Overview: Japanese Archaeological Research Trends 2017 1
Tanigawa Akio2

More than 15 years have passed since entering the twenty-first century, and theworld today appears to be in the midst of a period of upheaval due to the forces of
economic globalism and its reaction. For our nation the critical problems of social
disparity in wealth and an aging society with a low birthrate are becoming more
prominent. Trends in archaeological research are not unrelated to such a state ofaffairs currently enveloping Japan and the world. The problems with which
Japanese archaeology has been saddled in recent years, the decline in populationof researchers supporting regional studies, severe personnel shortages at regional
public organizations, and issues in the training of successors and the educational
environment for archaeology at universities, all appear to have such conditions as
their background.
Herein I would like to look back on the overall trends in Japanese archaeologicalresearch for the 2017 fiscal year.3 What follows will outline the research trends foreach period in turn.
In Paleolithic period research, studies on the arrival of modern humans to theJapanese archipelago and surrounding parts of Asia drew attention. In the Ministryof Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) Grant-in-Aid Project“Cultural History of PaleoAsia: Integrative research on the formative processes ofmodern human cultures in Asia,”4 work is underway on the construction of adatabase of Late Pleistocene sites of Asia, and results are emerging regarding the
movements of characteristic cultural elements, the classification of types of tool kits
1[Trends in Japanese Archaeological Research, 2017 , is a partial translation of “Nihon kōkogaku
kenkyū no dōkō” 日本考古学研究の動向, in Nihon kōkogaku nenpō 70 (2017 nendoban) 日本考古学年報
70（2017 年度版) (Archaeologia Japonica 70 [2017 Fiscal Year Issue]) (Nihon Kōkogaku Kyōkai, 2019),
pp. 1–67. This essay appears on pp. 1-4, under the Japanese title “Sōsetsu” 総説. It was translated byWalter Edwards, and published by the Japanese Archaeological Association (Nihon Kōkogaku Kyōkai
日本考古学協会) online in 2019. To streamline the text, characters for Japanese names and terms, andbibliographic information have been placed in footnotes. When an English translation of the name ofan organization or publication (or symposium, etc.) is supplied by the party responsible, this is usedwith minimum changes in capitalization etc. to conform to the style followed by Trends in JapaneseArchaeological Research. Romanized names of individuals are given with the surname followed by the
personal name.]2
谷川章雄
3
The fiscal year begins on April 1 of each calendar year.
4“Pareoajia bunkashigaku: Ajia shinjin bunka keisei purosesu no sōgōteki kenkyū” パレオアジア文化史
学: アジア新人文化形成プロセスの総合的研究 (Cultural history of PaleoAsia: Integrative research on theformative processes of modern human cultures in Asia), MEXT Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on
Innovative Areas (16H06407, FY2016–2020, Project Leader: Nishiaki Yoshihiro).

Trends in Japanese Archaeological Research, 2017
© 2019 The Japanese Archaeological Association
published online: October 2019

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TRENDS IN JAPANESE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2017

