金沢大学
古代文明・文化資源学研究所
要覧

2022

Kanazawa University
Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural Resources
Bulletin 2022

Contents

Greeting from the Director …………………………………………………… 23
About us ………………………………………………………………………… 25
Management organization……………………………………………………… 26
Research organization ………………………………………………………… 26
Research topics of full-time / concurrent staﬀs ……………………………… 29
Acquired research funds ……………………………………………………… 42

22

Greeting from the Director
The Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural Resources of Kanazawa
University was established on April 1 of this present year with the ambitious objective of becoming
a world-leading research institute. It boasts a new interdisciplinary research style that combines
Paleogenomics with Archaeology and Cultural Resource Studies, which by themselves are alreadythe strength of Kanazawa University. It is also the first research institute in the history of Kanazawa
University to be originated from the Institute of Human and Social Sciences and to involve the entire
university.
Some research institutes and centers in Japan already study ancient civilizations. These
institutes and centers, however, focus only on one specific ancient civilization that flourished in a
specific area. In contrast, Kanazawa University decided that the best course of action would be forthis institute to study ancient civilizations of all over the world. This is because we believe thathaving a global perspective that grasps social and cultural diversity is the most necessary and mostimportant competence in our present society. In the Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations
and Cultural Resources, world leading researchers who study ancient civilizations from all over theworld will develop large-scale excavations in sites considered to be in the Center and in the Peripheryof academic studies, including World Heritage Sites. Our aim is to elucidate the history of humankind
and, at the same time, improve ourselves through friendly competition. We intend to use science,
medicine and technology –Paleogenomics included— as a skewer that connects studies of all theancient civilizations. In this way, the traditional notion that archaeology is only part of the humanities
will be left behind and a true integration of the humanities and the sciences will be achieved. This
will in turn give way to a new approach to the study of ancient civilizations.
More than two years have passed since the COVID-19 pandemic cast a gloomy shadow over
the world. When the sanitary situation finally seemed to be improving, an atrocious war began in
Ukraine. Nobody knows what may happen tomorrow; the world now finds itself confused with noprospects for a better future. Under these circumstances, what significance does the study of ancientcivilizations have? Humanity has faced similar situations countless times in the past, and we must
learn from those events. Environmental disruption, plagues, and wars caused by human beings have
happened incessantly throughout the history of ancient civilizations. We who live in the present
world have an obligation to learn from those ancient civilizations in order to build a better sustainable
society for the future. The members of this institute will at all times conduct research knowing that
their studies are inextricably linked to modern society.

23Through its three divisions: Archeology, Archaeological Sciences, and Cultural Resource
Studies, the Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural Resources will endeavor toanswer the three fundamental questions that Paul Gauguin left us: "Where do we come from? What
are we? Where are we going?"
We thank you all in advance for supporting the activities of the Institute.

NAKAMURA, Seiichi
Director,
Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural Resources24About us【Background of the Establishment of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations
and Cultural Resources】
For decades, the opportunity to study Archaeology and Cultural Resource Management has been oneof the advantages of enrolling at Kanazawa University. Currently, Kanazawa University aims to establisha ‘Next-Generation Archaeology,’ emerging from the integration of arts and sciences with conventionalarchaeology. Accordingly, the Center for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural Resources wasremoved from the College of Human and Social Sciences in order to be integrated into a joint education andresearch institution at the University from 1 April 2022.

【Aims of the Institute】
1. The institute combines Archaeology and Cultural Resource Studies with the innovation of Paleogenomics.
We aim to establish an international research institution for the study of ancient civilizations through the
integration of the arts and the sciences.
2. The institute will create an international network for the survey, research, conservation, and maintenanceof the integrity of the world’s heritage. We intend to sustain the institute with contributions both from Japanand from other SDGs.

【Research Activity Plans of the Institute】
1. Working toward this objective, starting from 2022 the Institute will employ young or mid-career
researchers. We plan to acquire and retain brilliant human resources.
2. Since 2022, the institute has been promoting international cooperation with well-known foreign universities
and institutes. Moreover, we plan to create human resource training programs for young researchers.
3. The institute has made arrangements for substantial scientific research funding and will contribute withresearch papers to high-impact international academic journals.
4. Furthermore, researchers who belong to the institute will contribute to society by presenting their work in
the various research programs.

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Management organization
NAKAMURA Seiichi

Director, Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural Resorces

ADACHI Takuro

Subdirector, Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural Resorces

Institute Advisor
SEKI Yuji

Professor Emeritus, National Museum of Ethnology

TSUNEKI Akira

Professor Emeritus, University of Tsukuba

Research organization (as of August 1, 2022)
Leader: ADACHI Takuro

Archaeology section[Full-time Staff]
ADACHI Takuro(Professor, Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural Resources)

FUJII Sumio(Specially Appointed Professor, Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations andCultural Resources)

UESUGI Akinori(Specially Appointed Associate Professor, Institute for the Study of Ancient
Civilizations and Cultural Resources)

KUME Shogo(Specially Appointed Assistant Professor, Institute for the Study of Ancient
Civilizations and Cultural Resources)[Concurrent Staff]
KAWAI Nozomu(Professor, Institute for Frontier Science Initiative)

ODAKA Takahiro(Associate Professor, Institute of Liberal Arts and Science)[Visiting Professor]
KOJIMA Yoshitaka(Professor Emeritus, Kanazawa Gakuin University)

