[1] The Kamoiwakura Site is located in eastern Shimane, where the Hii River joins its tributary, the Aka River, in a narrow valley at an elevation of 138 meters, It was discovered on October 14, 1996, during the construction of a farm road in Iwakura no Oka, Kamo, Shimane when a heavy machinery operator heard a strange sound during excavation and immediately stopped the equipment to investigate.

The machine had struck a buried cache of bronze dōtaku, bell-shaped objects unique to the Yayoi period whose origin and purpose is still being debated by researchers.

[2] Among the dōtaku, there are several with line engraving depictions of human faces, dragonflies, deer, wild boars, and soft-shelled turtles.

There are 26 pieces of the 39 which were made with the same mold, and the same type have also been unearthed at sites in Tottori, Hyogo, Nara, Wakayama, and Fukui.

[2] The Kamoiwakura Ruins Guidance Center is open right next to the site, with a restoration depicting the pit with reconstructions of the dōtaku in situ.