for East and Southeast Asia, and the construction of a population replacement
model.
In the Ryukyu Islands, results of the investigation of the Shiraho Saonetabaru 5
cave site in Okinawa prefecture are drawing attention. Analysis of mitochondrial
DNA from human bone suggests a southern origin, and similarities with InsularSoutheast Asia in the nature of the site as a cliff burial have been pointed out,
strengthening views of a southern origin for Pleistocene man in the Ryukyu Islands.
Also, research regarding navigational techniques of around 38,000–35,000 years
ago is being conducted to learn about the possibilities for mobility and routes ofaccess to the Japanese archipelago for modern humans.
Meanwhile, it is being questioned whether humans existed in the archipelago
prior to the arrival of modern humans, in other words before 40,000 years ago.
Reevaluations are being conducted of excavations of the Tsujita 6 and Babayama7
sites in Fukuoka prefecture, the Hoshino8 site in Tochigi, the Kanadori9 site in
Iwate, and the Gongen’yama10 site in Gunma. Within the archipelago, growing
concern was seen regarding problems of the regionality of tool kits and of
behavioral research. For the latter, there were debates about adaptive behavior in
response to changes in the climate or fauna, the utilization of stone tool materials,
hunting technology, and so forth. Behavioral research integrating analyses of use
wear or of stone scatters is showing signs of entering new stages of investigation. In
this manner, notable trends were recognized in Paleolithic period research
including studies of the arrival of modern humans in the archipelago with awidened perspective on Asia as a whole, and in approaches to behavioral researchbased on analyses of tools and stone scatters.
For trends in Jōmon period research, results of reconstructions of livelihoods
and environmental conditions made in coordination with natural scientific analyses
drew attention. There were results of research, popular in recent years, on seed
impressions in pottery using replica studies of plant remains, and dietary analyses
based on organic remains adhering to pots and on carbon and nitrogen stable
isotope analysis of human bone, while lipid analysis and the analysis of starchgrains were also carried out on organic adhesions to pottery. Research was seen
making wide-area comparisons of climate change and cultural phenomena such as
the emergence of pottery through the use of high-precision dating. The use of threedimensional measurements centering on features and artifacts is spreading, andadvances are anticipated for research based on new investigative techniques.
As stated in the section on trends in interdisciplinary research, 11 with regard to白保竿根田原
辻田
7
馬場山
8
星野
9
金取
10
権現山
11
[Translator’s note: The reference is to the section appearing on pp. 5–10 of Nihon kōkogaku nenpō,
the same volume containing this introductory overview, reporting on interdisciplinary research trends
56

O VERVIEW–3–

both lipid and starch residue analyses, caution should be paid not only tomethodology and utility, but also to issues and limits of these approaches as well.
Comprehensive research such as analyses of transitions in exploitation patterns has
become more viable precisely because current accumulations of data have greatly
advanced, but the current tendency pointed out for increasing specialization
indicates the need to aim for reconstructions of environment and livelihood using
broad perspectives that encapsulate human and natural history. Also, as seen inzooarchaeology, a trend toward using archaeological data to pose meaningfulquestions for other fields is also vital.
Meanwhile, basic debates of Jōmon period research on artifacts, features,
settlements, etc., are said to be in a stagnant trend. This problem should be
examined in light of the tendency in recent years for the methodologicaldiversification of archaeology. Also, Imamura Keiji has re-presented his notion of
the Jōmon as a “woodland neolithic culture,” and for comparison with a global“neolithic age,” points out a two-step transition to a neolithic age in Japan in the
Early Jōmon and Yayoi periods. 12 Such discussion of the position of Jōmon culture
from a world historical perspective is likely needed in the future.
Among research trends for the Yayoi period, topics that were taken up include
various aspects of food procurement such as cultivation and fishing, the structure of
regional society as seen from settlements and burials, images of Yayoi culture seenfrom ceremonies and rituals, interregional exchanges revealed through the
production and circulation of various types of artifacts, and the outline of Yayoi
culture itself.
As general trends, in the same manner as for the Jōmon period, advances weremade in research conducted in coordination with natural scientific analyses. For the
analysis of diet in particular, comprehensive investigations were made at the Ikego 13
site in Kanagawa prefecture of the composition of floral and faunal remains and theform of human skeletal remains, of human and animal bone through carbon andnitrogen stable isotope analyses, and of seed impressions, carbonized adhesions on
pottery, and starch residues; issues were discussed regarding the vegetative diet of
rice, nuts, assorted grains and so forth, and the proportion of marine products in the
dietary intake.14 Also discussed were the surprisingly small effects showing little
individual variance of marine products on the human diet, based on carbon andnitrogen stable isotope analysis, and the question of management of inoshishi (wildboar, but in this analysis including possibly pigs) arising from the division of thosefaunal remains into two groups based on differences in the creatures’ diet.
With regards to Yayoi culture in the context of Asia, problems such as incipient
for the 2017 fiscal year.]
12
Imamura Keiji 今村啓爾, Jōmon bunka: Nyūmon kara tenbō e 縄文文化: 入門から展望へ (Jōmon culture:
From introduction to outlook) (Nyū Saiensusha, 2017).
13
池子
14
Sugiyama Kōhei 杉山浩平, ed., Yayoi jidai shoku no takakuteki kenkyū: Ikego iseki o kagaku suru 弥
生時代食の多角的研究: 池子遺跡を科学する (Multilateral research on Yayoi Period diet: Scientific study ofthe Ikego site) (Rokuichi Shobō, 2018).

