Yokodaidō Steel Production Site
Yokodaidō Steel Production Site (横大道製鉄遺跡, Yokodaidō seittsu iseki) is a Nara period archaeological site in the city of Minamisōma, Fukushima Prefecture, in the southern Tōhoku region of northern Japan. The site was designated a National Historic Site of Japan in 2011 by the Japanese government.[1]
横大道製鉄遺跡 | |
 .svg.png){kind=icon} Yokodaidō Steel Production Site  Yokodaidō Steel Production Site (Japan) | |
| Location | Minamisōma, Fukushima, Japan |
|---|---|
| Region | Tōhoku region |
| Coordinates | 37°33′16″N 140°56′44″E |
| History | |
| Periods | Nara to Heian period |
| Site notes | |
| Ownership | National Historic Site |
| Public access | Yes |
The site is located on a 40-50 meter hilltop about 7 km distant from the Pacific coastline, and consists of seven iron smelting furnaces, and 26 charcoal-making kilns which have been excavated and studied, and the remains of 31 additional depressions in the nearby woods also believed to have been smelting furnaces together with another 23 possible charcoal kilns. In addition, at the adjacent Tategoshi Steel Production Site are the remains of an additional three iron smelting furnaces and 16 charcoal kilns. The smelting furnaces are designed as a bloomery, with a chimney made of heat-resistant earth and clay, located in a 1.5 meter deep pit and surrounded by an annular (doughnut-shaped) ridge 20 meters in diameter. Up to six bloomeries were located within one annular ring, which pieced with tuyeres to allow air to enter the furnace and molten pig iron to be extracted.
The site was in use from the late Nara period until well into the Heian period. This time coincides with a period of major conflict between the Yamato government and the Emishi tribes of northern Japan. The scale of the site indicates the involvement of the central government. The local coastal areas have deposits of iron sand, but large-scale forestry in the area was also required to sustain production over a long period of time.