Harunotsuji Site

Harunotsuji was the capital of the Iki kingdom from around 200 BCE to 350 CE, built on the island's largest plain despite its exposure to winter winds. Access was deliberately restricted through moats and a river route navigable only by small boats, suggesting the site was chosen for defensive reasons. At its center sat a temple complex where shamans interpreted omens. Some researchers theorize that bird figurines decorating the temple gates, marking the boundary between sacred and secular space, may be an early form of what became the Shinto torii gate. Foundations of around 300 structures have been found, with 17 buildings from the first to third centuries reconstructed on site.