Izumi Government Offices Site

Izumi Government Offices Site (泉官衙遺跡, Izumi kanga iseki-gun) is the site of a Heian period government office complex located in what is now part of the city of Minamisōma, Fukushima prefecture in the southern Tōhoku region of northern Honshu, Japan. It has been protected by the central government as a National Historic Site since 2010.[1]

Izumi Government Offices Site
泉官衙遺跡
Izumi Government Offices Site
Izumi Government Offices Site (Japan)
LocationMinamisōma, Fukushima, Japan
RegionTōhoku region
Coordinates37°38′49″N 141°00′58″E
History
Founded7th - 10th century AD
Site notes
OwnershipNational Historic Site
Public accessYes

Background

In the Nara period, after the establishment of a centralized government under the Ritsuryō system, five districts of southern Mutsu Province: Iwaki (石城), Shineha (標葉), Namekata (行方), Uta (宇太), Watari (曰理) and one district of Hitachi Province, Kikuta (菊多) were joined together to form the new province of Iwaki (石城国) in 718. The province only lasted for a short period, and was absorbed back into Mutsu in 720 or 724. This site is believed to have been the location of the civil administration of Namekata District in the Heian period.

Description

The Izumi site is located in on a river terrace of the Nitta River on the Abukuma Plateau in far northern Fukushima Prefecture, near the coastline of the Pacific Ocean. The site of the government office ruins contained a large administrative building, flanked by buildings in symmetrical positions in the east and west, forming a “U”-shape. The compound was protected by a wooden palisade. This arrangement was common to Nara period and Heian period county administrative complexes in other parts of the country. It is estimated that this complex was in use from the latter half of the 7th century to the late 10th century.

See also

References
  1. "泉官衙遺跡". Cultural Heritage Online (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
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