The , also referred to as the Moro archaeological site, is a Paleolithic archaeological site in Itabashi Ward, Tokyo, Japan. It is known for the discovery of stone tools dating to the Japanese Paleolithic period.
History
In March 1951, a junior high school student, , who later became an archaeologist, discovered obsidian stone tools and clusters of pebbles in a road cutting through a hill known as . A joint excavation was conducted by Meiji University and the Musashino Museum in July of the same year.
This investigation was one of the earliest studies of the Japanese Paleolithic in the Kantō region, following research at the Iwajuku site in Gunma Prefecture. The findings demonstrated that Paleolithic culture, predating the Jōmon period, was present across the Japanese archipelago. A distinctive type of knife-shaped stone tool discovered at the site was later named the .
The excavated assemblage includes burins, side-scrapers, lithic flakes, and backed points. The site was designated a historic site of Tokyo in 1969 and of Itabashi Ward in 1984. In 1999, 22 excavated stone tools were designated as tangible cultural properties of Tokyo.
Location The site is located within Jōhoku-Chūō Park in Tokyo but is not accessible to the public in order to protect the wooded area. A stone marker and information boards indicate the site’s location.
References
External links Itabashi City Office page Tokyo Metropolitan Government cultural properties database