KOBAYASHI Masashi(Professor, Hokuriku Gakuin University)

KOYANAGI Yoshiki
QIN Xiaoli(Professor, Institute for Archaeological Science, Fudan University)[Visiting Associate Professer]
TOKUNAGA Risa

(Part-time Lecturer, Sophia University)[Visiting Fellow]
TAKAHASHI Kazumitsu (JSPS Research Fellow PD)
HIGO Tokihisa(JSPS Research Fellow PD)

YAMAGUCHI Yuji

(Assistant Professor, Research Institute for the Dynamics of Civilizations, Okayama
University)

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YAMAFUJI Masatoshi(Senior Researcher, Department of Imperial Palace Sites Investigations, Nara
National Research Institute for Cultural Properties)

WADA Koichiro(Kokusai Bunkazai Co., Ltd./Non-profit organization “The world of Cultural
Heritage”)

GARCIA FERNANDEZ, Maria Gudelia (Lecturer, Kagawa Univerisity)
JAMISON, Gregg M.

(Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Waukesha)

Archaeological Sciences section

Leader: GAKUHARI Takashi[Full-time Staff]
GAKUHARI Takashi(Assistant Professor, Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural
Resources)

SASAKI Yuka

(Specially Appointed Associate Professor, Institute for the Study of Ancient
Civilizations and Cultural Resources)[Concurrent Staff]
SATO Takehiro(Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Medical Sciences)[Visiting Professor]
UCHIYAMA Junzo(Researcher, Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures)

KIKUCHI Hiroki(Professor, Department of Archaeology and Museology, Lanzhou University)[Visiting Associate Professer]
NAKAGOME Shigeki(Assistant Professor, Trinity College Dublin)[Visiting Fellow]
ABE Yoshinari(Assistant Professor, Tokyo Denki University)

IIZUKA Yoshiyuki(Senior Research Scientist, Institute of Earth Sciences, Academia Sinica (Taipei)/
Visiting Fellow, Fundamental Science of Civilizations Research Core, ResearchInstitute for the Dynamics of Civilizations, Okayama University)

ISHIYA Koji

(Researcher, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology)

ITAHASHI Yu(Assistant Professor, University of Tsukuba)

KITAGAWA Chiori(Ägyptologisches Seminar, Freie Universität Berlin, Mitglied)

SPEIDEL Leo(University College London, Francis Crick Institute PD)

GOYAL, Pankaj(Scientific Assistant, Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute)27

Cultural Resources section

Leader: TANIGAWA Ryuichi[Full-time Staff]
NAKAMURA Seiichi(Professor, Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural Resources)[Concurrent Staff]
TANIGAWA Ryuichi(Associate Professer, Institute for Frontier Science Initiative)[Visiting Professer]
YAMAGATA Mariko(Specially Appointed Professor, Rikkyo University)[Visiting Associate Professer]
ISHIMURA Tomo

(Head, Audio-Visual Documentation Section, Department of Intangible Cultural
Heritage, Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties)

ICHIKAWA Akira(Postdoctral Associate, Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado
Boulder / Colraborative Researcher, Research Center for Cultural Heritage andTexts, Nagoya University)

MURANO Masakage(Curator, The Museum of Kyoto)[Visiting Fellow]
GOKITA Makiha(Visiting Researcher, Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties)

KOTEGAWA Hirokazu(National Autonomous University of Honduras)

NOGUCHI Atsushi(Part-time Lecturer, School of Cultural and Social Studies / Director, the JapaneseArchaeological Association)

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Research topics of full-time / concurrent staffs【Archaeology section】
ADACHI Takuro(Professor, Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural Resources)
Specialty: Near Eastern Archaeology＜Research Activities＞
My research topics relate to pastoral and transhumance nomads during the Neolithic period andthe Iron Age in West Asia. I have been studying shell ornaments from the Neolithic period. My research
objective is to clarify the down-the-line-exchange of shell ornaments during the Neolithic period in West Asia.
I am also interested in determining the functions of the ceramic spoons of the Chalcolithic period. Although
unearthed from settlement sites, they have been recently discovered in ritual sites from the desert area.
Because I hypothesize that ceramic spoons were used for the dietary intake of baby foods, I aim to compare
the Chalcolithic ceramic spoons of West Asia with the Prehistoric ceramic spoons of Europe. I am also
studying bronze weapons. Although I am focused on studying bronze spear heads found in West Asia, I willconduct further research on bronze clubs. I am also studying the origin of Iranian pastoral nomads in the Iron
Age. While I have been conducting typological research on Iron Age pottery in Iran, I will henceforth analyze
the scientific research on prehistoric dairy products.
＜Recent publications＞
・Adachi, T. and S. Fujii (2022), “Chalcolithic Ceramic Spoons from Ḥarrat al-Juḥayra 1 and 2, Southern
Jordan”. Studies in the History and Archaeology of Jordan XIV , Amman: Department of
Antiquities.
・Adachi, T. (2019.2), “A Chronological Division of the Iron Age III Period at the Tappe Jalaliye in Giran,Northern Iran”. In: S. Nakamura, T. Adachi, and M. Abe (eds.), Decades in Deserts: Essays on Near

Eastern Archaeology in honour of Sumio Fujii , pp.319-322, Rokuichi Shobo, Tokyo.
・Adachi, T. and S. Fujii (2018.4), “Shell Ornaments from the Bishri Cairn Fields: New Insights into the Middle
Bronze Age Trade Network in Central Syria”. Proceedings of the 10th International Congress on

the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East , pp.239-246, Harrassowitz Verla.
・Adachi, T. and S. Fujii (2018.3), “Wadi Hedaja 1 and 2: A Chronological Assessment Based on Unearthed
Artifacts”. al-Rafidan 39: 55-69.