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TRENDS IN JAPANESE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2017

agriculture in East Asia and the start of cultivation in the Yayoi period are being
taken up. Crawford has reviewed the ages and conditions of recovery of cultigens
such as rice, other cereals, and legumes in East Asia (Japan, China, Korea), andpointed out that the phenomenon of domestication cannot be explained exclusively
as a unitary dispersion out from China, but followed independent historicaltransitions in each region. In a symposium held by the National Museum of
National History focused on reconstructing Japanese prehistory, 15 concurrent
relations between Japan and Korea in a temporal frame centering on the Yayoi
period were examined, and relations of exchange in metals and ceramics between
the two regions were clarified. Also, it is said the problem of the eastward spread ofearly metal implements in Northeast Asia can anticipate future developments in
Yayoi period research.
In research trends of the Kofun period, based on the steady work of republishingmaterials from past investigations and compiling basic data for various regions,collaborative research and studies to portray an image of the period continue to be
widely conducted. These trends are not limited to the Kofun period, but are likely
due to the tasks of assembling and analyzing massive amounts of data being beyond
the capacity of any individual.
As studies depicting the image of the period, there was joint research by the
National Museum of Japanese History published on the theme of the “Real image of
the world of Wa in East Asia,”16 and items also appeared such as Shimogaki
Hitoshi’s monograph Kofun jidai no kokka keisei (State formation in the Kofun
period)17 explaining the Kofun period from perspectives of the formation of the state
or of comparative archaeology. With regard to such issues in the history of state
formation, there were achievements in the field of history beginning with Nakada
Kōkichi’s Wakoku makki seijishiron (Treatise on the political history of the final
phase of the country of Wa). 18 It is said that enlivened debate on this topic can be
anticipated between archaeology and history in the future. Also, for foreignexchange, there were numerous monographs discussing Japanese–Korean
exchanges in the Kofun period from a variety of perspectives, such as Yamamoto
Takafumi’s Kodai Chōsen no kokka taisei to kōkogaku (Archaeology and the statesystem of ancient Korea).19“Saikō! Jōmon to Yayoi: Rekihaku ga mezasu Nihon senshi bunka no saikōchiku” 再考! 縄文と弥生:
歴博がめざす日本先史文化の再構築 (Rekihaku’s new perspectives on Jomon culture and Yayoi culture:
Towards reconstruction of prehistoric Japan), international symposium organized by Kokuritsu Rekishi
Minzoku Hakubutsukan 国立歴史民俗博物館 (National Museum of Japanese History) (Tokyo, 2 December 2017).
16“Kodai Higashi Ajia ni okeru Wa sekai no jittai” 古代東アジアにおける倭世界の実態 (Real image of theworld of Wa in East Asia), a collection of 15 articles in Kokuritsu Rekishi Minzoku Hakubutsukan
kenkyū hōkoku 国立歴史民俗博物館研究報告 (Bulletin of the National Museum of Japanese History), no.
211 (2018): 1–512.
17
Shimogaki Hitoshi 下垣仁志, Kofun jidai no kokka keisei 古墳時代の国家形成 (State formation in the
Kofun period) (Yoshikawa Kōbunkan, 2018).
18
Nakada Kōkichi 中 田 興 吉 , Wakoku makki seijishiron 倭 国 末 期 政 治 史 論 (Treatise on the political
history of the final phase of the country of Wa) (Douseisha, 2017).
19
Yamamoto Takafumi 山本孝文, Kodai Chōsen no kokka taisei to kōkogaku 古代朝鮮の国家体制と考古学
15

