ARCHAEOLOGIA JAPONICA

Kofun Period
Tanaka Yutaka1
It is a concern that although kofun period study has one of the longest histories inJapanese archaeology, along with Jomon period study, there have been fewer results that
may lead to future development compared to other study periods. as for the numberof researchers, less people are joining “Zenpo-koenfun kenkyukai (Research Society
for keyhole-shaped Mounded Tombs)” where kofun period researchers gather andestablish research organizations in each regional block. This means young researchers
are in decline. kIkUCHI Yoshio pointed out “entering the 21st century, there seems lessenergy to generalize the kofun period based on archaeological data,” manifesting hisawareness that kofun period study is at a turning point. as other researchers possess
the same awareness, ﬁscal 2012 saw many theses that tried to generalize past study inorder to grope for development of new research such as reexamination of methodology
and organization of research history. HaBUTa Yoshiyuki and kaMEDa Shuichi coedited Kofun Jidai Kenkyu no Genjo to Kadai Jo/Ge (Present Situation and Problems ofthe Kofun Period Study: Volume 1 and 2) (Doseisha), and they pointed out in the book“the tendency to make little of research history which is recognized both directly andindirectly...results in discussion that gets nowhere.” They also advocated the necessity togo back to study history for “development of archaeological study in the future.”
as for “regional study.” which is one of the study trends in Japanese archaeology,
UCHIYaMa Toshiyuki harshly criticized the present situation in which the existence
or inexistence of exchange between regional groups is the conclusion of a study, and he
explained that the meaning of exchange needs to be discussed. In this environment, there
is a sign that new ambitious research is emerging again. Study on funeral equipment
in mounded tombs is making steady progress; progress of bead study is especiallyremarkable. Based on results of funerary equipment study, there are researchers that try
to generalize the kofun period itself, like SHIMOGakI Hitoshi. Remarkable progresshas been made for “regional study” on the periphery of the Japanese islands, away fromthe center of Yamato sovereignty, and the results were published in many media suchas Kofun Jidai no Kokogaku (Archaeology of the Kofun Period) (Doseisha). One of the
1 The College of Humanities, Ibaraki University, 2–1–1 Bunkyo, Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, 310–0056, Japan(y.tnk@mx.ibaraki.ac.jp)

JAPANESE JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY 2 (2014): 80–81© Japanese Archaeological Association80

TRENDS IN ARCHAEOLOGY
Title
IN JAPAN

important trends in ﬁscal 2012 was the heightened sense of crisis in preservation andutilization of mounded tombs after the Great East Japan Earthquake. It is our urgent
task to preserve and restore burial mounds and stone chambers that were damaged in theearthquake. Since some areas are restricted due to the nuclear power plant disaster, future
preservation measures for mounded and tunnel tombs in the area is a serious problem,since research and preservation is impossible. as mounded tombs are often located at thetip of a steep slope, they are facing the danger of further destruction due to steep slope
improvement work as an earthquake measure. kofun period researchers are required tobe more conscious of their social role than ever. On the other hand, research books on
the kofun period are rapidly disappearing from general book stores. The cause is not
only low sales of books due to the Internet, but also the possibility that general Japaneseinterest in understanding their nation and history from the foundation is getting weak. It
is necessary for the kofun period researchers to carefully observe this social trend.

© Japanese Archaeological Association81