The excavating site in Marugame City, Shikoku, was opened to the public in March, 2012. It is located about 2.5 kilometers or 1.6 miles away to the southwest of Marugame Castle.  

The Naka-no-ike site has been intermittently excavated since 1976.  This is the last of a series of archeological digs in Kanakura-cho, Marugame. 

This picture shows that the ancient village was surrounded by a double circle of moats, which had a width of about 5 meters and a depth of about 0.7 meter.  

These moats are believed to have been dug in order to protect the village and the villagers from outsiders. 

New earth and sand was brought here to the site to build a baseball stadium.  So you can see a 1-meter-deep surface layer of earth, under which there lies a thin layer of rice paddy that has been cultivated up until quite recently.  Wooden structures and earthenware of the Yayoi period were discovered at the bottom layer, further under the paddy field layer.   

A cemetery was found here just outside the double circle of moats.  Shokikuri-style dwellings were also discovered here at the Naka-no-ike site.  This style is exactly similar to that of Korean Peninsula. 

These are a pot and some earthenware discovered during the excavations at Naka-no-ike.  They are fresh out of the ground, still having earth inside.  

This, also having earth inside, dates back to the middle Yayoi period.

 

These are pottery fragments dug out of the ground.  

 

They excavated not only earthenware like these but also human bones and farm implements.

 

As I was watching this pottery, an old man came and told me to follow him home, introducing himself as a local historian.    

 

To my surprise, there were many kinds of earthenware, stone tools and even fossil bones in his house.

These are stone arrowheads, which were easily dug out from his paddy fields. 

 

These are polished stone hand axes and stone knives. 

 

These are stone knives, spearheads and tools to peel the skin from animals.  

 

These are fossil bones. 

 

Stone tools 

 

Mr. S. Miyatake, 97 is a local historian in Marugame, Shikoku.  He knows a lot about Japanese history. 

 

 

 

 

Head dojo is in Takamatsu, Kagawa prefecture.

 

The young and the old from all walks of life are practicing every day.

 

Some girls are black-belt holders, instructing other lower-ranking members.

 

Practice in Kumite

 

Mr. Kuwajima took part in the World Karate Championship for 1987.  And in 1988 he

won the all-Japan championship in 1988.  He would like to help people grow physically

and mentally through karate.  He puts emphasis on cultural and moral education.

Seiken-chudan-tsuki!

Mr. Kuwajima, the fifth-grade holder, became the head of Kagawa branch of

Kyokushin-kaikan in 1988.  He has about 600 members and 13 dojos in Kagawa.

Perseverance will be developed through practice.

 

Karate can be mastered through days and days of training.

 

You can change your character through karate.

 

You will find another character in yourself.

 

Kumite practice

 

Karate keeps you in good shape.

 

They build healthy mind and body through karate.

 

 

Although she is a high school student, she is one of the instructors to young people

at Kuwajima Dojo in Takamatsu City.

Young boys and girls are practicing their basic techniques.  So serious!  

 

With practice, they will get better.

 

Defense practice 

 

Offense practice 

 

Practice makes perfect. 

 

Young boys and girls start their training at 5:30 in the evening.

 

Once they start, they are absorbed in their training. 

 

Quick kicking! 

 

Marvelous kicking! 

 

They will be karate experts soon.

 

This can cultivate their mental concentration.  

 

Sustaining their concentration is helpful in other fields such as studying. 

 

They practice to make themselves better through karate. 

 

 

DDHs in Kure 

 

Submarines and a DDH taking up a berth  

 

 

This is a ropeway view on the way to Shishi-iwa Station on Miyajima Island.

It takes about 20 minutes from Momiji-dani Station to Shishi-iwa.

This is a view of the peak of Mt. Misen on Miyajima.  It takes about 30 minutes

from Shishi-iwa to the summet on foot.

You can see wild deer here and there on Miyajima. 

 

They eat paper, cloth and so on.  So they may eat your tickets, sourvenirs or

even banknotes.  

Miyajima is also famous for its autumn leaves.

 

Miyajima is a place of historical interest as well as scenic beauty.