Sacred Boundaries in Prehistoric Japan: Reinterpreting the Kasori Shell Midden through Jomon Cosmology and Comparative Religious Urbanism

This study reinterprets the spatial structure of the Kasori Shell Midden—one of the largest and best-preserved archaeological sites from Japan's Jomon period—as a consciously constructed sacred boundary, or kekkai. Contrary to the long-held functionalist view that shell middens were mere refuse deposits, this paper proposes that the circular formation of the Kasori site embodies a symbolic cosmology rooted in boundary sanctity and spiritual protection. By employing a comparative and interdisciplinary approach that draws from structural anthropology, sacred geography, and indigenous spatial concepts across East and Southeast Asia, the study identifies striking structural parallels between the Kasori shell midden and various forms of sacred precincts: from Islamic haram to Balinese desa adat, from Ainu chise arrangements to Okinawan utaki. These exhibit physical, ritual, and symbolic boundaries separating sacred interiors from profane exteriors. The analysis reveals that Jomon people possessed a highly sophisticated spatial consciousness, encoded in material forms and ritual practice. Far from being primitive or merely functional, their spatial logic reflects a deep metaphysical worldview that challenges conventional assumptions about prehistoric societies. The Kasori Shell Midden thus emerges as a non-literate but ideologically rich expression of social order, spiritual cohabitation, and cosmological design.