Relations with the Sun's Track/The Kanayama Megaliths and Archaeoastronomy in Japan

The Kanayama Megaliths and Archaeoastronomy in Japan　 The Ancient Solar Calendar
Relations with the Sun's Track ＜The Megaliths with a Marked Stone＞ Midsummer

（1）The Light of the Sun Rising from the Mountain
Around the summer solstice, the light of the sun rising from the mountain comes through Stones B and C illuminates brightly the inner space underneath the Marked Stone (Stone A).

■Related point of
“Main Observation Spot②”

The space that emerged by the 2003 excavation (Width of entrance: about 2m / Depth: about 5m)

SUNBEAM CYCLE 3

（2）The Light of the Southing Sun

Around 13:00　⇒
Spotlight-like Sunbeam
Extension of Investigation
(SUNBEAM　CYCLE3)
Observation of 60 days in Midsummer

Around the summer solstice, the light of the southing sun illuminates the grotto underneath the Markings as a spotlight-like sunbeam.

■Related point of “Main Observation Spot ①”

The grotto underneath the Markings that emerged by the 2002 excavation (Width: about 4m / Depth: about 2m)

We can also know in detail here, like “The Megaliths of the Iwaya-Iwakage Remains”, the points on which the spotlight-like sunbeam illuminates and the time length of it.

Around 11:40　⇒
Spotlight-like Sunbeam

The Similarity between the Markings on Stone Face and the Shape of Sunbeam

・At around 11:40 on 9^th July 2004, we observed that the shape of the spotlight-like sunbeam illuminates the grotto was the same as “the ellipse” marked on the stone face.
・Then the shape of the sunbeam gradually diminishes thereafter and became identical to the other two small markings, on 5 days after (7/14) and 6 days after (7/15) respectively.

(This observation became possible after we removed the roots of surrounding trees where the spotlight-like sunbeam illuminates, after the summer solstice of 2004.)

The shape of the spotlight-like sunbeam	The shape of the sunbeams and the markings are identical (composite photograph)	The three markings on the stone face
	※Data by [Stella Navigator]

（3）The Light of the Sun Setting on the Mountain

Around the summer solstice, the light of the sun comes through the deep ditch below the Markings.

Length of the ditch:
about 5m
Depth of the ditch:
about 50cm

2 meters below the Markings, there is a deep ditch parallel to the Markings, and the sunbeam comes through the ditch at about 　15:00 around the summer solstice.
(The result of the 2001 observation)

Discussion on
“The Observation Results of （1）（2）（3）”

・The arrangement and the shape of each stone is made so as only the light of the northernmost track of the sun around the summer solstice to illuminate the grotto.
・So the ellipse and the markings on the stone can be “marks (signs)” which were curved by the ancient people when they were observing the sun at this place.

（1）The Light of the Sun Rising from the Mountain

The light of the sun rising from the mountain illuminates the space beneath the Marked Stone (Stone A) during 120 days in midsummer.

・The light of the sun rising from the mountain, comes through Stones B and C, makes the shadow of Stone C on the “screen” of Stone A.
・With relation to this, the sunlight starts to illuminate the space about 60 days before the summer solstice and ceases to illuminate it about 60 days after the summer solstice.

（3）The Light of the Sun Setting on the Mountain

The light of the sun setting on the mountain illuminates the space beneath the Markings during 120 days in midsummer.