O VERVIEW–5–Regarding the Kofun period and natural disasters, a session on sites afflicted byvolcanic eruptions was put together for the Japanese Archaeological Association2017 Autumn Meeting.20 Also, information on tombs at various locations damagedby the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes was summarized in materials from a meeting of
the Kyushu Keyhole Tomb Research Society.21
In settlement research, trends were seen towards topics such as transitions ofordinary settlements and their backgrounds, storehouses and embedded-pillar
structures, urbanization and the development of miyake,22 whereas for artifacts,
research was active with regards to Haji 23 and Sue24 wares, haniwa, armor, and soforth. As a trend of recent years, examples utilizing three-dimensional
measurements and laser-measuring technology are increasing, and there werestudies such as Jōkura Masayoshi’s monograph on the use of digital technology instudying human figurine haniwa previously unearthed from tombs in Kujūkuri,
Chiba prefecture.25
For Ancient period research, while studies of capitals, regional government
offices, temple sites, and so forth made from the perspective of the state accounted
for the bulk of the work, research on particular topics such as settlements or
artifacts is said to have been somewhat inactive.
Regarding capitals, the Jōri Field System/Ancient Urban Research Society held aresearch meeting on the theme of dōban (ceremonial banners),26 and as examplesof dōban at sites of regional temples are increasing as well, it was an opportunity toreflect upon the majestic appearance of urban centers and temples with thesebanners raised high. Regarding regional government headquarters, the Ancient
Government Headquarters/Settlements Research Society held a meeting on the(Archaeology and the state system of ancient Korea) (Yoshikawa Kōbunkan, 2017).
20“Kazanbai kōkogaku no shintenkai: Kazan funka risai iseki kara no shiten” 火山灰考古学の新展開: 火山噴火罹災遺跡からの視点 (New advances in volcanic ash archaeology: From the perspective of sites
afflicted by volcanic eruptions), session held at the Nihon Kōkogaku Kyōkai 2017 Nendo Shūki Taikai
日 本 考 古 学 協 会 2017 年 度 秋 季 大 会 (Japanese Archaeological Association 2017 Autumn Meeting)(Miyazaki, Miyazaki prefecture, 21–22 October 2017).
21
Heisei 28 nendo Kumamoto jishin ni yoru hisai kofun no genjō to kadai 平成 28 年熊本地震による被災
古墳の現状と課題 (Current state and issues of tombs damaged in the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes),
abstracts and materials from the Dai 20-kai Kyūshū Zenpōkōenfun Kenkyūkai 第 20 回九州前方後円墳
研 究 会 (20th Meeting, Kyushu Keyhole Tomb Research Society), held in Kumamoto, Kumamoto
prefecture; 17–18 June 2017 (Kumamoto, 2017).
22[Translator’s note: Miyake were estates held directly by the Yamato court prior to the Taika Reformof 645, and many subsequently served as a basis for regional governance under the ritsuryō system.]
23
土師
24
須恵
25
Jōkura Masayoshi 城 倉 正 祥 , Dejitaru gijutsu de semaru jinbutsu haniwa: Kujūkuri no kofun to
shutsudo ibutsu デジタル技術でせまる人物埴輪 : 九十九里の古墳と出土遺物 (Approaching human figurine
haniwa with digital technology: The tombs of Kujūkuri and their recovered artifacts) (Yoshikawa
Kōbunkan, 2017).
26“Toshi no sōgon: Dōban o tateru girei o megutte” 都市 の荘厳 : 幢幡を立てる儀礼をめぐって (Urban
majesty: Concerning rites of erecting ceremonial banners), Dai 34-kai Jōrisei/Kodai Toshi Kenkyūkai
Taikai 第 34 回条里制・古代都市研究会大会 (34th Research Meeting of the Jōri Field System/Ancient
Urban Research Society) (Nara Bunkazai Kenkyūjo, 3–4 March 2018).

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TRENDS IN JAPANESE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2017

