This paper is the excavation report of the Kamitakatsu Shell-midden Site on the outskirts of Tsuchiura City, Ibaragi Prefecture. The site is located about 20 meters above sea level on the right bank some 7 kilometers up the Sakura River from Lake Kasumigaura. The excavation was carried out from November 17 to 24,1969.

Kamitakatsu is a general name given to the five locations (A, B, C, D, E) of molluscan shells scattered over the Pleistocene terrace which faces a small valley leading to the Sakura River. In these locations, not only shells but potsherds and animal bones are scattered. We excavated one trench, 2 m by 8 m, in Location B.

The sequence of deposits in the excavated area was divided into 9 layers mainly on the basis of sedimentary facies and soil color. However, the entire sequence of layers was observed only in one meter square pits in Units 06-03 and 06-08. The excavated deposits ranged from 0.6 to 1 meter in depth below the surface.

Thousands of artifacts and faunal remains were collected. As the analysis of fauna! remains is still in progress, I have offered only brief conclusions. Eight pottery types were found - Kasori E, Horinouchi, Kasori B, Angyo I, Angyo II, Ubayama II, Maeura and Obora. All types except Kasori E belong to the Late or Latest Jomon Periods in the Kanto Region. Seriation of the classified pottery types has not given results as clear-cut as the stratigraphic evidence. Further study is necessary to determine whether these results mean that the midden deposits were accumulated over long time spans covering several pottery types or whether they are an accidental mixture.