Around the old provincial capital of Ichijodani, over 6,000 religious stone artifacts have been uncovered, including Buddhist statues, itabi monuments, and old-fashioned gorinto pagodas. Most of these served as memorial stones, which were engraved with the names and details of Ichijodani’s citizenry. While most of the old town’s paper and wooden documents were destroyed when the city was sacked in the late 16th century, these stone artifacts have survived, and they offer invaluable clues into Ichijodani’s way of life.

PeriodThe Warring States period (the16th century)