TRENDS IN ARCHAEOLOGY IN JAPAN

Early Modern
Takashima hiroyuki1Research trends of ﬁscal 2012 are roughly divided into sites/features, artifacts, and postmodern archaeology.
For sites and features, excavations of feudal estates (jokan) and castle towns wereconducted as other years. At the 4th excavation of Goyomaiguruwa, remains of Odawara
castle, locations of six warehouses were conﬁrmed as well as existence of a space with afence with stacked roof tiles. At the International Library of Children’s Literature pointof Uenoshinobugaoka sites, a complete Tenmoku bowl made in Seto-Mino was excavatedfrom an underground pit. Although modern study tends to discuss samurai domains
such as castles and feudal lord residences, Kansai Kinsei Kokogaku Kenkyukai held aconvention in December on “machiyashiki,” residents where commoners lived [“Kansaini Okeru Machiyashiki no Hensen (Transition of Machiyashiki in Kansai)]. Various
aspects of Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Itami, Sakai, Edo, and Ako were collected, and elaborate
discussions were developed utilizing continuity from the medieval to the modern. Also,an exhibition on modern archaeology in peripheral areas of cities was held at Fuchu City
Kyodo no Mori Museum [“Edo Jidai no Tama wo Horu (Digging Tama in Edo Period),”
January to March, 2013]. Excavation results of Higashimiya site, Gunma Prefecture
were reported at an exhibition and at research meetings [“Higashimiya Iseki: Yanba deHakken Sareta Edo Jidai (Higashimiya Site: Edo Period Discovered at Yanba)” Hakkutsu
Johokan, Gunma Archaeological Research Foundation: May to August, 2012], giving us
an opportunity to reconsider the relationship between natural disasters and archaeologicalsites. For underwater archaeology, research results of NPO Asian Research Institute ofUnderwater Archaeology were published as Suichu Bunka Isan Deetaabeesu Sakusei toShuichu Kokogaku no Suisin: Umi no Bunka Isan Sogo Chosa Houkokusho (Creatinga Database for Underwater Cultural Heritage Sites and Promotion of Underwater
Archaeology: Research Report on Cultural Heritage of the Sea). Also, Tabako to Shiono Hakubutsukan Kenkyu Kiyo, Vol. 10: VOC to Nichiran Koryu: VOC Iseki no Chosato Tabako (Bulletin of Tobacco and Salt Museum Vol. 10: VOC and Japan-Holland
Exchanges: Excavation of VOC Site and Tobacco) was published.
1 School of Literature, Senshu University, 2–1–1, Higashimita, Tama Ward, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa

Prefecture, 214–8580, Japan(hirot@isc.senshu-u.ac.jp)

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As for artifacts, research societies for ceramics were active. The 40th convention ofToyo Jiki Gakkai, “Nagasaki no Kinsei Tojiki no Aratana Chosa Seika (New StudyResults of Modern Ceramics in Nagasaki)” was held in November at Nagasaki Museumof History and Culture. As a characteristic of Nagasaki, export was one of study themes.
In February, the third study meeting of Kinsei Toji Kenkyukai was held at Chiyoda
City’s Hibiya Library and Museum, under the theme “Edo no Bukechi Shutsudo noHizen Jiki: Hisai Siryo to Shoki Iroe/Nabeshima/Kakiemon (Edo’s Samurai Residentsand Hizen Ceramics: Data on Disaster and Early Painting/Nabeshima/Kakiemon).” Itwas rather innovative because presentation, discussion, and observation were conductedfrom both views of production and consumption, with actual artifacts. For exhibitions,Chiyoda City’s Hibiya Library and Museum held “Tokugawa Shogunke no Utsuwa(Vessels of the Tokugawa Shogunate)” (January to March, 2013). On the other hand, EdoIseki Kenkyukai held a convention “Edo to Ki no Bunka (Edo and Wood Culture),” andit was a good opportunity to deepen understandings on wooden objects excavated fromarchaeological sites.
As for modern archaeology, Shinagawa Rekishikan had an exhibition on railroadarchaeology, and the results were published in Shinagawa Rekishikan Kiyo, Vol. 28(Bulletin of Shinagawa Historical Museum Vol. 28). In Saga City, Saga Prefecture,Bakumatsu Sagahan Mietsu Kangunshoato (Remains of Mietsu Navy Yard in Saga
Feudal Clan at the End of Tokugawa Shogunate) was published, clarifying aspects of aﬂeet base established by Saga Clan to create a western style navy.
Thus, ﬁscal 2012 continued to see deepening of research in each ﬁeld. However, asexcavation results further accumulate, there is a keen realization that it is necessary tohave a viewpoint to reexamine past results and utilize it for future research.

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