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NIHON KÔKOGAKU  15  Abstracts

[A] : Article, [RN] : Research Note, [PR] : Preliminary Report of Excavation, [ER] : Event Report, [SL] : Special Lecture
No.15, May 2003, 151p; ISSN 1340-8488, ISBN ISBN 4-642-09090-8
[A] Arai Itaru The Stone Reaping Knives of the Tohoku Region: Production Processes and Raw Material Selection1-10
[A] Tanaka Shinsaku Assemblage Changes of Weapons used as Kofun Grave Goods11-33
[A] Ota Hiroaki The Development and Diffusion of the Kinai Type Stone Chamber35-56
[A] Suda Tsutomu An Examination of Provincial Policies in the Early Phase of Prince Nagaya's Rule, With Special Reference to Provincial Government Offices and Temples57-93
[RN] Kaneko Akihiko How Broken are Jomon Figurines? A Basic Analysis of Final Jomon Figurines from Iwate Prefecture95-106
[RN] Ito Jun A Genryoku Era Illustrated Book of the Imperial Mausolea: The "Yamato Chiho Sanju Teigoryo Ezu" in the Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library107-127
[PR] Takada Kazunori Reconstructing a Jomon Settlement: Preservation Work at the Goshono site, Iwate Prefecture129-138
[PR] Morita Katsuyuki Results of Excavations at the Imashirozuka Kofun139-148

The Stone Reaping Knives of the Tohoku Region: Production Processes and Raw Material Selection

Arai Itaru

Abstracts:

In the Tohoku region, sites producing stone reaping knives (ishibocho) are concentrated along the Pacific coast south of central Miyagi Prefecture. From this distribution pattern, the production and spread of stone reaping knives has been linked with the raw material source in the Abukuma mountains. However, it cannot be said that we yet have a sufficient understanding of the production and circulation of these tools. In order to understand these processes, it is necessary to clarify the whole sequence from the initial selection of lithic raw materials to the actual use of the finished product. This article examines the relationship between production process and raw material selection as part of a basic study on the stone reaping knives of the Tohoku.

From an analysis of materials from the Takada B site, Sendai City (mid-Middle Yayoi) and the Tenjinyama site, Kashima-machi, Fukushima Prefecture (late Middle Yayoi), it was shown that until the mid-Middle Yayoi, pecking was used on the body of the stone reaping knives and that the holes for cord grips were prepared by a pecked depression. From the late Middle Yayoi, in contrast, surface pecking was absent from the production process and there are many examples of a move from flaking to polishing. Examples of pecked depressions for holes also decrease and a rotary drill came into general use for making holes. Until the mid-Middle Yayoi, slate was used as the raw material in 20-30% of examples but this proportion increased to as much as 90% or more in the late Middle Yayoi.

The widespread use of slate from the late Middle Yayoi was intimately related to the disappearance of surface pecking and the move to the use of a rotary drill to produce holes. In reducing accidental breakage during manufacture, these trends can be considered to have had the effect of increasing the efficiency of stone reaping knife production.

Key words:

Yayoi period, Tohoku region, stone reaping knives, lithic production process, raw material choice


Assemblage Changes of Weapons used as Kofun Grave Goods

Tanaka Shinsaku

Abstracts:

The aim of this article is to demonstrate the possibility that, in the Middle Kofun phase, the presence of weapons amongst the tools buried in kofun tombs can be linked with individuals assigned to the movement and stationing of troops and other military duties. Using the Sakurazuka kofun cluster in Oaska Prefecture as a model, this possibility is investigated from the burial context and assemblage composition of weapons and agricultural tools in kofun with high-quality weapons in the Kinai and surrounding regions.

In the middle of the Middle Kofun period, at about the time when riveted armour began to be introduced, burial assemblages with only a few agricultural tools such as sickles, axes, point planes, and knives, and even assemblages with no agricultural tools at all began to appear in some kofun. Furthermore, there are examples of agricultural tools excavated in association with weapons and of halberds and iron arrowheads placed inside cuirasses. In most of these tombs, the Early Kofun pattern of the burial of a wide variety of agricultural tools disappeared and was replaced by the appearance of individuals buried with weapons. This phenomenon reveals the fact that agricultural tools formed part of the weapon assemblages. The switch to personages buried with weapons clearly has a close connection with the existence of a standing army indicated above.

If one takes the view that the organization of the military was a problem solved through the exercise of military power, then I would like to suggest that weapon assemblages with agricultural tools developed from the need for a military system capable of moving and fielding a large number of soldiers in distant places for a long period of time. I would be happy if this article provides a clue to the context of the burials at the politically dominant Middle Kofun tomb clusters at Mozu and Furuichi.

