ARCHAEOLOGIA JAPONICA

China
MATSUMOTO Keita1
Fiscal 2015 study trends for Chinese archaeology are overviewed. Trends within Japanare organized by periods, and study meetings and symposiums held last ﬁscal year arementioned.
Continuing from the previous year, studied regions and periods were diversiﬁed
further. Also, more detailed study is being developed due to the increase of data andintroduction of scientiﬁc analysis methods. For example, MATSUI Akira and KIKUCHI
Hiroki ed., The Origin and Diffusion of Livestock and Poultry in Neolithic East Asia:New Zooarchaeological Evidence from China [Research Results of Grant-in-Aid for
Scientiﬁc Research in 26 to 27-year of Heisei (Fundamental Study A)] tried to establish
and practice livestock culture study, not only using comparative morphological methods
but various method such as paleo-DNA analysis and stable isotope analysis. Also,
important results were achieved on bronze tool study in Yin and Zhou dynasties bydetailed observation of inscriptions, 3D scanning, and experimental casting.
Chinese data were often examined as a part of research on East Asia, North Asia, orEurasia. For example, discussion is active for the origin of bronze tools, iron tool culture,and so on. Chugoku Kokogaku (Chinese Archaeology) 15 (Japan Society for ChineseArchaeology) contained articles that discussed problems of placement of early iron tools
in China, and inﬂuences on Japan based on observation of metallic structure. Iron was atheme for discussion at the 8th AIC (Research Center of Ancient East Asian Iron Culture,Ehime University) Symposium and the 9th Joint Lecture by Four Asian ArchaeologicalSocieties. As for the medieval period, study around the Sea of Japan or Mongol Empirewas outstanding. For example, KOJIMA Yoshitaka ed., Chugoku to Roshia Enkai
Chiho ni Okeru Bokkai no Kokogakuteki Kenkyu (Archaeological Study of Balhae in
the Coastal Region of China and Russia) (KAKENHI Report) is a research report ofarchaeological study of Balhae in China and Russia conducted from 2009 to 2015. Inaddition, there was publication of SHIRAISHI Noriyuki ed., Jingisukan to Sono Jidai(Genghis Khan and His Time) (Bensei Shuppan).
As for study meetings and symposiums, the First Joint Symposium of Chinese
1 c/oDepartment of Archaeology, Graduate School of Humanities, Kyushu University, 6–10–1Hakozaki, Higashi Ward, Fukuoka 812–8581, Japan(ordos.bronze@gmail.com)
JAPANESE JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY 5 (2017): 76–77© Japanese Archaeological Association

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JAPANESE JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY 5 (2017): 76–77

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Archaeology between China and Japan held in March 2015 at School of Archaeologyand Museology, Peking University, was mentioned. This joint Symposium was held by
the Society for Chinese Archaeology and Japan Society for Chinese Archaeology, andresearchers from Japan and China made presentations in Chinese. Holding of such joint
symposiums indicates that the situation surrounding Chinese archaeological study inJapan is changing drastically due to the development of archaeological study in China.
The ﬁscal 2015 convention of the Japan Society for Chinese Archaeology was held at
Seijo University under the theme “Yecheng Seen from Archaeology: Transition to Sui
and Tang Dynasties.” Also, there were many reports related to China at the convention ofthe Society for the History of Asian Casting Technology.
Study trends in this ﬁscal year are not only seen in Japan but also remarkablein Western countries and in China. How Japanese researchers can contribute toarchaeological study in China or areas including China is being questioned.

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