CONTENTS
Vol.64 No.3（255）, December 2017
LECTURE DELIVERED AT THE 63rd GENERAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY
- Historical studies of volcanic disasters in the world and Japan
- AOYAGI Masaki
PAPERS PRESENTED AT THE 63rd ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY:
DISASTER AND ARCHAEOLOGY: SUSTAINABILITY AND DISCONTINUITY Part 2
- Settlement
transitions in response to tsunami damage on the Early Modern Ryukyu
Archipelago: Focusing on the excavation of the Yasura village site on
Ishigaki Island
- ISHII Ryota
Abstract: This paper presents
the results of the excavation of the Yasura village site, and details
the damaged caused by the 1771 Yaeyama Seismic Tsunami along with the
subsequent restoration efforts. This village was located on Ishigaki
Island, in the southern part of the Ryukyu Archipelago, and existed
from the 18th century to 1912. Our excavation team found buildings with
cornerstones on the ground surface. Through trench research, we found
pillar holes of structures, and traces of the early modern tsunami. As
the result of the excavation and a literature survey, we confirmed that
although the village was evacuated after a tsunami, both the intentions
of the villagers and orders from the government led to the restoration
of the village to its pre-tsunami condition.
Keywords: Yaeyama Islands; the
Early Modern period; tsunami; village; Yasura village site.
- Mesoamerican
civilization and volcanic eruptions: Case study of Ilopango eruption
- ICHIKAWA Akira
Abstract: The aim of this
paper
is to discuss the response of the ancient societies affected by the
eruption of Ilopango Volcano, the largest known to have occurred in the
New World during the Holocene. Thus, I initially review the role of
research in humanities, social science, and archaeology in the study of
disasters, especially eruptive ones, and the importance of the mountain
cult in the Mesoamerican civilization. Building on this, I then outline
the results of investigations carried out at several archaeological
sites in areas affected by the eruption of Ilopango Volcano, with
emphasis on changes before, and after, this event. I demonstrate that
the impact of this eruption was not uniform, but rather depended on the
distance and direction from the crater, the natural environment, and
the nature of the sites. In addition, I argue for the importance of
collective work in the recovery process of rebuilding of the pyramid
temple subsequent to the eruption, as this site was sacred and an
important public space for the Mesoamerica civilization.
Keywords: Archaeology of
Disaster; Recovery process; Mesoamerican Civilization; Ilopango
Volcano; Classic Period.
- General discussion
ARTICLE
- Changes
in horse straps, gai 繫, in the Late Kofun period, and their
background
- KATAYAMA Kentaro
Abstract: In the Late Kofun
period, two changes in horse straps were identified. The first is that
the three main combinations of cheek plates and pendant types （f-shaped
cheek plates with sword-shaped pendants, cross-motif oval cheek plates
with three-leaf oval pendants, and bell-shaped cheek plates with
bell-shaped pendants） tended to be joined by stitched and
textile-wrapped straps. The next is that various cheek plates and
pendants, which were adopted from the third stage of the Late Kofun
period, tended to be joined by a wider variety of strap types.
This paper aims to trace these two changes by clarifying changes in
the straps themselves, and to consider the background of these changes.
First, I examine the chronology of strap metal ornaments, and changes
in the width of the straps. Then I clarify how the straps became more
decorative throughout the Late Kofun period. Next, I examine the
various types of horse straps and identify the ways of joining the
cheek plates and pendants. I classify these ways into four types, and
based on the uses of metal fittings for joining, further subdivide them
for a total of seven subtypes. Then I identify how each of these
subtypes of joining correlates with the strap types.
As a result, the two changes are interpreted as indicating the
contrasting trends of a preference for a common strap type versus a
preference for a variety of strap types. I conclude that the historical
background of these changes involved two causes: （1） changes in the
systems of production of horse trappings, and （2） changes of
implication as status symbols of elites within the larger system of
decorative horse-riding culture.
Keywords: horse trappings; gai
繫; production and distribution system; system of decorative
horse-riding culture; sets of horse trappings.
REPORTS, NEWS AND APPEALS
- Submission of opinion on the Interim Summary of the plan
investigating committee, cultural properties subcommittee, Council for
Cultural Affairs
- Standing Committee of the Society
- Special feature: Archaeology in schools
- At the start of "Archaeology in schools" series
- Planning committee of the standing committee
- The past, present and the future of the archaeological materials
belonging to schools
- ICHIMOTO Rui, SETANI Kyoko, HIRATA Takashi and MURANO Masakage
- The formation history of archaeological materials in schools: Why
those archaeological materials are in schools?
- ICHIMOTO Rui
- The presence, management and functions of the archaeological
materials in schools
- ICHIMOTO Rui
- How we can get to know the presence of the archaeological
materials in schools
- SETANI Kyoko
- The path to the world heritage resistration of "Sacred island of
Okinoshima and associated sites in
the Munakata region"
- OKADERA Miki
- Will World Heritage be able to survive?: Report of the 41st
session of the committee and the future of the bursting problems
- NAKAMURA Shunsuke
- Considering management of underwater archaeological sites
- MORISAKI Kazuki and KIMURA Jun
BOOKS REVIEWS
- ISHIKAWA Takehiko. Spring and Autumn period, and Warring
States Period in ancient China: Archaeology of Yan State
- NAKAMURA Daisuke
- GOTO Akira. Astronomical archaeology
- ISHIMURA Tomo
NEW BOOKS
- IKETANI Kazunobu (ed.). Global environmental history from
the perspectives of hunter-gatherers: Coexistence of nature, neighbors
and civilizations
- YAMAOKA Takuya
- TERAMAE Naoto. People in Yayoi period who resisted
civilization
- HASHINO Shimpei
- HAYASHIDA Kenzo (ed.). Underwater cultural heritage: The
history revived from under the sea
- ONO Rintaro
- Policies of the Agency for Cultural Affairs of Japan (ed.). How
Japanese overcame the large scale disasters: History of restoration
inscribed in archaeological sites
- SETANI Kyoko
SIXTY YEARS OF THE SOCIETY SEEN FROM THE PUBLICATIONS 5
ARCHEO-FOCUS
- The Cromlech of Almendres, the Portuguese Republic
- Diana NUKUSHINA
- Overview of the stone halberd unearthed from Maenakanishi site,
Kumagaya City, Saitama prefecture
- MATSUDA Tetsu
MESSAGE FROM THE COMMITTEE