Ahead Of 2020 Summer Olympics, A Building Boom In Kyoto Is Yielding Ancient Artifacts
Deep in the urban center of Kyoto, Japan, behind a department store,
archaeologist Koji Iesaki digs down through successive layers of earth, each about 8 inches thick, taking him back in time to the Heian period, which began over 1,000 years ago.
He has found images of mythical beasts carved on roof tiles, remains of a moat that surrounded the temple during the Warring States period some 500 years ago
and ritual vessels that held placentas, which were buried after childbirth in the belief that they would ensure a child’s good health and fortune.
NPR