photo:burial circle no.2
This is a group of communal graves that was constructed on a slope at an altitude of 15 to 20 m northeast of Chitose City, Hokkaido, in the latter half of the Late Jomon period (approx. 1,200 BCE). A large torus-shaped earthwork was made by digging a circular pit and piling the dug soil around the pit. Several graves within such an earthwork compartment constitute one earthwork burial circle.
The Kiusu Earthwork Burial Circles consist of nine such circles in a designated area of approximately 4.9 ha. Their diameter ranges from 18 to 83 m, the distance from the top surface of the circular earthworks to the bottom of the pits is 1 to 5.4 m, and the amount of soil dug up to construct Earthwork Burial Circle 2 is estimated to have reached a maximum of 3,400 ㎥. There are several burial pits in each of the circular earthworks, some of which have standing stones.
Burial pits that are not covered with soil are rare in prehistoric cultures in the world, showing a grave system unique to the Jomon culture. Earthwork burial circles are very important as evidence of the social system related to funerals and memorial ceremonies for ancestral spirits. In particular, the Kiusu Earthwork Burial Circles are earthwork burial circles of a unique scale, representing the grave system.
cf.JOMON JAPAN https://jomon-japan.jp/en/jomon-sites/kiusu/