岡山大学
OK AYAMA UNIVERSITY

Research Institute for
The Dynamics ofCivilizations

GUIDE BOOK 2022

文明動態学研究所

Research Institute for the Dynamics of Civilizations, Okayama University

Message from the director

The three research cores of the instituteLong-Range Analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to exert unprecedented influence over our daily lives and thenature of our society. While scientific research on transmission prevention and vaccine development isbeing advanced to overcome this global crisis, attention is also being increasingly given to the effects ofthe pandemic on areas that traditionally fall under the umbrella of the humanities and social sciences,such as social relationships, values, cultural customs, and the economy.
From the emergence of humans to approximately 10,000 years before present, the small-scale anddispersed nature of groups precluded the outbreak of pandemics. Infectious diseases only started topose a significant threat to humans following the start of agriculture and animal domestication and thesubsequent increase in population, formation of cities and states, and appearance of settlements withpopulations in the tens to hundreds of thousands. While artificialization of the natural environment
through agriculture and animal domestication, the development of technology, the creation of newworldviews and values, and other such uniquely human phenomena (=civilization) brought a newprosperity to humanity, they also brought about various problems, such as warfare, environmental
degradation, discrimination, and poverty.
These various issues facing modern society were born at the intersection of humanity, society,technology, and the environment. Searching for individual causes of each respective aspect of the current
situation is unlikely to provide a long-term perspective leading to a fundamental solution. Against thisbackdrop, the Research Institute for the Dynamics of Civilizations aims to establish a framework forinterdisciplinary research both within the humanities and social sciences and with the field of naturalsciences in order to elucidate the nature of human history in ways that would not otherwise be revealed
through narrower approaches.
MATSUMOTO Naoko, Ph.D.
Director
Research Institute for the Dynamics of Civilizations, Okayama University

MissionConnecting dif ferent disciplines, regions, and time
periods to realize new research in the humanities andsocial sciences
The study of the dynamics of civilizations is a new discipline that was created in order to reconsider
the various issues facing modern society within the framework of human civilizations and contributeto the construction of a sustainable society using the knowledge attained through inquiry into thepast and a focus on local regions.

Organization
Director
Deputy Director

Management Team

Cultural Properties
Excavation Team

Cultural Heritage Management Division HeadRegional Dynamics
Research Core

Research Division Head

Social Dynamics
Research Core

Cultural Heritage Management Division

Fundamental Science ofCivilizations
Research Core

Research Division

Fundamental Science ofCivilizations Research Core
The emergence of humanity andthe formation of civilizations

An archaeology without borders thatreveals the history of humanity
Humans and the environment
Historical understanding of regional
formation

Middle-Range Analysis
Social Dynamics
Research Core
Social complexity and thecreation of regional society

Family, region, and the state as systems ofsurvival
Disasters and the resilience of local
communities
Social transformation and gender

Short-Range Analysis
Regional Dynamics
Research CoreThe Setouchi region asa microcosm of Japanese society

The sustainability of regions, markets,and institutions
The continuity and discontinuity of local
cultures
The future of communities as ushered inthrough art

The institute aims to establish an interdisciplinary research hub centered primarily on the humanities and social sciences by facilitating theorganic collaboration among researchers from both inside and outside the university through various research projects and the formationof an international network.
Working in close coordination with the Okayama University Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the institute aims to foster
individuals who can produce new knowledge, give back to society, and succeed on both the local and international stages.

