Experiencing life in the ancient period at Yoshinogari Historical Park

In my previous entry pasal Jumpa Ikan Merah Gergasi di Karatsu Kunchi, I ada bagitahu yang lepas balik tengok ikan gergasi tu, kami bertiga telah pergi jalan2 kat Kampung Ninja kan. So, dalam entry hari ni I nak cerita pasal kampung ninja tu la. Sebenarnya Yoshinogari Historical Park, Saga ni bukan lah kampung ninja sebaliknya ia lebih kepada perkampungan zaman silam di zaman Yayoi Period.

=- Yoshinogari Historical Park- Nov 3rd, 2010 -=

=- lampu berbentuk mata ninja jer yang ada, ninja nya dah takde -=

After paying for the entrance fee which cost us 400yen(RM15) per adult, we enter the ruins from the East Entrance Gate. My first impression after entering the gate was "this place is damn huge!".

=- greeted by this bridge upon entrance-=

Sumpah luas gila sampai rasa macam nak buat2 pitam dengan harapan hubby akan dukung I dan I akan buat2 sedar bila sampai kat tempat2 menarik je hahahaha *not a very good idea though*. Terpaksa jugak jalan sambil tolak baby SN dalam stroller, memang sengaja tak nak bagi Baby SN jalan sebab jenuh nak kejar dia nanti kalau di bagi berjalan.

=- luas gilerrrr weh ~ lenguh kaki berjalan -=

Upon entering the Yoshinogari Historical Park, visitors can straight away feels like they are experiencing life in the ancient Yayoi period of Japan's history. Yayoi life and culture come alive through the carefully reconstructed village and unique exhibitions found here.

=- budak kecik yang excited dapat posing konon2 tengah rowing a boat -=

I siap rasa macam I kat dalam set penggambaran untuk filem pendekar purba, siap imagine yang hubby ialah pendekar Musang Si Guntang dan I pulak puteri Cendanapuri muahahahaha *daya imaginasi tinggi..over betul*.

=- Tuan Puteri Cendanapuri nak kawen lari dengan Pendekar Musang Si Guntang dengan menaiki bot -=

This largest ruin among all of the Yayoi ruins excavated in Japan, spreads throughout the Kanzaki area of Saga Prefecture (Kanzaki town, Mitagawa town and Higashisefuri village). The Yoshinogari ruins, as the center of the "nation state", have proved invaluable as a source of understanding of the approximately 600 years covering the Yayoi period.

These are amongst the main attractions at the Yoshinogari ruins:-

1) Moat-Encircled village Entrance - DEFENSES -

The main defenses were located at the east gate of the ancient Yoshinogari village. An earthen bridge was built over the outer moat at this location with a large gate protecting the inner area.

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

=- Moat-Encircled village Entrance - DEFENSES -=

=- jaga2, jgn sampai tercucuk pung*ung -=

Extending from both sides of the gate was a spiked wooden fence/wall. From the extent of the defenses, it is supposed that this village was extremely important and perhaps the residence of successive rulers of the area.

=- strategi mempertahankan kampung di zaman silam -=

2) MINAMINAIKAKU (Southern Inner Enclosure) - THE RULERS' RESIDENCE

This is believed to be where the successive rulers of Yoshinogari and the surrounding village rulers resided during the peak of the Yayoi civilization. Judging from the formidable defenses of this area, including the circular moats, fences, and watchtowers, this place is considered to be where the rulers of Yoshinogari could be found.

=- MINAMINAIKAKU - in front of the King's house -=

In contrast to the other living areas of Yoshinogari, the high-floored houses, as well as various iron products found in the area, show the elevated status of their residents .

=- interior of the King's house - raja yang zuhud ni hehe -=

=- dalam rumah permaisuri, cenggini je katil dia weh -=

3) KITANAIKAKU (The Northern Inner Enclosure)

This is believed to have been the most important area, not only in Yoshinogari village, but also in the whole nation-state around Yoshinogari. It is here that the dates for rice planting and harvesting, seasonal festivals and ceremonies, and the largest market is thought to have been established.

=- at the entrance of KITANAIKAKU -=

=- posing menahan sejuk by daddy sebab tertinggal jaket dalam kereta kui3x -=

It is where important meetings for matters of state are believed to have been held for the entire nation-state, and where prayers were offered unto ancestors. During the Yayoi period, it is believed that when people could not come to agreement on important issues, a high priest, with the special skill to communicate with the ancestors and god, was asked to intervene, and the decision was made in accordance with the received message.

=- Main worship hall -=

=- Inside main worship hall, ancestral prayers -=

=- Inside main worship hall, meeting room -=

4) KITAFUNKYUBO- Northern Burial Mounds

These burial mounds are thought to be the resting places of successive generations of Yoshinogari rulers. These are artificial mounds piled in layers of different kinds of soil and very strong in structure. 14 burial jars were found in the mounds; one of them kept glass beads and an elaborate-designed bronze sword. These burial mounds were made and used in the middle Yayoi period, 1 B.C. But they were not used as tombs afterward, and it is believed to have been a resting place of ancestral spirits.

=- inside of the KITAFUNKYUBO- Northern Burial Mounds -=

I feel sick upon entering this section sebab I duk terbayang keadaan mayat yang di masukkan dalam jar tu sebelum di tanam. Look at the picture below as the expressions on my face clearly explains my feelings at that moment~scared to death! * I bet orang yang tengok gambar ni pulak rasa scared to death tengok impression tak semenggah kat muka I tu ngeeeeee*

=- super seram okehhhh ~ expression muka yang begitu over! -=

5) Burial Jar Rows Resting Place

The burial jar is a distinctive type of coffin found only in the northern part of Kyushu. A body was bent into an unglazed jar and then the jar was buried in the ground, which seems to have been a popular means of burial for about 200 years, during the middle of the Yayoi period.

