ARCHAEOLOGIA JAPONICA

Interdisciplinary ResearchKUNIKITA Dai1
This article discussed outlines of ﬁscal 2014 interdisciplinary research. It is overviewed
mainly under six items: paleoenvironment (paleotopography, paleogeology, paleoclimate,paleovegetation, and animal/plant remains), dating, material/production site/manufacturing
techniques, anthropology/isotope analysis, computer science/survey/measures, and publicarchaeology/cognitive science.
On paleoenvironment, a symposium ‘Jomon Bunka no Hanei to Suitai: “Jomon Jidai
Kobanki Teitaisetsu” no Mujun to Tenkai (Prosperity and Decline of Jomon Culture:
Discrepancy and Development of “Late/Final Jomon Stagnation Theory”)’ was held
November 2014 [held by Meiji Daigaku Nihon Senshi Bunka Kenkyujo (Institute ofJapanese Prehistoric Culture, Meiji University)]. At the symposium, global coolingfrom Middle Jomon to Final Jomon was discussed from the viewpoints of plant andanimal resources, cultivars, paleopathology, diet analysis, and climate and sea level.
Also, analysis is still continuing for a varved sediment core (SG06) collected from Lake
Suigetsu, Fukushima Prefecture by an international joint research team in 2006.
For paleobotany, discussions were held on KUDO Yuichiro ed., “CollaborativeResearch: History of Relationship between Human Activities and Plant Utilizationin the Jomon Period” Bulletin of the National Museum of Japanese History Vol. 187.
Major themes were utilization of hemp and Cannabis sativa, plant utilization andpaleoenvironment at Shimo-yakabe site in Tokyo, impression analysis, analysis on starch
residues of plant remains, and so on. On zooarchaeology, Sectional Research Presentation
I “Kaizuka Kenkyu no Shinshiten: Jomon ~Kindai no Kaizuka to Shuraku (NewViewpoint of Shell Midden Study: Shell Midden and Settlement from Jomon to Modern
Period)” was held at the Date convention of the Japanese Archaeological Association.
Discussions were held on the location of shell middens in the Jomon and Ainu cultural
periods mainly in Hokkaido, and the transition of environment and subsistence.
For dating, active studies were dendrochronology, oxygen isotope ratio analysis oftree rings, and wiggle matching. These high precision dating measurements are not only
valuable for accurate dating of measured objects, but also for the fundamental studies
1 c/o Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology, The University of Tokyo, 7–3–1 Hongo, Bunkyo

Ward, Tokyo 113–0033, Japan(dkunikita@yahoo.co.jp)

JAPANESE JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY 4 (2016): 88–89© Japanese Archaeological Association88

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Title ●●●● IN JAPANfor drawing a Japanese calibration curve for calendar years. Fiscal 2014 saw installationof compact AMS at the University Museum, the University of Tokyo and 6MV AMS
at Tsukuba University, making the environment for C-14 dating more adequate for thefuture. On material and manufacturing methods, reports were made on chemical analysisof glass objects; analysis of metal products such as armor, mirrors and bells, as well asorganic substances adhering to such objects; material analysis on pottery and amber;manufacturing techniques of pottery, lacquered ware, and plant material products; andmorphological observation of ﬁbrous artifacts.
As for anthropology, a public symposium “Kyusekki Jidaijin kara Jomon Jidaijin
he; Hamakitajinn, Mikkabijin, Shijimizuka Kaizukajin, Soshite Ieyasu he (From
Paleolithic People to Jomon Period People; Prehistoric Humans of Kitahama, Mikkabi,and Shijimizuka Shell Midden and to Ieyasu)” was held, and the latest knowledge on
dating, morphology, archaeology, and genetics were presented regarding the origin andformation of the Japanese people, studies of which are showing much progress in recentyears. A session “Nihonkai Engan no Jomon Jidaijin; Toyama-ken Odake Kaizuka woChushinni (Jomon People along the Sea of Japan; Mainly on Odake Shell Mound in
Toyama Prefecture)” was held at the 80th general meeting of the Japanese ArchaeologicalAssociation. There is a lot of interest in research results of human bone and animal
remains at Odake shell mound in Toyama Prefecture. Other than these, important wasstudy of the utilization of marine shellﬁsh during the Late Pleistocene at Sakitari-do cavesite in Okinawa Prefecture. On isotope analysis, achievements were made on analysis ofbone collagen, carbide on pottery, carbon from carbonized grain, and nitrogen isotopes.
Also, progress is being made on fatty acid analysis of remaining organic substances
in carbide on pottery. In recent years, the ﬁelds of public archaeology and cognitivearchaeology are showing rapid spread. The forthcoming challenges are recognition of therelationship between archaeology and modern society, and utilization of archaeology andcultural properties in education.

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