theme of the transitions and characteristics of regional government office districts. 27
Also, the output from a symposium held in 2015 by the Historical Society of Japan
was augmented with related papers and results of investigations on regional
government headquarters sites in the eastern provinces and published as Kodai
Tōgoku no chihō kanga to jiin (Regional government headquarters and temples of
the Ancient eastern provinces), an anthology edited by Satō Makoto. 28
A special collection on the topic of regional acceptance of Buddhism with afocus on village-based temples was put together in the journal Minshūshi kenkyū(Popular History Research).29 At a meeting of the Ancient Transport ResearchSociety the theme of “People, places, roads that supported movement” was taken
up,30 and in reports centering on the San’indō 31 road a variety of roadway structures
adapted to topographic variations were clarified, while topics were discussed
including the role of major government temples at the start of the Heian period asplaces for providing relief to the indigent and the sick against a background of the
fukuden philosophy,32 and the performance of acts of tree-planting at strategic
points of transport as imbued with Buddhist meaning.
As noteworthy excavation results, at the Nara palace 33 site (East Palace34 sector),
it became clear that the distribution of buildings in the northern periphery of theEast Palace sector was extremely thin around the end of the Nara period. At theDazaifu35 site two sōbashira structures36 were excavated, and these were possibly
facilities related to the Storehouse Office which managed the local products andcloth that were paid as taxes from all over Kyushu. At the site of Mizuki 37 castle(Kamiōri Shōmizuki38 remains), scales of the width, length, height and so forth of theearthworks were determined, and the method of piling the embankments depending“Chihō kanga seichōiki no hensen to tokushitsu” 地 方 官 衙 政 庁 域 の 変 遷 と 特 質 (Transitions andspecial characteristics of regional government headquarters office districts), Dai 21-kai Kodai Kanga/
Shūraku Kenkyūkai 第 21 回 古 代 官 衙 ・ 集 落 研 究 会 (21st Meeting of the Ancient Government Headquarters/Settlements Research Society) (Nara Bunkazai Kenkyūjo, 8–9 December 2017).
28
Satō Makoto 佐藤信, ed., Kodai Tōgoku no chihō kanga to jiin 古代東国の地方官衙と寺院 (Regional
government headquarters and temples of the Ancient eastern provinces) (Yamakawa Shuppansha,2017).
29“Kodai no Bukkyō juyō to zaichi shihai: Chiiki shakai to muradō” 古代の仏教受容と在地支配: 地域社会と村堂 (Local society and the Ancient reception of Buddhism: Village temples and regional society), a
collection of six articles in Minshūshi kenkyū 民衆史研究 (Popular History Research), no. 93 (2017): 1–
64.
30“Idō o sasaeta hito to ba, michi” 移動を支えた人と場・道 (People, places, roads that supported movement), Dai 19-kai Kodai Kōtsū Kenkyūkai 第 19 回 古 代 交 通 研 究 会 (19th Meeting of the Ancient
Transport Research Society) (Nihon Daigaku Keizai Gakubu, 24–25 June 2017).
31
山陰道
32
[Translator’s note: Fukuden (福田, literally “field of blessing”) philosophy developed from a notionof the historical Buddha as a source (field) of good fortune, and encompassed the belief that
performing compassionate deeds could serve to manifest reverence on the part of devotees.]
33
平城宮
34
Tōin 東院35
大宰府 (Fukuoka prefecture)36
sōbashira tatemono 総柱建物 (structures with regularly spaced internal pillars)37
水城 (Fukuoka prefecture)38
上大利小水城27

O VERVIEW–7–

on the topographic and geologic features became clear.
In Medieval period research trends, for urban research, the Medieval Urban
Research Society held a meeting on the theme of Hakata as a port city. 39 Extending
the field of view to East Asia, Hakata’s nature as a city and as a base for thedomestic and international circulation of goods and the transfer of technology, andits function as a military city and so forth were discussed.
With regards to castles, the Shokuhō Period Castle Research Society held ameeting on the theme of new perspectives on castle roof tile research, 40 andproblems involving roof tile manufacture such as same-mold relations and claycutting methods were discussed. Also, a Chūgoku/Shikoku Residential Castle
Investigations Discussion Meeting was held on current issues in Early Modern
castle research as seen from Iyo Matsuyama castle.41 In particular, comparative
examinations were made of the nobori ishigaki 42 (stone walls built ascending aslope) at domestic castles beginning with Iyo Matsuyama castle, and at wajō 43(Japanese castles built in Korea).
In research on Medieval graves, a series of Medieval Funerary and Burial
Customs Research Meetings44 (Representative: Sagawa Shin’ichi) have been heldon the topic of the end of Medieval graves. As a result, for burial customs goingfrom the end of the Medieval into the Edo period, in Kyushu there was disruption
whereas in Shikoku continuity can be discerned, and while such continuity is also
seen to extend as far as Ise 45 and western Mino,46 as a semblance of disruption isvisible from eastern Mino to Owari,47 Mikawa,48 Tōtomi,49 and Suruga,50 it thus
appears that the continuity from the end of the Medieval into the Early Modern
period in burial customs that was centered on Kinai51 spread out to other regions.
The results of collaborative research on the theme of Medieval craftsmen andtechnology were published by the National Museum of Japanese History, and thenature of productive technology which increased dramatically in the Medieval“Kōshi to shite no Hakata” 港市としての博多 (Hakata as a port city), Chūsei Toshi Kenkyūkai Hakata
Taikai 2017 中世都市研究会博多大会 2017 (Medieval Urban Research Society, 2017 Hakata Meeting)(Fukuoka-shi Maizō Bunkazai Sentā, 2–3 September 2017).
40“Shokuhōki jōkaku kawara kenkyū no shinshiten” 織豊期城郭瓦研究の新視点 (New perspectives on
Shokuhō period castle roof tile research), Shokuhōki Jōkaku Kawara Kenkyūkai 2017 Nendo Kōga
Taikai 織豊期城郭研究会 2017 年度甲賀研究集会 (Shokuhō Period Castle Research Society, 2017 Kōga
Meeting) (Kōga, Shiga prefecture, 9–10 September 2017).
41“Iyo Matsuyamajō kara mita kinsei jōkaku no ronten” 伊予松山城から見た近世城郭の論点 (Issues of
Early Modern castles seen from Iyo Matsuyama castle), Chūgoku/Shikoku Chiku Jōkan Chōsa
Kentōkai 中国・四国地区城館調査検討会 (Chūgoku/Shikoku Residential Castle Investigations Discussion
Meeting) (Matsuyama, Ehime prefecture, 25–26 November 2017).
42
登り石垣
43
倭城
44
Chūsei Sōsō Bosei Kenkyūkai 中世葬送墓制研究会
45
伊勢
46
美濃
47
尾張
48
三河
49
遠江
50
駿河
51
畿内
39

