会誌『考古学研究』

CONTENTS

Vol.69　No.3（275）, December 2022

PAPERS PRESENTED AT THE 68th ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY: THE MEANING OF THE INHERITING AND TRANSITIONING OF THINGS, Part 2

PAPERS

• Were things passed down during the Jōmon period?
• OSADA Tomonari
  Abstract: In this contribution, the author examines whether or not the “passing down” of “things” — the latter collectively referring to all archaeological phenomena — existed in the Jōmon period. For artefacts, regarding examples of the contextual association of personal ornaments or ritual implements that are typologically distinct and thus represent temporal differences, it is pointed out that these mostly correspond to conversions to a different use, and do not qualify as having being passed down. For features, regarding examples of overlying pit-dwellings or graves/stone alignments, while the possibility of having being passed down may be indicated when the time span is brief, when the period of use or construction is long it is difficult to infer passing down in the sense of the exclusive possession of a space by a single group, as in the cases of older features being renewed by repurposing for a different use. Additionally, concerning the question of things being passed down from the Jōmon to the Yayoi periods, the author points out that, regarding cases for which cultural continuity can be recognized, it is necessary to clearly show the lineal connections in order to demonstrate that things had indeed been passed down. From the above, the author concludes that it is difficult to assume that things were passed down in the Jōmon period.

  Keywords: slit-disc earrings; stone rods; pit-dwellings; stone alignments; renewal of archaeological features
• Inheritance, revivalism and interaction: An insight into the temporality of Yin and Zhou bronze vessels
• YAMAMOTO Takashi
  Abstract: Bronze vessels in ancient China have the unique characteristic of having been handed down from generation to generation, which created a complex life history of bronzes corresponding to significant social changes during the Yin and Zhou dynasties. In the early Western Zhou period, inherited bronzes were distributed by the Zhou dynasty to local landlords; however the distribution of the inherited bronzes had little significance for either the Zhou dynasty or its counterparts. In the late Western Zhou period, genealogy was conceived as an important source of prestige for high status families, where inherited bronzes played a crucial role in generating views on family histories. In the Eastern Zhou period, an older style of form and patterns was revived in bronze vessels, and some bronzes were possibly circulated over a long period of time by continuous gift exchanges by aristocrats, which indicates that bronzes as “regalia” were sought after in times of political turbulence.

  Keywords: bronze vessels; ancient China; inheritance; revivalism; gift exchange
• General discussion

ARTICLES

• Procuring lithic material for piled stone mounded tombs of the Early Kofun period: An example of interdisciplinary research between archaeology and geoscience
• KAJIHARA Shinji, OSANAI Yasuhito, NAKANO Nobuhiko, and ADACHI Tatsurō
  Abstract: In the Early Kofun period, tombs with mounds constructed of piled stones were distributed in the northeastern area of Shikoku. In this paper, the authors utilize petrological analysis, which allows the detailed determination of the provenance of lithic materials, to clarify where the builders of piled stone mounded tombs procured their stones. The analysis consists of observing thin sections of stone with a polarizing microscope, analyzing the mineral mode and composition with a point counter, measuring the whole-rock composition with X-ray fluorescence and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and using electron probe microanalysis to measure the chemical composition of the minerals. As a result, it has become clear that block-shaped stones used in constructing the mounds were gathered in the vicinity of each tomb. Additionally, slab-shaped stones used decoratively differed in their manner of procurement, as they were taken from rock formations in which platy joints are prominent. Slab-shaped stones were not only for decorative use but were also used in the eastern Setouchi region as the material for building pit-style stone chambers, and it is clear that some were transported to distant locations. In the future, the authors plan to examine the procurement sites of slab-shaped lithic material used in the mound and chamber of each tomb and to thereby clarify interregional relations. Furthermore, the results of the current contribution call for reconsideration of analyses made thus far in the identification of sanukite procurement sites. Through the petrological analysis presented in the current contribution, it will be necessary to conduct meticulous analyses of sanukite sources and deepen our understanding of the characteristics of each rock formation.

