains that exemplify the cultural traits and site types of the ancient Jomon culture in northern Japan. The property is comprised of archaeological sites that show the initiation of sedentism and the eventual separation between the residential area and burial areas; sites that show the diversity of settlement facilities during the warm marine transgression period, as well as hub settlements that have ritual places; and sites that demonstrate the maturity of sedentism through stone circles, cemeteries, and settlements. The sites also include, to a degree, their interaction with the environment. The component parts of the serial property are of adequate size individually, and as a group they include all important archaeological remains that constitute settlements and ceremonial spaces as well as landforms or features showing their locations and environment. The serial property is protected by law and does not suffer from the negative impacts of natural disasters or large-scale developments. There are, however, several modern constructions, referred to as “non-compliant elements”, that have impacts on the views to and/or from the component parts. Plans to mitigate such impacts by planting tree covers, for example, or by removing the non-compliant elements in the future have been developed.

   Authenticity

   The serial property maintains a high level of authenticity in terms of locations, forms and designs, materials and substances, uses and functions, traditions and techniques, and spirit and feeling, most of the archaeological remains having been buried untouched for thousands of years; some remains, such as stone circles, are visible above ground. The archaeological remains can thus be said to credibly and truthfully convey the Outstanding Universal Value of the property as relates to the ancient Jomon culture in northern Japan.

   In some cases, local authorities have developed life-size interpretive models of some key features, especially pit dwellings and shell middens. These models are intended to help explain to visitors some of the authentic elements that are otherwise concealed under a protective layer of soil. While the life-size models are presented as replicas, not reconstructions, and constructed so as not to have any impact on the archaeological deposits, new technologies are nevertheless explored to help visitors visualize some of the authentic archaeological features that must remain buried.

   Protection and management requirements

   All component parts of the property are designated and protected under the Law for the Protection of Cultural Properties as Historic Sites or Special Historic Sites, and strict long-term measures for protection and conservation are in place. In addition, an appropriate buffer zone has been delineated around each component part in which legal regulatory measures are in place to control activities with a view to ensuring the proper protection of the property.

   A Comprehensive Preservation and Management Plan sets out the basic policies for sustaining the Outstanding Universal Value, authenticity, and integrity of the serial property in its entirety. Based on this plan, the Council for the Preservation and Utilization of World Heritage Jomon Prehistoric Sites and other organizations have been established. The conservation and management of the component parts is promoted in a comprehensive manner under the supervision of the national government of Japan and in coordination with other related organizations. The local and prefectural governments in Hokkaido, Aomori, Iwate, and Akita in charge of each component part have developed individual management and utilization plans and have also incorporated the conservation, management, and utilization of the individual component parts in their basic administrative plans. The state of conservation of the individual component parts is monitored periodically and systematically, based on specific key indicators.

   The key issue that requires long-term attention is that six of the component parts include privately owned areas. Acquiring the entirety of each component part will better ensure the implementation of correct and timely conservation activities.

4. Recommends that the State Party give consideration to the following:
   1. Advancing the plan to acquire all areas of the component parts currently in private ownership,
   2. Removing non-compliant infrastructural elements or mitigating their impact,
   3. Extending the information on the archaeological records and the inventory of archaeological objects from the component parts (description of excavation and registration processes, and excavation reports),
   4. Adhering to the principles of good governance by maintaining an open mind concerning the inclusion of stakeholders not yet participating in the protection and management of the property, in line with paragraphs 40 and 117 of the Operational Guidelines,
   5. Supplying maps of all component parts of the serial property, showing a clear delimitation of the inscribed property, the buffer zones, the areas protected as (Special) Historic Sites, and the “Land Known to Contain Buried Cultural Properties”.