Cultural Heritage Management Division■Over view/Successor to the Okayama University Archaeological Research Center, the Cultural Heritage Management Division
implements surveys, pursues conservation, conducts research, and promotes the utilization of cultural heritage within Okayama
University, with a particular focus on the archaeological excavation, research, and management of buried cultural property.
Additionally, it widely presents the results of these activities to the public and endeavors to utilize its findings within the community.
■Histor y/The excavation of buried cultural property within Okayama University began with the attendance of archaeologists
from the Okayama City Board of Education at construction on the Shikata Campus in 1978, with observational and trial excavations
conducted by Okayama Prefecture and Okayama City continuing until 1982. Preparation of a system for the protection ofarchaeological sites within the university began in earnest the same year, resulting in the creation of the Office of Archaeological
Excavation in 1983 for the purpose of ensuring both the smooth construction of university facilities and the protection of buried
cultural property. In November 1987, it was subsequently reorganized into the Archaeological Research Center, conducting
excavations of and research on buried cultural property within the university, publishing reports of its findings, managing excavatedartifacts, and periodically holding exhibitions. Following integration into the Research Institute for the Dynamics of Civilizations, itwill continue carrying out these tasks, in addition to enhancing its research activities in line with the goals of the institute.
■Organization/The Cultural Heritage Management Division operates
under the specific guidance of a council of faculty members belonging
to the Research Institute for the Dynamics of Civilizations. Additionally,archaeological excavation within the campus is conducted as a university-wide
operation and excavation and research are carried out under the guidance ofa committee for the excavation of buried cultural property. Under the Division
Head (professor) and Team Leader (associate professor) are four assistantprofessors and five technical assistants. While duties are divided between
the Cultural Properties Excavation Team and the Management Team, allmembers cooperate to protect and promote the cultural heritage of theuniversity and endeavor to widely disseminate the results of their activities.

Excavation
Excavation andresearch within
the campus

Protection andutilization ofcultural heritage

Management

Preparation andpublication of site reports
Storage and care of
Dissemination of
artifacts

research results

Research Institute for the Dynamics of Civilizations, Okayama University

The three research cores of the Research Division

Long-Range Analysis

Fundamental Science ofCivilizations Research Core
The emergence of humanity and the formation ofcivilizations
An archaeology without borders that reveals the histor y ofhumanity
Humans and the environment
Historical understanding of regional formation

The Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan (Mexico)■ MATSUMOTO Naoko [Cognitive Archaeology, Gender Archaeology]■ KIMURA Osamu [Japanese Archaeology]■ SUGIYAMA Nawa [Mesoamerican Archaeology, Zooarchaeology]■ SUZUKI Shintaro [Bioarchaeology, Maya Archaeology]■ YAMAGUCHI Yuji [Archaeology]■ TSUKAMOTO Kenichiro [Mesoamerican Archaeology]■ SEIKE Akira [Japanese Archaeology]■ SUGIYAMA Saburo [New World Archaeology, Anthropology]■ PAREDES Federico [Social Archaeology]■ UEMURA Genki [History of Philosophy, Contemporary Philosophy]■ IIZUKA Yoshiyuki [Petrology, Scientific Analysis of Artifacts]■ KUPPRAT Felix [Maya Archaeology]■ RYAN Joseph [Japanese Archaeology, East Asian Archaeology]■ SHIKAKU Ryuji [West Asian Archaeology]■ VÁZQUEZ Verónica [Maya Archaeology]

Embracing a long-term perspective on the emergence anddynamics of civilizations, the Fundamental Science of Civilizations
Research Core aims to elucidate the unique characteristics ofhumans that allowed them to bring about the rise of civilizations
and the various factors that led to their subsequent ebb and flow.
It seeks to investigate universal issues that will contribute to thecreation of a sustainable society, such as how agriculture, a major
turning point in human histor y, began and how humans have
responded to cyclic climate change.
To accomplish these goals, this research core places
particular emphasis on interdisciplinary research. In addition to
nondestructive analysis (including X-ray computed tomography
and muon radiography) and bioarchaeology, collaboration withresearchers from both inside and outside the university hailingfrom a variety of fields, such as geoscience, chemistry, botany,

genetics, and physics, is advanced in order to develop new
research methods enabling the reconstruction of society andthe environment from the archaeological record and to conductsimulation- and GIS-based analysis and modelling.
In addition to the Setouchi region of Japan, Mexico, Guatemala,and other regions of Mesoamerica are situated as a central
research field. Inter national research on the dynamics ofcivilizations across diverse environments has the capacity toreveal the historical processes by which regions are formed,
the essential nature of humans that led to the emergence of
civilizations, and the mechanisms behind the diversity of culture
and society. Ultimately, this research core strives to answer thefundamental question of the humanities: What does it mean to be
human?

Following their spread across the globe, humans adapted toReconfiguring the various boundaries once drawn according totraditional values, we aim to clearly demonstrate the significanceand necessity of presenting and sharing the human trajector yfrom past to present.
Research projects currently underway include “Fundamental
research on historical consciousness and historical materialscience supporting local society”, “Multi-disciplinary approaches
to sex/gender: Categorization revisited”, and “Practical study
on the socialization and utilization of cultural resources throughthe application of ICT technology”. In addition to pursuinginterdisciplinary research with scholars from diverse fields, weare advancing joint international research in order to elucidatesocial dynamics in line with the existence and lifeways of all
humanity.

