犢橋貝塚

Gazing up at Kotehashi Shell Mound, one might wonder how such a place became a cherished park. Kotehashi Shell Mound, located near the Miyako-no-ki Junction of the Higashi-Kanto Expressway, isn’t just a mound. It’s a horseshoe-shaped shell mound, resting atop a 26-meter high plateau. The plateau itself extends outwards like a tongue, but Kotehashi Shell Mound isn’t at the very tip. Instead, it’s situated on a raised section further back, spanning roughly 200 meters east to west and 160 meters north to south. Parts of the northeast and southwest corners have been lost to time. Kotehashi Shell Mound is actually two closely situated, shell mounds, each forming the horseshoe shape. Excavations in 1951, 1956, and 1964 revealed Kotehashi Shell Mound dates back to the late to final Jomon period. Shell remains from brackish water species like the hamaguri clam, asari clam, and the Japanese littleneck clam dominate the mound. Deer bones are the most common animal remains, alongside wild boar and tanuki. Remarkably, the burial bones of a dog were also discovered at Kotehashi Shell Mound. Today, Kotehashi Shell Mound is a vibrant public park within the Satsukigaoka neighborhood, providing a welcome green space for the city’s residents.