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FUJII Sumio(Specially appointed professor, Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural Resources)
Specialty: Near Eastern Archaeology＜Research Activities＞
Our research objective lies in tracking the formation process of tribal societies that consistently
characterize the late prehistoric to modern Near East. Toward this goal, we have been conducting
archaeological research in the three fields outside the Fertile Crescent: the al-Jafr Basin in southern Jordan(1995~), the Bishri mountain range in central Syria (2007~2011) and the Tabuk Plateau in northwestern Saudi
Arabia (2007~).
The investigations have targeted the key five millennia spanning from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B(when domestic sheep and goats were first introduced to the arid margin) to the Early Bronze Age (whenfull-fledged tribal society is supposed to have been established). The excavated sites total some forty, whichrange in content from an agro-pastoral outpost in the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B (Photo 1), through an open-air
sanctuary in the Late Neolithic (Photo 2) and a farming and pasturing settlement in the Chalcolithic (Photo 3),
to a small pasturing camp in the Early Bronze Age (Photo 4). The series of research outcomes has enabled
us to outline the long sequence from the beginning of pastoral nomadism to the appearance of initial tribal
society.
Huge urban sites such as Ur and Babylon are not the only cultural heritage in the ancient Near East;
there still exist innumerable nomads’ sites outside the Fertile Crescent. Although not always enjoyable, wewould like to continue hard work in desert.
＜Recent publications＞
・Fujii, S. (2022), “Harrat Juhayra 202 and the Jordanian Badia Early PPNB: Fresh perspective on the PPNA/PPNB transition in the southern Levant”. In: Nishiaki, Y. et al. (eds.), Tracking the Neolithic in

the Near East: Lithic Perspectives on its Origins, Development and Dispersals , pp.341-356, Leiden:
Sidestone Press.
・Fujii, S., al-Mansoor A. A., et al. (2021), “Excavations at Wadi Sharma 1: New insights into the Hijaz
Neolithic, North-western Arabia”. In: M. Luciani (ed.), The Archaeology of the Arabian Peninsula 2:

Connecting the Evidence , pp. 15-42, Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences.
・Fujii, S. (2020), “Late Neolithic cultural landscape in the al-Jafr Basin, southern Jordan: A brief review incontext”. Studies in Ancient Art and Civilization 24:13-32.
・Fujii, S. (2020), “Pastoral nomadization in the Neolithic Near East: Review from the Viewpoint of social
resilience”. In: Y. Nara and T Inamura (eds.), Resilience and Human History: Multidisciplinary

Approaches and Challenges for a Sustainable Future , pp. 65-83, Singapore: Springer.

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UESUGI Akinori(Specially appointed associate professor, Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural
Resources)
Specialty: South Asian Archaeology＜Research Activities＞
I have been conducting archaeological research in different parts of South Asia, mainly in India andPakistan, to better understand how the ‘South Asian cultural sphere’, characterized by cultural unity anddiversity, made its shape in history. The time range of my research covers a long term between 4000 BCE
and 1000 CE including the Chalcolithic, Bronze, Iron Ages, Early Historic and Early Medieval periods.
The Indus Civilization (2600 BCE – 1900 BCE), the earliest urban society in South Asia, the Ganga
Civilization (1000 BCE – 600 CE), the Iron Age/Early Historic urbanization in North India, and the Iron Age
culture in the Indian Peninsula are the focus of my ongoing projects. I am studying these historical entities
in terms of the interregional interaction network that sustained the developments of those highly complex
societies, using stylistic and technological approaches to their material culture. I am also running research
projects in Bahrain to better understand the connections between South Asia and the Middle East.
Archaeological research in South Asia, encasing diverse ethnic groups and cultural traditions, canprovide essential clues and insights to our understanding of ancient civilizations characterized by sociocultural complexity and diversity.
＜Recent publications＞
・Uesugi, A. (2020), “Stone Beads from Taxila”. Ancient Pakistan 30: 1-22.
・Uesugi, A., Ambily C.S., Ajit Kumar, Rajesh S.V. and Abhayan G.S. (2019), “A Study on the Ceramic
Sequence in the Megalithic Culture of Kerala”. Man and Environment 44(1): 21-32.
・Uesugi, A., Ambily C.S., Ajit Kumar, Abhayan G.S. and Rajesh S.V. (2019), “Stone Beads from Megalithic
Burial at Niramakulam, Kerala”. In: Rajesh S.V., Abhayan G.S., P. Nayar and E.R. Ilahi (eds.), Humanand Heritage: An Archaeological Spectrum of Asiatic Countries ( Felicitation to Professor Ajit
Kumar ) , pp. 1-22, New Bharatiya Book Corporation, Delhi.
・Uesugi, A. (2019), “A Note on the Interregional Interactions between the Indus Civilization and the Arabian
Peninsula during the Third Millennium BCE”. In: S. Nakamura, T. Adachi, and M. Abe (eds.),

Decades in Deserts: Essays on Near Eastern Archaeology in honour of Sumio Fujii , pp.337-355,
Rokuichi Shobo, Tokyo.
・Uesugi, A. (ed.) (2018), Current Research on Indus Archaeology . Research Group for South Asian
Archaeology, Archaeological Research Institute, Kansai University, Osaka.