Middle-Range Analysis

Social Dynamics ResearchCore

new environments and created unique cultures, thereby leading
to increasingly complex social systems. In the face of growing
problems plaguing modern society, we are pressed to question
their root causes and elucidate the processes by which thesevarious problems arose and evolved.
The Social Dynamics Research Core combines a middle-range
temporal axis with a spatial axis encompassing various culturesand languages to illuminate how social systems and humanrelations—families, local regions, states, religions, social rank
and class, gender, intergroup relationships, etc.—have evolved

Social complexity and the creation of regional society
Family, region, and the state as systems of survival
Disasters and the resilience of local communities
Social transformation and gender

A market in Luang Prabang (Laos)■ NAKATANI Ayami [Sociocultural Anthropology, Gender Studies] ■ MATSUMURA Keiichiro [Cultural Anthropology]■ IWASAKI Shiho [Japanese and Chinese Archaeology] ■ SAWAYAMA Mikako [Women’s History in Japan]■ IMAZU Katsunori [Ancient Japanese History]■ MITSUMOTO Jun [Archaeology and Museum Studies]■ NOZAKI Takahiro [Japanese Archaeology]■ HIGA Natsuko [Anthropology]■ OKUBO Noriko [Japanese Art History, Ukiyo-e]■ HIGASHINO Masanobu [Early Modern Japanese History]■ KAWAMOTO Naomi [Cultural Anthropology]■ MUROYAMA Kyoko [Early Modern Japanese History]■ TOKUNAGA Seiko [Medieval Japanese History]

together with environmental and population change throughout
the course of recorded history.
Reconsidering the relationship between humans andbetween humans and nature, this research core questions how
a diverse and sustainable society can be realized going forward.

Short-Range Analysis

Regional Dynamics ResearchCore
The Setouchi region as a microcosm of Japanesesociety
The sustainability of regions, markets, and institutions
The continuity and discontinuity of local cultures
The future of communities as ushered in through art
Remains of the refinery power plant on Inujima (Okayama)■ TSUMORI Takayuki [Global Logistics Analysis]■ NISHITA Yosuke [Strategic Management]■ KITAGAWA Hirofumi [Economic Geography (Urban and Industrial Geography)] ■ FUJII Wasa [Sociology]■ TENG Jian [International Input-Output Analysis]■ TENNOJIYA Tatsumasa [Accounting]■ SATO Jumpei [Economic History of East Asia]■ TOKI Masahito [Labor and Employment Law]

■ TASHIRO Kouki [Administrative Law]

■ IWABUCHI Yasushi [Local Politics, Civic Engagement] ■ FUKUSHIGE Satoko [Administrative Law, Public Property Law] ■ MATSUOKA Hiroyuki [Modern Japanese History]

The Regional Dynamics Research Core considers the worldof the past 200 years—broadly, the “modern age”. This period
witnessed the formation of nation-states and their people
until the 1980s, after which the rapid advance in globalization
led to either their subsequent dissolution and dismantlingor conversely to a reactionary strengthening of nationalism.
Globalization, the significant increase in the spatial mobilityof people, things, money, and information, can lead to interlocalization—the creation of a cross-border network connecting
cities and regions. T herefore, in order to understand thephenomenon of globalization that characterizes the modernage, it is necessary to analyze the nature of regional society andinter-local networks.
Inter-local networks are created through markets, andmarkets function by means of various systems set in place
to support them. These systems have been developed basedon cultures unique to each region. Meanwhile, globalization
brings about the transformation and integration of the various
systems, cultures, and technologies cultivated within eachregion. Corporations, individuals, governmental bodies, andother players operate within these transformations and systems,
create and ma int a in this order, and br ing about change.
T hrough a comprehensive and multifaceted considerationof markets, systems, cultures, technologies, and the players
concer ned, this resea rch core a nalyzes the mecha nisms
behind the creation, formation, dissolution, dismantling, andstrengthening of people and their identity owing to globalizationand the role and nature of regional society therein.
Research Institute for the Dynamics of Civilizations, Okayama University

The
three
researchcores of the Research Division
Relatedprojects【プロジェクト】

Cultural Heritage Management DivisionInternational joint project:
BEyond ARCHAEOlogy

