Senpukuji Cave

The cave system contains four small caverns that open toward the south on a slope, located 89 meters above sea level overlooking the Ainoura River.

A junior high school student discovered the cave in 1969, leading to extensive archaeological excavations that uncovered twelve distinct soil layers containing prehistoric artifacts.

The excavation revealed 2,153 tools, including microblades, scrapers, carvers, points, pebble tools, hammers, and grooved whetstones from different prehistoric periods.

Visitors can reach the cave site within ten minutes by walking from Senpukuji Station on the Matsuura Railway Nishi-Kyushu Line.

The cave contains toryumon pottery with bean-pattern designs, carbon-dated to 12,000 years ago, representing one of the earliest pottery stages in Japan.

Location: Sasebo

GPS coordinates: 33.20458,129.73025

Latest update: March 14, 2025 06:34