The Excavation of the Asuka'ike Workshop Site and its Significance

Abstract

The Asuka'ike Site is located in the Asuka district of Asuka Town, Nara Prefecture. It lies in a small valley on the southeast side of Asukadera, the first Buddhist temple built in Japan. Various artifacts, such as gold, silver, copper, glass, and iron products, and japan, were manufactured at this site from the latter half of the seventh to the beginning of the eighth centuries. Numerous workshops were neatly arranged on both sides of the valley, with nearly 300 furnaces having been found in these workshops. Drainage was provided at this site, with waste products drained through sumps, deposited on the valley floor, then drawn to a stone-lined settling pool. The clarified water was then drained out of the site. A number of wells and buildings have been found in the northern part of the site.
The layer of deposits at the site is almost one meter deep. Numerous artifacts, partially manufactured items, and tools were found. By far the most important discovery has been the examples of the Fuhon coin and its mold, proving that minting was conducted at this site. Almost eight thousand samples of wooden tablets have been found, providing valuable information on the character of the site as well as the conditions of the times.