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KUME Shogo(Specially appointed assistant professor, Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural
Resources)
Specialty: Central Asian Archaeology＜Research Activities＞
My research focuses on the emergence of agropastoralism in the mountainous and foothill zoneof Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. My current field projects include Mol Bulak, a nomadic campsite in the
Tien Shan mountains in Kyrgyzstan and a large sedentary village of Dalverzin in the Fergana Valley in
Uzbekistan, focusing on the transition to food producing economy in the 2nd Millennium BC in the regions
from the viewpoints of environmental adaptation, cultural exchange, and human migration.
Before Central Asia, my fieldwork was based in the Near East, concentrated on the study ofdevelopments of agropastoralism during the 8th-7th Millennium BC at Tell Seker al-Aheimar in northeastern
Syria and origins of tribal communities during the 3rd Millennium BC at Tell Ghanem al-‘Ali in north Syria.
＜Recent publications＞
・Kume, Shogo (2021), “Scientific analysis of animal, plant and human remains from early agro-pastoral sites ineastern Central Asia”. In: Kaoru Imamura (ed.), Environmental adaptation and pastoralism , Studies
on Pastoral Society in Central Asia 3, pp. 1-3, Laboratory of Cultural Anthropology, Faculty ofContemporary Social Studies, Nagoya Gakuin University, Nagoya (in Japanese).
・Kume, Shogo (2021), “Dalverzin”. In: Embassy of Uzbekistan in Japan (ed.), Silk Road archaeological sitesin Uzbekistan , pp. 14-15, Embassy of Uzbekistan in Japan/Ministry of Tourism and Sports,
Uzbekistan, Tokyo (in Japanese).
・Kume, Shogo (2021), “East is East, and West is West?: archaeology of cultural encounters between East andWest in Eurasia”. The Ancient Orient Museum (ed.), ORIENTE 63: 13-16 (in Japanese).

32KAWAI Nozomu(Professor, Institute for Frontier Science Initiative)
Specialty: Egyptology, Egyptian Archaeology＜Research Activities＞
I am studying the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt's history and culture from archaeological anddocumentary perspectives. Specifically, I am interested in the history and culture of the period from thereign of Tutankhamun after the Amarna Period of the 18th Dynasty of the New Kingdom to the reign ofRamesses II of the 19th Dynasty. I have participated in excavations of tombs from the New Kingdom at sites
such as Thebes (present-day Luxor) and Saqqara. Recently, I have been conducting archaeological researchon artifacts such as Tutankhamun's chariot as part of the JICA’s (Japan International Cooperation Agency)
Grand Egyptian Museum Joint Conservation Project with Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Since
2016, I have been investigating the New Kingdom cemeteries at Saqqara, which has been under-exploredcompared to the New Kingdom Necropolis at Thebes, where research has been conducted energetically. In
2019, we discovered the first catacombs (underground mass burial tombs) from the Roman Period at Saqqara.
Accordingly, we began studying the burial customs and funerary beliefs during the Roman Period in Egypt.
＜Recent publications＞
・Kawai, Nozomu (2021), “A newly discovered Roman catacomb at North Saqqara: Recent results and future
prospects”. In: Miroslav Bárta, Filip Coppens, Jaromír Krejčí (eds.), Abusir and Saqqara in the year

2020 , pp. 331-346,  Prague: Charles University, Faculty of Arts, Prague 2021.
・Kawai, Nozomu (2021), “Exploring the New Kingdom Tombs at North Saqqara: Preliminary results of theArchaeological Survey at North Saqqara. The 2016 and 2017 seasons”. In: Miroslav Bárta, Filip
Coppens, Jaromír Krejč (eds.), Abusir and Saqqara in the year 2020 , pp. 245-262, Prague: Charles
University, Faculty of Arts, Prague 2021.
・Kondo, Jiro and Nozomu Kawai (2021), “Japan” . In: Andrew Bednarski, Aidan Dodson, and Salima Ikram (eds.),

A History of World Egyptology , pp. 439-447, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
・Kawai, Nozomu, Yasushi Okada, Takeshi Oishi, Masataka Kagesawa, Akiko Nishisaka, Hussein Kamal  (2020),“The Ceremonial Canopied Chariot of Tutankhamun (JE61990 and JE60705): A Tentative Virtual
Reconstruction”. CIPEG Journal: Ancient Egyptian & Sudanese Collections and Museums 4:1-11.