Key words:

Kofun period, Kinai region, agricultural tools, weapons, military organization


The Development and Diffusion of the Kinai Type Stone Chamber

Ota Hiroaki

Abstracts:

The Kinai type stone chamber is a burial facility which was widely adopted by people of various classes over a wide area. It is, therefore, an important feature to consider relationships between the central government and middle class bureaucrats in the latter phase of the Kofun Period. The purpose of this paper is to build up a chronological framework of the Kinai type stone chamber, and to consider the process of diffusion. The History of study about the Kinai type stone chamber was discussed in section 1 of the paper. In section 2, the Kinai type stone chanber was classified into nine groups according to the problems discussed in section 1. During classification, attention was paid to the elements which all Kinai type stone chambers shared. The author concluded that the Kinai type stone chamber changed in a single series. Furthermore, taking into consideration the stone chambers in clusters of mounded tombs, it became clear that Kinai type stone chambers in all hierarchies and all areas underwent identical changes.

In section 3, the author considered the reason why Kinai type stone chambers in all hierarchies and areas underwent this identical change. Three models were proposed and examined. As a result, it became clear that the technology to build stone chambers spread from the central government to middle class bureaucrats directly by unified transmission. Lastly, the author argued that in the hierarchical structure of the Kinai region in the latter phase of Kofun period, the central government was firmly connected with the middle class elite by establishing direct control over them.

Keywords:

latter phase of Kofun Period, Kinai type stone chamber, hierarchy


An Examination of Provincial Policies in the Early Phase of Prince Nagayafs Rule, With Special Reference to Provincial Government Offices and Temples

Suda Tsutomu

Abstracts:

Prince Nagaya is often depicted as a tragic councilor who was defeated in the struggle for the imperial throne with the Fujiwara family. There has, however, so far been surprisingly little research on the actual policies of Prince Nagayafs rule and the question of how much actual power he retained under the Ritsuryo system he inherited from Fujiwara no Fuhito. In an attempt to investigate this problem from an archaeological perspective, this article looks at the chronology of the construction and renovation of Taga-jo Castle, the Taga-jo Abandoned Temple, Shimotsuke Yakushiji, Dazaifu, Tsukushi Kanzeonji, as well as surrounding temples, government and provincial offices, and the Heijo Palace. Previous research has looked separately at site such as Taga-jo in the Tohoku, Shimotsuke Yakushiji in the Banto, and Dazaifu in the Saikaido, but this article reevaluates the early rule of Prince Nagaya against the background of his policies regarding the provinces.

The article argues three points. First, on the basis of an analysis of the dates of establishment of Taga-jo and Dazaifu II, it is proposed that they were both established as part of a new policy of provincial control following the Hayato and Emishi revolts in Yoro 4. There is also some discussion here of the formation of other major government offices. Secondly, an examination is made of the period when Shimotsuke Yakushiji, one of the three ordination temples of Japan, ranked with government temples and it is confirmed that serious consideration was given to the contemporary policies of the establishment of official provincial temples such as the Taga-jo Abandoned Temple and Tsukushi Kanzeonji and the clan temple policy of temple mergers. Thirdly, although these provincial policies and the establishment of Buddhist temples and other facilities had their direct beginning in frontier policies associated with the Hayato and Emishi wars, they were not simply frontier policies but can be seen as part of national measures for the defence of the realm. These policies of Prince Nagaya were a continuation of those of Fujiwara no Fuhito, but the substantial advances in provincial government and the establishment of Buddhist temples under Prince Nagaya built the basis for a centralized state system.

Keywords:

Nara period, government offices (kanga), temples, roof tiles


How Broken are Jomon Figurines? A Basic Analysis of Final Jomon Figurines from Iwate Prefecture

Kaneko Akihiko

Abstracts:

Many Jomon figurines are excavated as small fragments which are seldom reassembled into their original form. In order to argue that this is the result of unusual breakage, we need to compare figurines with the excavational contexts of other artifacts from the same period. As the first step of this study, I attempted a quantitative comparison of figurine fragments, developing a breakage rate wherein a complete figurine was assigned a value of 1. Figurines were compared by type, size, form and decoration. As a sample, I used a corpus of 1035 Final Jomon figurines from Iwate Prefecture.

In a comparison of breakage rates for each figurine type, similar averages were found for each type with more than 15 examples except for X-shaped and small undecorated figurines (Table 1). This average was about 0.2, the size of a figurine head. However, although the averages and maxima of most types were 0.2 or less, almost all also had intact examples (Table 3).

Paying attention to differences in the averages, it can be seen that values are generally smaller for large figurines and higher for smaller ones. Similarly, hollow figurines tend to have smaller averages than slab types. X-shaped and small undecorated figurines are larger in both averages and maximum values. Breakage rates for small, non-hollow and slab figurines are more variable than those of large and hollow types. Looking at the breakage rates for large "snow goggle" figurines and descendant types, it was not possible to see any regular changes over time (Table 2).

I conclude that most differences in breakage rates depend on the method of manufacture of the figurine, ie., its size, form and whether or not it is hollow. Further computer simulation should be able to confirm the results presented here.