Cultural Properties Rescue Project

The Setouchi Project

Archaeological sites within theuniversity

BE-ARCHAEO is an international collaborative research project
between the natural and social sciences receiving funding from the
RISE program under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 program,which constitutes a central pillar of the EU’s science, technology,
and innovation policy. It is carried out through the partnership of six
European research institutions and private companies represented
by the University of Turin Department of Chemistry, with Okayama
University as a primary partner institution. Researchers from both thenatural and social sciences from Okayama University participate, led
by MATSUMOTO Naoko, director of the Research Institute for the
Dynamics of Civilizations.
With a focus on Japan’s ancient state formation period and a field
centered on the Kibi region of the Kofun period, this project aims tocultivate a new understanding of history and develop new specialized
technology based on the innovative results bor n through theinternational and transdisciplinary exchange of advanced knowledge
and technology. The European archaeologists and scientists participate
in the archaeological excavation of the Tobiotsuka mounded tomb (SˉojaCity, Okayama Prefecture) carried out by the Okayama University
Department of Archaeology and jointly conduct advanced scientificsurveys and collect and analyze samples. The analyses of the samples
collected at the excavation are conducted in cooperation with Japanesescientists, including those ser ving as concurrent faculty of thisinstitute. Through additional analysis of the considerable amount ofarchaeological materials in the university’s collection and from related
regions, this project aims to elucidate the nature of Kofun-period
rituals, technology, interregional relationships, and social change.
The innovative results achieved through this project will bepresented to the public in FY 2022 at the Shimane Museum of Ancient
Izumo in Shimane Prefecture, utilizing the latest in information scienceand digital technology.

Okayama Shiryo Net has partnered with the national Shiryo
Net and the Inter-University Research Institute Network Projectto Preserve and Succeed Historical and Cultural Resources, an
initiative headed by the National Institutes for the Humanities (leadorganization: Rekihaku), Tohoku University, and Kobe University,in order to advance restoration activities for the materials damaged
in the torrential rains that affected western Japan in 2018.
It is our goal to rediscover local culture and contribute to thecreation of a new regional society by preserving and utilizing local
historical materials, which are often lost to disasters. Utilizing(1) a histor ica l mater ia l science approach to undesig nated,privately stored cultural property and local historical heritage,(2) mathematical models using digital technology, and (3) new
methodologies in the humanities including scientific analysis andconservation science, we aim to produce new research on regional
history in order to reconsider the relationship between natural
disasters, such as f loods, earthquakes, epidemics, and adverse
weather, and people’s daily lives in line with the reality of local
society.
By cooperating with universities participating in the national
Shiryo Net initiatives, we aim to understand the mutual relationshipbet ween com munit y a nd consciousness ( bot h ever yday a nd
histor ica l) a nd develop a n educat iona l prog ra m to cult ivate
individuals able to contribute to the construction of a diverse, open,
and resilient regional society.
Fol low i ng t he Great Ha nsh i n - Awaji E a r t hqua ke of 19 9 5 ,historians, cultural heritage management specialists, museum
affiliates, and citizens of the city of Kobe banded together to create
the Historical Resource Network in an effort to rescue and protect
the historical and cultural materials stored in private houses.
Eventually, similar organizations appeared and spread across thecountry to protect local heritage from disaster. Based at Okayama
University, Okayama Shiryo Net was started in 2005 to create apreventative network in operation before disaster strikes—thefirst of its kind in Japan. The Research Institute for the Dynamics
of Civilizations is also committed to active participation in these
initiatives.

