Sanuki Kokufu

The Sanuki Kokufu archaeological site, located in Sakaide, Kagawa on Shikoku Island, represents the ruins of the Nara to early Heian period provincial capital of Sanuki Province. This site is a significant historical landmark designated as a National Historic Site of Japan in 2020. It reflects the administrative and architectural developments during the Taika Reform, which centralized governance following the Chinese ritsuryō system. The site reveals a structured arrangement of administrative buildings, granaries, and religious structures like temples, with evidence of continuous occupation and reconstruction from the 7th to the 13th century CE. The discovery of various building foundations, granaries, and wells provides insight into the evolution of provincial capitals in ancient Japan, highlighting the transition from centralized governance to feudalism.