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TRENDS IN JAPANESE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2017

period came under reexamination.52 Also, for the initial symposium of the Medieval
Studies Research Society,53 even while recognizing the role played by Kyoto as acultural model, the possibility was indicated that rather than regional society simply
accepting the Kyoto model as such, Kyoto perhaps functioned as the embodiment of
culture which should be universally shared amidst the loss of traditional order thatwas the Medieval period.
In Early Modern research, with regards to castles, investigations related to
management as Historic Sites were central. These included an excavation attending
repair work on the stone walls of Hirosaki 54 castle, an investigation of the moat andearthworks at Matsumoto55 castle, an excavation of the base of the main keep at
Suruga56 castle, investigations for the reconstruction of buildings in the third bailey
at Himeji57 castle, and an excavation at the southeast portion of the main keep of
Saga58 castle.
Regarding castle towns, along with excavations in the Edo castle town, an
investigation by the city of Kokubunji 59 in Tokyo prefecture of the Koigakubo-murawatercourse,60 a branch of the Tamagawa aqueduct 61 that was cut in 1657, has
drawn attention. In Osaka, the townhouse of a horn-carving artisan from the early
Edo period was investigated. There was also an excavation of the Umeda cemetery,
one of those comprising the circuit of the “Ōsaka seven graveyard pilgrimage”62
that was a popular Obon festival event in the Edo period. Investigations wereconducted at the Matsue63 castle town, Takamatsu64 castle town, and others as well.
In relation to the Ryūkyū kingdom, the excavation report for the site of the
Nakagusuku Udun palace was published. 65 The remains of the mansion of the heir
to the Ryūkyūan king were confirmed, and a stair-shaped feature, stone pilings, awell, and so forth were excavated.
An excavation was carried out at the grave site in Nagasaki prefecture of Miguel“Chūsei no gijutsu to shokunin ni kansuru sōgōteki kenkyū” 中世の技術と職人に関する総合的研究(General study on technology and craftsmen in Medieval times), a collection of 13 articles in Kokuritsu
Rekishi Minzoku Hakubutsukan kenkyū hōkoku, no. 210 (2018): 1–272.
53“Gensō no Kyōto moderu” 幻想の京都モデル (The illusory Kyoto model), symposium organized by the
Chūseigaku Kenkyūkai 中 世 学 研 究 会 (Medieval Studies Research Society) (Keio Gijuku Daigaku
Hiyoshi Kyampasu, 1–2 July 2017).
54
弘前 (Aomori prefecture)55
松本 (Nagano prefecture)56
駿府 (Shizuoka prefecture)57
姫路 (Hyogo prefecture)58
佐賀 (Saga prefecture)
59
国分寺
60
Koigakubo-mura Bunsui 恋ヶ窪村分水
61
Tamagawa Jōsui 玉川上水
62Ōsaka nanahaka meguri 大坂七墓巡り
63
松江 (Shimane prefecture)64
高松 (Kagawa prefecture)
65
Okinawa Kenritsu Maizō Bunkazai Sentā 沖 縄 県 立 埋 蔵 文 化 財 セ ン タ ー (Okinawa Prefectural
Archaeological Center), ed., Nakagusuku Udun ato 中 城 御 殿 跡 (Nakagusuku Udun site), vol. 95 of
Okinawa Kenritsu Maizō Bunkazai Sentā hakkutsu chōsa hōkokusho 沖縄県立埋蔵文化財センター発掘調
査報告書 (Okinawa Prefectural Archaeological Center Excavation Reports) (Nishihara-chō, Nakakamigun, Okinawa, 2018).
52