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ODAKA Takahiro(Associate Professor, Institute of Liberal Arts and Science)Specialty: Near Eastern Archaeology＜Research Activities＞
Since 1996, I have participated in several archaeological field projects in Near Eastern countries suchas Syria, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Jordan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and currently, Iraqi Kurdistan. My research focuseson the process from early farming society to civilized urban society, which stimulated the formation of theancient Near Eastern world.
Currently I am directing the Zagros Piedmont Prehistoric Project that includes excavations at Shakar
Tepe and Shaikh Marif in the Shahrizor Plain, Iraqi Kurdistan, and studies of prehistoric materials collectedfrom northern Iraqi sites. Particularly through ceramic studies, I am trying to identify the multilayered
spatiotemporal framework between Neolithization and Urbanization by considering ecological environments,
subsistence economy, and human mobility.
I hope that these activities provide a basis for comparative study of ancient civilizations all over theworld by empirically tracing the formation process of the Mesopotamian Civilization, the oldest civilization
emerged approximately 5000 years ago.
＜Recent publications＞
・Odaka, T., and O. Nieuwenhuyse (2022), “Halaf Pottery in the East End: Insights from Tell Begum, Iraqi
Kurdistan”. Orient 57: 113-124.
・Odaka, T. (2021), “Neolithic Potsherds from Tell Hassuna: The Collection of the University Museum, theUniversity of Tokyo”. In: R. Özbal, M. Erdalkıran, and Y. Tonoike (eds.), Neolithic Pottery from the

Near East: Production, Distribution and Use , pp.169-179, Istanbul: Koç University Press.
・Odaka, T., O. Maeda, K. Shimogama, Y. S. Hayakawa, Y. Nishiaki, N. A. Mohammed and K. Rasheed (2020),“Late Neolithic in the Shahrizor Plain, Iraqi Kurdistan: New excavations at Shakar Tepe, 2019”.

Neo-Lithics 20: 53-57.
・Odaka, T., O. Nieuwenhuyse, and S. Mühl (2019), “From the 7th to the 6th Millennium BC in Iraqi
Kuridistan: A Local Ceramic Horizon in the Shahrizor Plai”. Paléorient 45(2): 67-83.
・Odaka, T. (2019), “Neolithic Potsherds from Matarrah, Northern Iraq: The Collection of the University
Museum, the University of Tokyo”. In: S. Nakamura, T. Adachi, and M. Abe (eds.), Decades in

Deserts: Essays on Near Eastern Archaeology in honour of Sumio Fujii , pp.251-260, Rokuichi Shobo,
Tokyo

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【Archaeological Sciences section】
GAKUHARI Takashi(Assistant professor, Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural Resources)
Specialty: Ancient Molecular Biology, Archaeozoology, Equine Science＜Research Activities＞
Since 2006, we have been conducting molecular genetics and isotope ecology research on human andanimal bones excavated from archaeological sites. In 2016, we found that the domestic horses used during
the construction of Fujiwara-kyo, the ancient capital, were relocated from inland eastern Japan, and that thetribute horses were supplied to the Imperial Court from the remote pastoral region, which was recordedin the Taiho Ritsuryo Code. In 2017, we obtained the first whole genome sequence from Jomon humanbones (Ikawazu shell mound) in the Japanese archipelago and proposed a new hypothesis on the origin of
the Jomon people through comparative genome analysis with continental populations. Currently, we aredeveloping new methods to obtain whole DNA sequence from bones excavated at archaeological sites andpracticing its application, and are compiling databases of genome information for human and animal bones(horses, dogs, etc.) from the Jomon, Yayoi, and Kofun periods in the Japanese archipelago for each period andregion. By integrating isotope, genome, morphology, and archaeological data, we are creating a new academic
field, "Archaeology by Science," which challenges the hypothesis testing and academic legacy in previous
archaeology that has been proposed up to now.
We are studying on ancient civilizations and marginal zones in China, Korea, Russia, Honduras, Jordan,
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Oman, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, India, and Iran.
In recent years, we have been further accumulating genomics data of human remains excavatedfrom archaeological sites in the Japanese archipelago, and have shown that the Japanese genome is mostly
composed of three ancestral lineage elements, and proposed the "Japanese triple structural model" as the firstinternational joint research in the world. In addition, we are also conducting genome analysis of human bones
excavated from the Copan site of the Maya civilization, to reconstruct the kinship, marriage system, andhierarchical system of the people who formed the civilization, and are practicing "Archaeology by Science."
Furthermore, we are developing a new platform for automated analysis of paleogenomic data for nextgeneration archaeology. In order to make paleogenomics a tool that can be handled as easily as radiocarbon
dating, we have installed an automated pretreatment robot for multi-sample processing, a next-generation
sequencer, a portable pretreatment system for on-site analysis, and a portable next-generation sequencer in
our laboratory, and are focusing on creating a new archaeology system for the next 10 years.

35

＜Recent publications＞
・Cooke, Niall,…, Takashi Gakuhari, Shigeki Nakagome (2021), “Ancient genomics reveals tripartite origins ofJapanese populations”. Science Advances 7(38).
・Gakuhari, Takashi, Shigeki Nakagome,…, Hiroki Oota (2020), “Ancient Jomon genome sequence analysis

sheds light on migration patterns of early East Asian populations”. Communications Biology 3(1).
・McColl, Hugh, Fernando Racimo, Lasse Vinner, Fabrice Demeter, Takashi Gakuhari, …, Eske Willerslev. (2018),“The prehistoric peopling of Southeast Asia”. Science 361(6397): 88-92.