  Keywords: piled stone mounded tombs; provenance identification; interdisciplinary research; northeastern Shikoku
• The introduction of new technology to bowl-type pottery and its historical background: Interaction among potters in northeastern Japan during the Heian period
• TATEUCHI Kai
  Abstract: New pottery forms manufactured to imitate metal vessels and/or Chinese ceramics appeared during the Heian period (9th to 12th centuries). In northeastern Japan, concurrent with changes in the form of sue ware, a modeling tool originally used for glazed ceramics was introduced. This study aims to investigate the introduction and distribution process of this spatula-like tool by focusing on the interaction between potters. An experiment was conducted to understand the correlation between the tools and their material traces. Based on this, pottery from various regions of northeastern Japan was examined. The results suggest that the tool was mainly introduced in the Mutsu area (the eastern side of the Tōhoku region). This demonstrates interaction between potters in the Mutsu area and a connection between the technological change and the reconstruction following the Jōgan earthquake around the Mutsu provincial capital. In addition, differences in the pottery production systems and technical training in each area led to differing processes in the introduction of this tool. Finally, through a comparison with the pottery of western Japan, morphological and technological changes of pottery throughout the entirety of ancient Japan are discussed.

  Keywords: northeastern Japan; pottery production techniques; Jōgan earthquake; interregional interaction; 3D measurement

RESEARCH NOTES

• Tools for producing vermilion buried in Yayoi- and Kofun-period burial mounds
• NISHIMOTO Kazuya
  Abstract: In the burial mounds of the Yayoi and Kofun periods, vermilion pigment was applied to the interior of the burial facility or to the head and chest area of the interred individual. Stone mortars and pestles, which the author considers in this paper, are stone tools used for grinding cinnabar to make vermilion powder. The stone mortars and pestles recovered from burial mounds have traditionally been regarded as implements for producing the vermilion used in the burials or as items for use in the funerary ritual. However, there is no compelling research on this issue.
  　In this paper, the author reconsiders why tools for producing vermilion were buried in tombs by compiling and analyzing the stone mortars and pestles unearthed from the burials of the Yayoi and Kofun periods.
  　Significant differences were revealed between the Yayoi and Kofun periods: While stone mortars and pestles of various shapes were placed as offerings on the mound or in the surrounding moat during the Yayoi period, in the following Kofun period, stone mortars and pestles of regular shapes were buried next to the interred individual. Additionally, use-wear analysis of the stone mortars and pestles reveals that these items were placed in the mounds after having been used for extended periods.

  Keywords: Yayoi/Kofun periods; burial mounds; funerals; vermilion; stone mortars and pestles

REPORTS, NEWS AND APPEALS

• Results of the survey on the state of employment of buried cultural heritage personnel (advance report)
• Planning and General Affairs committees of the standing committee
• Tanaka Migaku and the Quarterly of Archaeological Studies
• HARUNARI Hideji

BOOK REVIEWS

• TAKASE Katsunori. Resource use of the Epi-Jomon Culture
• AONO Tomoya
• IIZUKA Takeshi. Archaeology of wood craft
• NAKAHARA Kei
• SHIMOGAKI Hitoshi. The Kofun period: The age of bronze mirrors
• ISHIMURA Tomo
• SATŌ Asei. Archaeological research on the Medieval city of Nara
• NAKAI Atsushi

NEW BOOKS

• TOMIOKA Naoto. An introduction to European and American archaeology
• ICHIKAWA Akira

ARCHEO-FOCUS

• Excavation of the Seokchon-dong mounded tomb group in Seoul, South Korea
• CHONG CHI YONG (Seoul Baekje Museum, translated by Seul cho rong Lee)
• Excavation of the Tsudō site in Fujiidera city, Osaka prefecture
• Osaka Prefectural Board of Education, Cultural Property Preservation Division

MESSAGE FROM THE COMMITTEE