How We Rebuild Lost Jōmon Pit Houses | Jomon Period | Japan

In many museums throughout Japan, the houses the Jōmon are depicted as having lived in are actually too sophisticated. It seems probable that the Jōmon would have lived in less elaborate dwellings not too dissimilar to what European explorers found the indigenous peoples of the Americas inhabiting some 500 years ago. Unfortunately, the organic materials used for constructing these dwellings have long since decomposed, so we can only make educated guesses as to how their dwellings looked. What we do know is that the pit houses were round and they were reconstructed often. Here at the Umenoki site, we have found evidence of about 150 pit dwellings, but we think that only a fraction of them would have been occupied at any one time. Thus, it appears that the dwellings were abandoned for newer dwellings as the older ones became dilapidated.

Our reconstructed pit houses have a single entrance, an opening in the roof for smoke to escape, and a few other openings similar to windows, although the only thing we can be sure of is that the dwellings were round and there was a place for a fire. If you attend a Jōmon reenactment experience, be prepared for campfire smoke. Our ancient ancestors undoubtedly breathed smoke from the fires they lit inside their dwellings. We are sorry if this inconveniences you.

You’ll see that we have recreated a hard-packed floor with a built-in stone hearth. Above the sunken floor area we have built a dome-like structure from wooden posts, tree bark and earth. In fact, the houses we have constructed look as unobtrusive as they can possibly be. These houses are constructed by volunteers using the tools that would have been available to the Jōmon people. That means stone axes and obsidian cutting tools.

Posts used for the pit dwellings are charred to prevent rot and insect damage. It is almost certain that the Jōmon would have understood the benefits of charring posts as charcoal left over from fires would have demonstrated anti-pest qualities.