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SASAKI Yuka
(Specially appointed associate professor, Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural
Resources)
Specialty: Environmental archeology, Archaeobotany＜Research Activities＞
My research focuses on the history of the relationship between humans and plants: how humans
selected, used, and modified the plant resources around them. In the Japanese archipelago having rich forest
resources, people not only obtained food from forest resources, but also materials to make structures, wooden
products, braided products, and lacquerware, for example, since the Jomon period. Besides, in some areas
people are known to have created artificial vegetation around their settlements after about 8000 years ago to
make plant resources more accessible.
To study the history of such human-plant interactions, we should firstly examine the archaeologicalremains and artifacts and situate them in space and time. Secondly, by using the analyses of natural science,
we should identify plant remains themselves and reconstruct the surrounding natural environment. These
results can then be discussed together with the chronology of the archaeological artifacts. To examine plantremains used by past humans as resources, we have analyzed a large number of plant remains, such as
seeds, fruits, and leaves, identified tree species anatomically and pottery impressions by the replica method,
and analyzed carbonized plant remains attached to pottery. Moreover, to reconstruct the past technologicalknowledge, we are conducting experiments to restore past products with materials and plants revealed
through natural science analysis and ethnoarchaeological research in collaboration with museums andarchaeological research institutes. Through experiments using native fruits such as elderberry, we havediscovered new aspects of past utilization of plant resources. Through the production of woven baskets andother products, we have discovered various aspects of past technology that cannot be understood throughobservation of artifacts alone.
The Institute also hopes to find new research fields by collaborating with archaeologists andresearchers of natural science from various periods and regions as well as with local researchers working
with buried cultural properties.
＜Recent publications＞
・Noshiro S., Sasaki Y., Murakami Y. (2021), “Importance of Quercus gilva for the prehistoric periods inwestern Japan”. Japanese Journal of Archaeology 8(2): 133-156.
・Noshiro, S., Sasaki, Y., Kobayashi, K., Suzuki, M., Nishida, I. (2019), “Material selection and weaving
techniques for the oldest basketry in Japan T found at the Higashimyou site, Saga Prefecture”.

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 23: 12-24.
・Sasaki, Y., Noshiro, S. (2018), “Did a cooling event in the middle to late Jomon periods induce change in theuse of plant resources in Japan?”. Quaternary International 471: 369-384.
・Gyoung-Ah Lee, G. W. Crawford, Li Liu, Xingcan Chen, Yuka Sasaki, Xuexiang Chen (2011), “Archaeologicalsoybean (Glycine max) in East Asia: Does size matter?”. PLos One 6(11): e26720.

37

SATO Takehiro(Assistant professor, Graduate School of Medical Sciences)
Specialty: Molecular Anthropology＜Research Activities＞
I am working on clarifying human population history in Northeast Asia and surrounding regions
using genomic data. Especially, I consider that paleogenomics, which enable us to directly obtain genomic
information of ancient people, is a powerful technique for understanding past demographic events. Recently,
I am conducting genome analysis of ancient human bones excavated from the stratum of the prehistoric
Okhotsk cultural period in Rebun Island which is located in northern Hokkaido, and the strata of Neolithic
period to late Medieval around Lake Baikal.
I am also engaged in searching for genetic polymorphisms associated with morphological traits ofhuman by genome-wide association study (GWAS). Genotype information of polymorphisms associated with
soft tissue phenotypes such as eyelid morphology, hairiness, or skin color, would enable us to infer suchfeatures of ancient individuals, which cannot be restored from bone morphology. In addition, it is possible toverify whether a phenotype of interest had undergone natural selection in the past or not, by evaluating thediversity of genomic regions around polymorphisms associated with the phenotype.
By utilizing the methods described above, I would like to clarify past migration and admixture eventsin Northeast Asia and evolutionary process of the acquisition of phenotypes frequently observed in Northeast
Asian populations.
＜Recent publications＞
・Sato, Takehiro, Noboru Adachi, Ryosuke Kimura, Kazuyoshi Hosomichi, Minoru Yoneda, Hiroki Oota,
Atsushi Tajima, Atsushi Toyoda, Hideaki Kanzawa-Kiriyama, Hiromi Matsumae, Kae Koganebuchi,
Kentaro K Shimizu, Ken-ichi Shinoda, Tsunehiko Hanihara, Andrzej Weber, Hirofumi Kato, Hajime
Ishida (2021), “Whole-genome sequencing of a 900-year-old human skeleton supports two pastmigration events from the Russian Far East to northern Japan”. Genome Biology and Evolution .
DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evab192
・Nomura, Akihiro, Takehiro Sato, Hayato Tada, Takayuki Kannon, Kazuyoshi Hosomichi, Hiromasa
Tsujiguchi, Hiroyuki Nakamura, Masayuki Takamura, Astushi Tajima, Masa-aki Kawashiri (2021),“Polygenic risk score for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and familial hypercholesterolemia”.

Journal of Human Genetics . DOI: 10.1038/s10038-021-00929-7
・Sato, Takehiro, Shigeki Nakagome, Chiaki Watanabe, Kyoko Yamaguchi, Akira Kawaguchi, Kae
Koganebuchi, Kuniaki Haneji, Tetsutaro Yamaguchi, Tsunehiko Hanihara, Ken Yamamoto, Hajime
Ishida, Shuhei Mano, Ryosuke Kimura, Hiroki Oota (2014), “Genome-Wide SNP Analysis Reveals
Population Structure and Demographic History of the Ryukyu Islanders in the Southern Part of
the Japanese Archipelago”. Molecular Biology and Evolution 31: 2929–2940. DOI: 10.1093/molbev/
msu230・Sato, Takehiro, Razhev Dmitry, Tetsuya Amano, Ryuichi Masuda (2011), “ Genetic features of ancient West
Siberian people of the Middle Ages, revealed by mitochondrial DNA haplogroup analysis”. Journalof Human Genetics 56: 602-608. DOI: 10.1038/jhg.2011.68

