TRENDS IN ARCHAEOLOGY IN JAPAN

Early Modern
NAKANO Takahisa1
The major topic of ﬁscal 2014 early modern and modern archaeology was protection andutilization of cultural properties. Forty-ﬁve years after “the advocacy of early modernarchaeology” by NAKAGAWA Shigeo and KATO Shinpei at the general meeting of theJapanese Archaeological Association in 1969, one session held at the ﬁscal 2014 general
meeting was “Prospects of Early Modern Archaeology.” At the session, proposals weremade for viewpoints based on business management in utilization of early modernarchaeology, and the need to establish an open system for the general public to join
in research and studies. Reports were made for the current situation and problems ofexcavation for Edo sites, and speciﬁc examples of preservation and utilization in various
places were provided.
As for protection and utilization of “early modern archaeology,” excavation of kilnsites should be mentioned. It was revealed at Yanbeta site in Kuromuta, Arita Town,
Nishimatsuura County, Nagasaki Prefecture, where a studio of a national historic site
“Yanbeta kiln remains” is located, that ﬁring of porcelain with colored images started
around 1640 to 1650. Looking back at research results from Yanbeta kiln remains, it was
one of the ﬁrst kilns that produced porcelain with colored images in our country, and it
was the location for a ceramic industry having major studios. On the other hand, it wasannounced that a prefectural historical site, Ogaya old kiln remains in Kani City, Gifu
Prefecture, where “Shino,” “Setoguro” and “Kizeto” ceramics were produced, will bedivided by the Linear Chuo Shinkansen rail line that is planned to be completed by 2027.
It will be necessary to ﬁnd a way to protect the historical heritage of the Momoyama
period at the sight, while it is transformed into a new era.
As for “modern archaeology,” “Tomioka Silk Mill and Related Sites” was registered as
the ﬁrst World Heritage site at a modern site in Japan. Tomioka Silk Mill was constructedin 1872, and Japan became the largest exporter of raw silk in the 1920s, sustaining
the world’s silk industry. Since Tomioka City became in charge of the maintenanceof Tomioka Silk Mill and opened it to the public in 2005, the city has been trying
for preservation, maintenance and management. It is a good example of preservation
and utilization of a cultural property. Also, this ﬁscal year saw a growing trend for
1 c/o Research division, Kyowa Kaihastu Co. Ltd., 4–3–16 Eifuku, Suginami Ward, Tokyo 168–0064, Japan(fthknine@jcom.home.ne.jp)

JAPANESE JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY 4 (2016): 105–106© Japanese Archaeological Association

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JAPANESE JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY 4 (2016): 105–106

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preservation and utilization of war sites in line with the 70th anniversary of the postwar
era. Although it became possible for war sites to be nominated as cultural properties
with a revision of the Cultural Properties Protection Law in 1995, only a few sites arecurrently being protected among 30,000 war sites counted in Japan. Among 50 war sites
surveyed by the Cultural Agency since 2003 in order to preserve major war sites from
the Meiji period to the Second World War, some are already damaged or destroyed,
reﬂecting slow measures by the government and municipalities. Since the number ofpeople who can relate experiences of the war is declining every year, the disappearanceof war sites means losing memories of the war rooted in the local community.
Utilization of a site raises the value of the site’s existence, and it is needless to saythat the understanding of many residents and citizens is essential in protection of sites.
Excavation site tours conducted in various places are always attended by a large numberof citizens, reﬂecting a high interest. It is desired of us to make everyday efforts toconvey the signiﬁcance and attraction of archaeological sites to more people in ways
easier to understand.

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