=- Burial Jar -=

Approximately 15,000 jars are supposed to have been buried in mounds in Yoshinogari. Among them, over 2,000 jars are buried in a 600-meter long row on both sides of the path in the middle of the northern mounds. (The path is thought to have been a way to visit the graves or a line to separate them by ranks.) People at the time seem to have paid homage to the deceased.

=- corpse inside the Burial Jar -=

6) NAKANOMURA- Dedicated to God

This area is believed to have been where priests made ritual objects used in festivals and political ceremonies held in the Northern Inner Enclosure, the most important place in Yoshinogari. People probably brewed alcohol, raised silkworms and weaved here. It is also believed that priests lived near here although the sites have not remained.

=- NAKANOMURA -=

=- nak masak apa kita hari ni mak nye oooii? -=

7)KURATOICHI

This area is believed to have been Yoshinogari's commercial center, featuring a large market and storehouses for trade goods. The reasons are that the structure is very similar to ancient clay drawings of Chinese market; there used to be a big river nearby which a boat, an important means for transportation, could travel; and this whole area was completely surrounded with moats.

=- KURATOICHI - Yoshinogari's commercial center -=

=- KURATOICHI - Yoshinogari's commercial center -=

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Yoshinogari Historical Park- Nov 3rd, 2010

8) Minami no Mura

This is where the public is believed to have lived in the Yoshinogari village because there are no moats or special structures as found in the Northern and Southern Inner Enclosures. And there is one high-floored storehouse to three or four pit dwellings in the village, which is very similar to general villages found in other parts of Japan.

=- Minami no Mura - This is where the public is believed to have lived in the Yoshinogari village -=

=- posing senget badan sampai nak terjatuh kat Minami no Mura -=

Additionally this village is located in southernmost part in the whole of Yoshinogari, which is supposed to have been influenced by the ancient Chinese concept: The north ranked higher than the south.

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

=- with one of the 'villagers' -=

=- makcik ooooo makcik, buat apa kat dalam rumah tu? meh la keluar duk kat serambi nih, leh jugak kita ngumpat2 jiran sebelah ngeeeee -=

9) YAYOI PAVILION - Exhibition Room
We get to learn important facts about the place, long before it was 'vanishes' and rediscovered by the researchers. We learned that :-
• They ate rice, various marine and mountain products such as wheat, millet, beans, gourd, acorns, walnuts, Boars, chickens, deer, bears, raccoon dogs, dogs, Silver carps, carps, sharks, sea basses, horse mackerels, pond snails, river snails, and also Japanese freshwater clams by boiling or broil them and eat with fingers.

• The Yayoi people are believed to have bathed in the river since there was no bathroom in this era ~ macam dalam cite zaman dulu2 tu la, mandi kat sungai sambil nyanyi2 basuh baju kelepak kelepuk kat atas batu sungai pastu jerit2 bila penjahat mengintai ekekekeke.
• It is thought that about 1,200 people lived inside the outer circular moat and about 5,400 in the whole nation-state around Yoshinogari in the golden age.

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.

=- inside the YAYOI PAVILION - Exhibition Room -=

10) Wooden BIRD STATUE
Wooden bird statues are on the roof and the gate. In the Yayoi period, a bird seems to have been a symbol or Gods messenger that brought spirits of crops and exorcised the evil spirit.

Wooden BIRD STATUE~

There were also some workshop and interactive programs designated for the visitors to experience the feeling of being Yayoi Villagers. We didn't join any if the programs due time constraint. Amongst the activities are :
• Fire-making (100yen/set)
• Earthen Flute making (100yen/person)
• KOUROUSEKI Soft Stone pendant making (200yen/person)
• SEKKENSEKI Soap Stone pendant making (250yen/person)

+- Enjoy this video of Yoshinogari Historical Park to experience life in the ancient period-+

We were at the park until it is closed on 5p.m. We were totally exhausted with the long walk inside the village, thus we decided to ride on the shuttle bus to head back to the East Entrance Gate where we park our car.

=- luas gila kawasan ni kan? *rasa nak pengsan berjalan to cover the whole area* -=

=- bus yang chomeyl -=

While leaving this place, I was thinking that it's a good idea for any film makers who want to shoot a movie based on the ancient period era, to just come here. The view is spectacular so you don't really have to ask a lot of help from the CGI expertise; what say you Abg Mamat Khalid? *boleh shooting untuk sequel filem Zombi Kampung Pisang* hehehehe. Perhaps Yusry KRU should also consider this place for the next shooting of the sequel for his new superb movie The Malay Chronicles: Bloodlines . *over tau I nih, filem ni tak tunjuk kat panggung lagi pon..I dah start suruh Yusry buat sequel kui3x*

=- last pose before leaving the place, dah senja -=


=- isn't this such a breathtaking view? indahnya ciptaan Allah -=

# Info gathered from: http://www.yoshinogari.jp/en/

Pssstt: masa jalan2 kat dalam ni I terfikir jugak, mungkin 1000 tahun lagi(kalau dunia ni masih wujud), orang2 zaman tu pulak akan gi jalan2 kat area kampung kita yang dah musnah..huhuhuhu.