O VERVIEW–9–Chijiwa66 and his wife. Christian artifacts and parts of a human skeleton wererecovered from within an oblong clothes chest that had been converted into use asa coffin. It has been pointed out based on DNA analysis that the occupant of thatgrave was likely a woman.
At the site of a sugar refinery at Kuji 67 on Amami Ōshima68 in Kagoshima
prefecture, the remains were investigated of a refinery which utilized a steam
engine and was in operation around the time of the end of the Edo period and the
Meiji Restoration. Brick-paved features, the remains of a chimney, and so forth wereexcavated.
For archaeology of the Modern and contemporary periods, a meeting on thetheme of “Ibutsu ni miru Bakumatsu, Meiji”(Bakumatsu, Meiji seen in artifacts) was
held by the Edo Archaeological Site Research Society. 69 This was an attempt toassess the transition from the Early Modern to the Modern periods from changes in
the artifacts recovered from Edo and Tokyo that have accumulated thus far. In
recent years, as Modern and contemporary archaeological data continue to becollected, we appear to be arriving at the point of considering the framework forarchaeology of the current era.
For research in overseas archaeology, trends for the Korean peninsula, China,
and North America are being taken up, but for details I will yield to the descriptions
given for each region.70
In the above manner, with regards to the overall directions of Japanesearchaeological research for the 2017 fiscal year, I have discussed in outline thetrends for each period in turn. In recent years Japanese archaeology can be said tobe in the midst of broad currents for the diversification of its methodology and thetemporal and spatial expansion of its subject matter. In addition to the conventional
analytic methods of archaeology those of the natural sciences are being actively
introduced, leading to epoch-making advances beginning with chronologicalmeasurements, ancient environmental and climatic reconstructions, and dietary
analyses.
In addition to this expansion of subject matter in accompaniment with thediversification of methodology, investigations and research on topics whichconventional archaeology rarely handled, such as Modern period and contemporarysites, have come to be conducted. At the same time, trends are emerging forassessments of Japanese culture in the contexts of Asia and the entire globe, and forresearch from vantage points of comparative archaeology. With regards to such
千々石ミゲル
久慈
68
奄美大島
69
“Ibutsu ni miru Bakumatsu, Meiji” 遺物にみる幕末・明治 (Bakumatsu, Meiji seen in artifacts), Dai 31kai Edo Iseki Kenkyūkai Taikai 第 31 回江戸遺跡研究会大会 (31st Meeting of the Edo ArchaeologicalSite Research Society) (Nihon Daigaku Bunri Gakubu, 27–28 January 2017).
70[Translator’s note: The reference is to the sections on overseas research trends for the Korean
peninsula, China, and Central Europe, appearing on pp. 66–87 of Nihon kōkogaku nenpō, the same
volume containing this introductory overview.]6667

– 10 –TRENDS IN JAPANESE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2017

directions in Japanese archaeology, how to respond in terms of research andeducation are important issues for the future.
Meanwhile, in its long academic history, on top of its steady investigations andresearch in every region, Japanese archaeology has tread a consistent path of taking
a view of the archipelago as a whole. The issue of how to relate the results ofarchaeological research in every region with the archaeology of the entirearchipelago, and how to assess those results overall in a global context, are vital
problems in need of future exploration.