AI helping researchers, laypeople discover archaeological sites in Japan mountains
May 4, 2025 (Mainichi Japan)
This image provided by Yuichi Takata shows what is believed to be remnants of a mountain castle discovered in Tatsuno, Hyogo Prefecture. It's thought the raised area on the far right is an earthwork and the dented area on the left is the remains of a moat.
KOBE -- Traces of a small mountain castle dating to medieval times were discovered in the hills of Tatsuno, Hyogo Prefecture, this March, thanks to advances in surveying powered by artificial intelligence (AI). Are new methods ushering in a new era of discoveries?
What led to the find was highly precise 3D map data published by Hyogo Prefecture. The hill castle ruins' location was confirmed when a research team from the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties (Nabunken) found distinctive landforms at the site which were first seen in an AI-driven map analysis during other research.
The ruins were found near a peak about an hour's walk from a road. One of its slopes is flattened, and landform features such as traces of a moat and a bridge were seen there. The height from the bottom of the moat to the flattened area is estimated to have reached 5 meters.
Since remnants of roads were also found nearby, it was concluded to be highly probable the castle was a lookout. Since it is not built robustly enough as a base for battle, as those in the Sengoku (Warring States) period (1467-1615), the site is thought to date back to the 14th century Nanbokucho period (1336-1392) when mountain fortresses were still developing. Four kilometers northeast, the Kinoyama Castle Ruins sit where the Akamatsu clan, a powerful family in Harima Province at the time, had their base of operations.
Lead researcher Yuichi Takata, a Nabunken historian who made the discovery, said, "Many distinctive landforms were also found in the surrounding area that could have been mountain castle sites. If these are connected, it may help to map out the possible power relationships of the time."
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https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20250501/p2a/00m/0na/027000c
Tatsuno, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan