ARCHAEOLOGIA JAPONICA

Interdisciplinary Research
UETSUKI Manabu1
This ﬁscal year saw several journals publishing featured articles on related ﬁelds. First,
results of the 19th INQUA Congress were featured as “Emergence of the World’s Oldest
Pottery” in Quaternary International 441B and “Human Behavioral Variability in Prehistoric
Eurasia” in Quaternary International 442B. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
17 had a featured article “Archaeometric Approaches to the Archaeology of Northern
Hunter-Gatherers” that contained achievements by Japanese researchers. As for domestic
journals, Kokogaku to Shizen Kagaku (Archaeology and Natural Science) is continuously
featuring the latest trends of each ﬁeld commemorating the 30th anniversary of the academic
society, and its 76th issue featured dating measurements. Archaeological Journal No. 709
had “Tokushu‘Nendai’wo Do Hakaruka (Featured Article: How to Measure ‘Dating’).”1.

Dating Measurement and Paleoclimate

Comparison of cultural phenomena such as the emergence of pottery or climate change inwide areas is even more active due to accumulation of high precision dating measurements.
Sato and Natsuki discussed radiocarbon dating of archaeological sites in the potteryemergence period in northeast/east Asia and indicated that the emergence of pottery in eacharea took place in a different climate stage in Quaternary International 441B. Also, issues on
dating, climate change and manufacturing techniques were discussed in the same journal on
pottery emergence period in China, the Japanese Archipelago, and far eastern Russia. Other
than the above, outstanding results were: detection and accurate dating of widespread tephra
in cryptotephra layers in Lake Suigetsu in Fukushima Prefecture (McLean et al. QuaternaryScience Reviews Vol. 183), reviews on reconstruction of long-term paleotemperature changeby analysis on growth lines and oxygen isotope ratios of marine clam shells (Kitamura:Daiyonki Kenkyu 57-1), and actual dating of each pottery typology from Incipient to Final
Jomon using C-14 dating measurements and data calibration (Kobayashi: Jomon Jidai noJitsunendai (Actual Dating of Jomon Period). Tokyo: Doseisha).
1 Research Institute of Cultural Properties, Teikyo University, 1566–2, Isawacho Yokkaichiba, Fuefuki-shi,

Yamanashi 406–0032, Japan(uetsuki@main.teikyo-u.ac.jp)

JAPANESE JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY 7 (2019): 88–90© Japanese Archaeological Association88

JAPANESE JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY 7 (2019): 88–90

TRENDS ●●●●IN ARCHAEOLOGYTITLE ●●●●IN JAPAN2.

Paleoenvironment and Dietary Habit

Dietary habits in the Yayoi period from varied natural artifacts from Ikego site in Kanagawa
Prefecture were reconstructed from multiple aspects such as components of animal remains,forms of human bones, human and animal carbon/nitrogen isotope ratios, pressed seedmarks, carbon adhered to pottery, and starch remains [Sugiyama ed. Yayoi Jidaishoku noTakakuteki Kenkyu (Diverse Research on Yayoi Period Diet) Tokyo: Rokuichi Shobo]. In
the ﬁeld of paleobotany/botanic archaeology, Sasaki and Noshiro discussed vegetation andplant utilization from Early to Final Jomon in the Kanto region and revealed that there
was no change in plant utilization of mainly chestnut and lacquer with evidence of humanmanagement since Early Jomon, and the plant utilization showed diversity including Japanesehorse chestnut and konara oak after Late Jomon (Quaternary International 471). In relationto farming, Crawford organized excavated examples and dating of cultivated plants such ascereals, rice, and legumes in East Asia (Japan, China, South Korea), and pointed out thateach region had a unique historical path in cultivation (“Plant Domestication in East Asia”
in Handbook of East and Southeast Asian Archaeology). Other than the above, analysis ofJomon period pressed seed marks were active. As for starch remain analysis, SHIBUTANIAyako discussed present states and problems (Japanese Journal of Archaeology 5).
As for animal archaeology KOIKE Hiroko compiled the research history of Japanese
animal remains studies that introduced many new methods such as analysis of shell andmammal teeth growth-lines, and further synthetic research like subsistence dynamics
analysis (Daiyonki Kenkyu 56-4). As for animal domestication, excavated examples
and research history in Japan was compiled on dogs, pigs, horses, cows, and chickens,and characteristics of domesticated animal utilization in Japan were discussed (Hongo“Introduction of Domestic Animals to the Japanese Archipelago” in The Oxford Handbookof Zooarchaeology).
The importance of isotope analysis and lipid analysis is increasing in order to discuss
dietary habits of the past. Itahashi et al. revealed dietary differences of each household ina Neolithic village in northwest Syria by grasping consumption ratios down to spices thatwere not possible to detect in the past by analyzing nitrogen isotopes of individual aminoacids (Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 17). Also, they indicated that there weredifferences in the frequency of freshwater ﬁsh utilization among Neolithic hunter-gatherergroups, depending on burial locations and burial period (Journal of Archaeological Science82). As for lipid analysis, it was revealed that early Korean pottery was oriented toward
processing marine resources and division of vessel function was already established, byanalysis of pottery and substances adhered to pottery (Shoda et al. Quaternary ScienceReviews 170).

© Japanese Archaeological Association89

●●●● AUTHORJAPONICA●●●●
ARCHAEOLOGIA

3.

Anthropology

There were publications on research results on human bones excavated from Shirahosaonetabaru cave in Ishigaki Island. Cultura Antiqua had a featured article “Ryukyuko
ni Okeru Senshi Jidai Kenkyu no Shintenkai (New Development on Prehistoric Study inRyukyu Islands)” in which discussions were made on burial methods, minimum burials,
physical traits, and pathology of human bones excavated from Shiraho-saonetabaru cave(Doi: Cultural Antiqua 69-4). Kagaku Vol. 87, No. 6 had a featured article “TokushuYomigaeru Senshi Okinawa no Hitobito (Prehistoric Okinawans)” and results of carbon/
nitrogen isotope analysis mainly on human bones excavated from Shiraho- saonenetabaru
cave were published for ﬁelds such as dietary habits (Yoneda et al.), physical traits (Kono etal.) and mitochondrial DNA (Shinoda et al.).
Reorganization was conducted for human bones excavated from Iwashita andShimomotoyama cave sites in Nagasaki Prefecture, and results were indicated for physicaltraits (Kaifu et al.), mitochondrial DNA (Shinoda et al.), and carbon/ nitrogen isotope
analysis (Yoneda et al.) (Anthoropological Science [Japanese Series ] 125-1). Other than
the above, there were studies on formation processes of Jomon regional groups (Kondo:Anthropological Science 125-2), as well as the relationship between the mismatch of limb
and body proportions of the Jomon people, gene ﬂow, and cultural factors (such as nutrition)(Seguchi et al. American Journal of Human Biology Vol. 29, No. 5).

4.

Material and Quarry Analysis

There was a publication of a complication of obsidian source analysis data in a large area ofnortheast Asia using high-accuracy chronology (Kuzumin et al. Quaternary International442). Also, there was a study that discussed changes in stone tool manufacturing techniques,mining methods, and group reorganization in a limited area, by comparing paleoclimate andobsidian sources in the Last Glacial Maximum (Shimada et al. Quaternary International
442). Suda et al. discussed the location of sources using non-destructive Energy Dispersive
X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometer (EDXRF) on excavated artifacts in Hokkaido (Journal ofArchaeological Science: Reports 17) and in Nagano Prefecture (Quaternary International468). Lynch, et al. examined long-term changes in sources of obsidian excavated fromRebun Island, Hokkaido, and discussed that signiﬁcant changes in sources are connectedwith cultural changes (Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 17). As for pottery clay
analysis, there was a study that discussed population moves from the western to the easternpart of Tokai region and the relation with environmental degradation due to falling volcanic
ashes from Akahoya eruption (Iketani: Quaternary International 442).

© Japanese Archaeological Association90