38

【Cultural Resources section】
NAKAMURA Seiichi(Director/Professor, Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural Resources)
Specialty: Maya Archaeology, Cultural Resources Studies＜Research Activities＞
I specialize in the study of the Maya Civilization at its peak, which is known as the classic period (Circa
A.D. 250-900). Unlike the ancient civilizations of the old continent, the Maya civilization of the classic period
were never unified politically, and it is said that 60 to 70 kingdoms existed from the south of Mexico to thewest of Honduras. These kingdoms have left their traces in various places in the form of ancient city ruins
and during the latter 23 years of my 39-year research career since I first came to Honduras, I have conducted
research mainly on sites that are registered as World Heritage sites. Currently, I am conducting research on
the Maya Site of Copan in Honduras (registered in 1980 as a cultural heritage) and the Tikal National Park in
Guatemala (registered in 1979 as a mixed heritage site).
My research at Copan aims to elucidate the history of the dynasty through interdisciplinary research.
For example, cosmic ray muons are used to search for royal tombs as well as examining a burial thatis believed to be that of a king through stable isotope analysis and genome analysis. According to theestablished theory based on the interdisciplinary research of epigraphy, archaeology, iconography, physicalanthropology, and isotope chemistry; it was said from the late 1980s to 2000s that the Copan dynasty was
founded in 426/427 AD by an outsider, Yax K’uk Mo’ who is related to Caracol (Belize) and Tikal (Guatemala).
It is believed that Yax K’uk Mo’ is the individual buried in the stone chamber tomb called Hunal, which was
found by a research group of the museum of the University of Pennsylvania. While European and American
researchers have built an elaborate history of the Copan dynasty based on this theory, I aim to verify thefounding date of the dynasty by shedding light on the yet mysterious first half of the dynasty’s history
by using the primary data I have collected through my excavations as well as the results obtained frominterdisciplinary research.
On the other hand, at the Tikal National Park, Guatemala, I conduct a comparative study of the Tikal
Dynasty during the founding period of the Copan Dynasty. In Tikal, I have been conducting research jointlywith the Tikal National Park since 2012 in the North Acropolis area of the urban center. Currently, we arefocusing on the restoration and conservation of structure 5D-35, and archaeological excavations are limited
to the preliminary excavations that come with these activities. However, even in small-scale excavations wehave been able to obtain significant results such as the discovery for the first time in 28 years of a fragmentof a stella which is inscribed with maya glyphs.
Moreover, in coordination with JICA and the Agency for Cultural Affairs we are focusing on achieving
the objectives established in the SDGs through the practical implementation of cultural resource studies. Oneof such activities is the weekly online training program for the residents of the six communities that surround
Tikal. Community residents together with the local government and counterpart government agencies think
how their livelihoods can be improved by utilizing the cultural and natural resources of the world mixed
heritage site. The other activity is a training program that teaches the tridimensional measurement method

39and how to use the data gathered which is necessary to conduct surveys, record, restore and conservearchaeological sites. These online programs are conducted with simultaneous English-Spanish translation. This
opens the programs to the entire Latin American region and consequently, people from numerous countries
in Latin America participate.
Although it is currently suspended due to the new Corona pandemic, internship programs and crosscultural experience workshops were carried out in both Tikal and Copan until 2018. I cannot help but hopethat the Corona pandemic will soon be over and that the international exchange activities will resume in
Tikal and Copan.
＜Recent publications＞
・Nakamura, Seiichi, Melvin Fuentes, Masahiro Ogawa, Carlos Carbajal (2021), PROARCO Ⅱ : Objectives,

Justification, and Preliminary Results (Kanazawa Cultural Resource Studies 28) , Seiichi Nakamura(ed.), Center for the Ancient Civilizations and Cultural Resources, Kanazawa University.
・Nakamura, Seiichi (2021), “Some issues concerning the classic rulership at Copan of Maya Civilization”. In

Archaeology in the Hokuriku region and the World , pp. 319-322. (in Japanese)
・Nakamura, Seiichi (2021), “Utilization of cultural heritage and regional society” (2-20), “Searching for theancient America by Japanese researchers” (17-5). In Cultural Encycropidia of Latinamerica ,Maruzen, Tokyo. (in Japanese, co-author)・Suzuki, Shintaro, Seiichi Nakamura and Douglas Price (2020), “Isotopic proveniencing at Classic Copan andin the southern periphery of the Maya Area: A new perspective on multi-ethnic society”. Journalof Anthropological Archaeology 60: 1-17.
・Nakamura, Seiichi (2020), “International cooperation project utilizing archaeological sites in Central America:
Case studies in Guatemala and Honduras”. In Cultural Heritage and SDGs II – What is told now inthe world? , pp. 32-45. Japan Consortium for International Cooperation in Cultural Heritage.
・Nakamura, Seiichi (2020), Proyecto Arqueológico Copán (PROARCO): Investigaciones Arqueológicas en los

Grupos 9L-22 y 9L-23, Copán, Honduras, Vol.3 (Kanazawa Cultural Resource Studies 25) , Seiichi
Nakamura (ed.), Center for the Ancient Civilizations and Cultural Resources, Kanazawa University.