Over the past 30 years, fragmentation (segmentation of the
production process and cross-border decentralization) has rapidly
increased accompanying the global formation and integration of
information systems and logistics systems. Patterns of industrial
agglomeration have changed significantly, with emerging cities
and regions experiencing rapid and unprecedented growth andhypertrophy on the one hand, and the decline of formerly highagglomeration cities and regions and the stagnation of mid- and lowagglomeration cities and regions on the other.
In this research project, we pursue multifaceted analyses of
the acceleration mechanisms and str ucture of low f unctional
agglomeration and decentralization in the Setouchi region—anaggregate of stagnating and declining mid- and low-agglomerationc it ies a nd a rea s — consider i ng t he m a rket s , lega l s yst ems ,culture, and the various players operating therein. Additionally,
we consider the spatial and historical characteristics through a
comparison with other countries and regions (including Taiwan,
China, Korea, Australia, France, and Vietnam). Furthermore, we
consider the conditions and factors leading to the sustainabilityof low-agglomeration areas by analyzing the manifestation of thelatent core competence of these areas and the possibility of theconstruction of a new inter-local network connecting them.
In addition to members of the Regional Dynamics ResearchCore, members of the Graduate Institute of Japanese Political andEconomic Studies of Tamkang Universit y in Taiwan have also
participated in this project since FY 2021. The Japan-Taiwan joint
international symposium held online in March 2022 facilitateddiscussion concerning the conditions for and issues surrounding thesustainability of regional society. In addition to enhanced dialogue,
we aim to broaden the countries, regions, and research facilities
with whom we maintain cooperative relationships.

There are several archaeological sites within Okayama University:
The Tsushima-okadai site on the Tsushima campus, the Shikata siteon the Shikata campus, and the Fukuro site on the Misasa campus.
As of FY 2021, 71 archaeological excavations have been conductedat Okayama University: 40 at the Tsushima-okadai site, 29 at the
Shikata site, and two at the Fukuro site. Results of these excavations
have been published in numerous site repor ts, including 21 for
Tsushima-okadai, 16 for Shikata, and one for Fukuro.

BE-ARCHAEO participating institutions
University of Turin Depar tment of Chemistr y (Italy); Universityof Lisbon Depar tment of Histor y (Por tugal); TecnAr t (Italy);
Ter raMarine (Greece); Inter national Research Institute forArchaeology and Ethnology (Italy); Visual Dimension (Belgium);
Okayama University Research Institute for the Dynamics ofCivilizations (Japan)
https://www.bearchaeo.com/

The Tsushima-okadai site

In addition to being one of the most well-known Jo- mon settlementsof Western Japan, findings from this site have greatly contributed toclarifying the development of paddy fields from the Yayoi through the
Early Modern period. It holds additional significance as a wartime site,having been utilized as a Japanese army camp in 1907.

Excavation of an Early Yayoi-period paddy field

The Shikata site

This site has provided invaluable information concerning thedevelopment of settlements from the Middle Yayoi period onward
and in particular the structure of sites from the ancient and medieval
periods. It is also well known for the discover y of archaeologicalfeatures and artifacts related to the Shikata manor, a private estate of
the Fujiwara regents.

Cargo in a container terminal in Tamashima, Mizushima Port
Settlement dating to the Middle to Late Yayoi period

Located on the northern and southern ends of the Okayama Plain,
the Tsushima-okadai and Shikata sites are the subject of ongoingarchaeological excavation and research. It is particularly noteworthy
that, even though these sites are located in an urban setting, asignificant extent of each site has been excavated, allowing a fuller
understanding of the ancient history of this region and revealing its
cultural diversity. Particular emphasis is placed on interdisciplinary
joint research with the natural sciences, including geoenvironmental
analysis through coring sur veys, analysis of unearthed seeds andwooden objects, and dating of features and artifacts.

Scientific analysis of excavated artifacts

The Fukuro site

© MARCO MEROLA / BeArchaeo project

Treatment to stabilize damaged materials

Oyster rafts floating off the coast of Hinase, Okayama

This site was discovered in 1997 during construction at what is
now the Institute for Planetary Materials. Features and artifacts havebeen discovered dating from the end of the Initial Jo- mon period,
approximately 8000 years ago, through the medieval period, revealing
for the first time the history of the Misasa area.

Joint excavation of the Tobiotsuka mounded tombResearch Institute for the Dynamics of Civilizations, Okayama University

Containing all other colors, black is used forthe institute’s symbol to represent the birth ofinterdisciplinary research from the foundation
formed by the three research cores.

OK AYAMA UNIVERSITY

Research Institute for The Dynamics of Civilizations
3-1-1 Tsushima-naka, Kita-ku, Okayama 700-8530 Japan
Phone: +81-86-251-7442 (Research Division)+81-86-251-7290 (Cultural Heritage Management Division)
Email: ridc@okayama-u.ac.jp
Edited by the Research Institute for the Dynamics of Civilizations
Contact:

University Markhttps://ridc.okayama-u.ac.jp/

RIDC Okayama University

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