Green-glazed pottery excavated from the Noshiro Archaeological Site (Local History Museum)

Green-glazed pottery refers to pottery produced during the Nara and Heian periods using a glaze that produces a green color. It was primarily produced in the Kinai and Tokai regions around the 9th century, and by the 10th century, it was also being produced in the Omi region (present-day Shiga Prefecture).

This green-glazed pottery is a type rarely found in typical settlements of that period.

Twenty-four pieces of green-glazed pottery, believed to have been produced during the early Heian period—from the late 9th to the early 10th century—have been discovered at the Nosio Archaeological Site Complex in the Nosio area of Kiyose City.While the majority of these are fragments of plates and bowls, rare items have also been unearthed, including what may be the rim of a jar known as a “dako” (spittoon) and a plate featuring incised floral patterns.

While a large number of green-glazed pottery finds have been unearthed in Fuchu City, Tokyo—the provincial capital of Musashi Province—in the areas surrounding Kiyose City, such finds are rare at other large-scale settlement sites, such as the Shimosuku Uchiyama Site. Consequently, it is believed that this site differs in character from other sites.

Furthermore, two large post-and-beam structures were identified at the Noshiro Archaeological Site Complex during the period when green-glazed pottery was unearthed. Based on the findings of the excavation, it is hypothesized that this site, featuring these large post-and-beam structures, may have been a special facility where officials from the provincial capital—who would have used green-glazed pottery—stayed.

Based on these findings, the green-glazed pottery excavated from the Noshio archaeological complex, along with the large post-and-beam structures, suggests a connection to the Musashi Provincial Capital and the possibility that the site served as a key facility for the development of the Yanagase River basin. It is therefore considered an important source of information that sheds light on aspects of life in the early Heian period in the Kiyose area—aspects that cannot be confirmed through written records.Currently, this green-glazed pottery is on display at the Kiyose City Local History Museum.