Keywords:

Jomon figurines, breakage rates


A Genryoku Era Illustrated Book of the Imperial Mausolea: The "Yamato Chiho Sanju Teigoryo Ezu" in the Osaka Prefectural Nakanoshima Library

Ito Jun

Abstracts:

During the establishment of a modern nation-state, Japan not only set up a universal system based on compatibility with the countries of Europe, but also created an individual Japanese culture. Emphasis on an ancient, unbroken line of kings, a phenomenon without parallel in other countries, was effective not only in ruling Japan, but also in dealings with Europe and America. In order to prove the unbroken royal line, it was necessary to have tombs for each king.

The location of most of the royal tombs had been lost and investigations were begun from the end of the 17th century. As a result of various surveys, the location of all the royal tombs was established in 1889 (Meiji 22). Over the two centuries from the end of the 17th century until 1889, there are examples of tombs whose identification changed over time.

The "Yamato Chiho Sanju Teigoryo Ezu" contains sketches of 29 tombs investigated during the first survey of royal tombs from 1697-98. These newly-discovered illustrations are important materials for understanding the royal tomb surveys.

Key words:

Tokugawa period, imperial tombs, Yamato Province


Reconstructing a Jomon Settlement: Preservation Work at the Goshono site, Iwate Prefecture.

Takada Kazunori

Abstracts:

After the Goshono site in Ichinohe, Iwate Prefecture became a National Historic Site in Heisei 5, preservation and consolidation work was conducted in association with state purchase of the land. Goshono is a Middle Jomon settlement site with a fan-like plan. The site has a central plaza with arranged stones and four or five areas with pit houses found to the east and west. The site itself has been preserved and, because it was listed as a historic site at quite an early stage, only about 16% has actually been excavated. However the identification of features to elucidate the structure of the settlement has been conducted over 50% of the site. As a result, it is estimated that there are over 600 pit houses of the mid to final Middle Jomon and we have a general picture of their spatial distribution. Of these houses, no more than 100 have actually been excavated. Although it is very difficult to reconstruct a Jomon settlement from such limited materials, analysis of the available information enabled us to develop an understanding of the settlement structure and its changes.

In reconstructing pit and surface buildings, the discovery of several burnt pit houses enabled confirmation of earthen roofs and the production of architectural plans from remaining burnt timbers. Experimental reconstruction was performed using these plans, setting fire to the structure after two years of recording humidity levels, structural deformations, and so on. We obtained a great deal of information through the experimental construction and firing of these buildings, enabling us to reevaluate the architecture of earthen-roofed structures. New plans were made and 12 pit houses reconstructed.

It is important to see pit buildings not just as architectural structures but as actual dwellings. Fortunately, a number of artifacts were recovered from the burnt buildings and it is possible to use those artifacts to analyze the inside of the structures. This research hypothesized the presence of ritual spaces inside the buildings, and from an analysis of artifacts from four buildings that were probably contemporaneous, it was argued that the those buildings may have had different functions.

Keywords:

Jomon period, Tohoku region, site management, architectural reconstruction


Results of Excavations at the Imashirozuka Kofun

Morita Katsuyuki

Abstracts:

Imashirozuka has long been known as one of the large Late Kofun keyhole-shaped tombs found along the Yodogawa River. With two perimeter ditches and a total length of 350m, it has also received attention as the main mound of the Mishima kofun cluster. The importance of the tomb has long been realized through comparisons with Emperor Keitaifs "(Mishima) Ainoryo" mentioned in the Kojiki, Nihon Shoki, Engishiki and other ancient texts. The tomb was designated as a historic site in Showa 33. Until recently, however, a full-scale investigation of the tomb had not been conducted. Our knowledge had been mainly based on a simple topographic survey and surface collection of haniwa fragments. The tomb had long been known as the "mysterious Ainoryo" .

From Heisei 8, Takatsuki Board of Education has conducted regular detailed topographic surveys as part of works undertaken to protect this historic site. As a result, various data were obtained on the methods of construction, the form and scale of the mound, and the inner ditch and bank. Further important results included the new discovery of a large haniwa ritual area on the inner bank composed of well over a hundred representational haniwa. It was also found that the kofun had been altered by the Fushimi earthquake and by the construction of a Sengoku period fort. It can be said that the veil has finally been lifted from Imashirozuka kofun.

With respect to the Keitai tomb debate, research on the dating of keyhole tombs has advanced as a result of the excavations at the Shinike sie. It is more or less certain that Ota Chausuyama kofun was built in the mid 5th century and Imashirozuka in the first half of the 6th. Thus the probability that Imashirozuka can be linked with Ainoryo has increased.

Further surveys and analysis of excavated haniwa will increase our understanding of Imashirozuka, providing an important contribution not just to studies of the royal mausolea but also to the Kofun period as a whole.

Key words:

Kofun period, Keitai mausoleum, haniwa rituals