40

TANIGAWA Ryuichi(Associate professer, Institute for Frontier Science Initiative)
Specialty: Architectural History＜Research Activities＞
Modern Asian architectural and urban history with an emphasis on the relationship between Japanand other Asian countries.
＜Recent publications＞
・Tanigawa, Ryuichi and Dmitry Kuznetsov (2021), “North Korea's urban planner   Kim Jeong-hui: An
elucidation and analysis of his career before the Korean Armistice (1953)”.  Journal of Architecture

and Planning 86(781): 1103-1113, Architectural Institute of Japan.
・Tanigawa, Ryuichi and Dongchun Seo (2020), “Architecture teachers during the early days of North Korea:
Between liberation from Japanese colonial rule and the establishment of a socialist state”. Japan

Architectural Review 4(1): 155-167, Architectural Institute of Japan.
・Tanigawa, Ryuichi (2019), “Electrical Engineer Kazuo Morita and Hydropower – History before thedevelopment of colonial Korea-“. Journal of JSCE 7(1): 91-99, Japan Society of Civil Engineers.

41Acquired research funds (as of August 1, 2022)
Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research(KAKENHI) Program（Only Funds conducted as Principal Investigator）

Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas (A) – Planned
GAKUHARI Takashi

Development and Application of a Platform for Paleogenomics

SASAKI Yuka

Morphological study of plant and animal impressions on pottery

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (S)NAKAMURA Seiichi

Elucidating the Dynamics of the Copan Dynasty in the Maya Civilization throughPaleogenomics

FUJII Sumio

The Origin of the Tribal Society in the Near East: Comprehensive Study of the Preand Proto-historic Nomadic Cultures in the Arabian Peninsula

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)GAKUHARI Takashi

New development of utilization of museum materials created by New Paleo
Genomics

KUME Shogo

The Formation of the Proto-Silk Roads: Integrated Research on Early Exploitationof Mountainous Areas in Central Asia

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)ADACHI Takuro

The West Asian Urbanization and the Prehistoric Nomadic Trades

UESUGI Akinori

Dynamism of the Indus Civilzation: Multidisciplinary Studies on Craft Production

KAWAI Nozomu

North Saqqara New Kingdom Necropolis Research Project

SASAKI Yuka

Analysis of the technical knowledge of the Jomon people deduced from the material
plants and weaving techniques of mats left as pottery impressions

SATO Takehiro

Elucidation of the human population history in boundary area between East Asia
and Siberia based on ancient genome analysis

TANIGAWA Ryuichi

A multidimensional reconstruction of North Korean architectural and urban history
based on critical examination

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)ODAKA Takahiro

Material Culture During the Reorganization of Early Farming Society in the Near
East

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area) – Publicly

42

ADACHI Takuro

Urbanization of West Asia and prehistoric nomadic trade

ODAKA Takahiro

Eastern Boundary of Mesopotamia in the Process of Urbanization

Other research funds（Only Funds conducted as Principal Investigator）
UESUGI Akinori

The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Bilateral Programs (Joint
Research) : ” Relationship Between Urban Development and Pastoral Society in the Inner
Arid Area of the Arabian Peninsula during the Bronze Age (Joint research projectwith Department of Prehistoric and Historical Archaeology, University of Vienna)

NAKAMURA Seiichi

JICA Partnership Program: “Project for the Development of Human Resources andSupport of Self-Organization in the Tikal National Park Tourist Corridor”

NAKAMURA Seiichi

Networking Core Centers for International Cooperation on Conservation of Cultural
Heritage Project of the Agency for Cultural Affairs: “Human resource development
project in Central America on three-dimensional documentation of Maya cultural
heritage and utilization of three-dimensional documentation data”

Visiting Faculty Members and Visiting Fellows: Grant-in-Aid
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)NAKAGOME Shigeki

Population genomics of Jomon: elucidating adaptive evolution in ancient huntersand gatherers and its legacy in modern populations

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)IIZUKA Yoshiyuki

Non-invasive lithological study for prehistorical stone artifacts: Transition of stonematerials in prehistory

UCHIYAMA Junzo

Zooarchaeological research on social-ecological impacts of the Kikai-Akahoya super
volcanic eruption, 7,300 years ago

KITAGAWA Chiori

Study on canids and felids from ancient Egypt: analyses of osteomorphology andpalaeogenomics

KOJIMA Yoshitaka

Basic study on the chronology of the relics excavated from the Bohai Kingdom(698-926) site in the Russian Primorye region

KOYANAGI Yoshiki

Empirical study of bronze farming tools in the area of Wu, Yue “呉越”.

TOKUNAGA Risa

Early Islamic Routes in the Hijaz: A Study through Rock Graffiti

MURANO Masakage

Public Archaeological Research for Developing School Museums: Focusing on
Schools in Kyoto Prefecture

Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
HIGO Tokihisa

Exporing Maaty in Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead

Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows
HIGO Tokihisa

A Study of Ancient Egyptian Funerary Literature: A Commined Approach to theMiddle Kingdom Coffins43〒920-1192 Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa
Kanazawa University
Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural Resources〒920-1192 金沢市角間町
金沢大学
古代文明・文化資源学研究所
https://isac.w3.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/index.html© Institute for the Study of Ancient Civilizations and Cultural Resources