Yukuepira Chashi

En un regard

Le château en bref

The Yukuepira chashi stands on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Toshibetsu River, in the territory of Rikubetsu, in eastern Hokkaidō. Its name transcribes an Ainu expression which the documentation of the regional development bureau breaks down into ‘deer’, ‘eat’ and ‘cliff’, an etymology that accords with the archaeological findings, which are rich in deer bones. A chashi is an Ainu site established on high ground and delimited by one or more ditches, probably originally complemented by a fence. The uses attributed to them vary according to tradition: defence, surveillance, negotiation or ritual. At Yukuepira, the defensive function therefore does not rule out other activities. The construction is placed around the middle of the 16th century by the same documentation, whereas chashi as a whole are generally attributed to the 16th to 18th centuries. Three enclosures lie behind deep ditches, and the embankments alternate layers of white and orange volcanic ash, an indication of an organised construction project rather than a simple adaptation of the terrain. The site has been protected as a National Historic Site since 8 September 1987, and its management has been entrusted to Rikubetsu town since March 1993. The local board of education conducted excavations during the fiscal years 2002 to 2004, published in 2007 in the municipal series of heritage reports.