Overview: Japanese Archaeological Research Trends 20101
Suda Tsutomu2

The year 2010 marks ten years since the scandal of the Paleolithic hoax rocked theJapanese archaeological world. It will never be possible to forget the events of thefifth of November, 2000. In May, when the Japanese Archaeological Association
2000 General Meeting was held at Kokushikan University, there were five research
reports on the Paleolithic of Hokkaido and Tōhoku in which Fujimura Shin’ichi3
was involved. While that by itself was unusual, there were repeated inquiries from
the Mainichi Shimbun wanting to get in touch with him.
Since the scandal was uncovered, academics and research organizations
throughout the country, beginning with the Japanese Archaeological Association,
have repeatedly made the most thoroughgoing investigations possible. It probably
remains the case, however, that doubts about archaeology as an academic field are
yet to be eradicated.
Under these conditions the results of investigation at the Sunahara 4 site in
Izumo,5 Shimane prefecture, which was excavated in 2009 and became a topic ofgreat interest, were publicly announced and reported at research meetings. There
was a presentation made at the Japanese Archaeological Association 2010 General
Meeting in May,6 while the site was also reported in the proceedings 7 and taken up[Trends in Japanese Archaeological Research, 2010 , is a partial translation of “Nihon kōkogaku
kenkyū no dōkō” 日本考古学研究の動向, in Nihon kōkogaku nenpō 63 (2010 nendoban) 日本考古学年報
63（2010 年度版) (Archaeologia Japonica 63 [2010 Fiscal Year Issue]) (Nihon Kōkogaku Kyōkai, 2012),
pp. 1-61. This essay appears on pp. 1-5, under the Japanese title “Sōsetsu” 総説. It was translated byWalter Edwards, and published by the Japanese Archaeological Association (Nihon Kōkogaku Kyōkai
日本考古学協会) online in 2012. To streamline the text, characters for Japanese names and terms, andbibliographic information have been placed in footnotes. When an English translation of the name ofan organization or publication (or symposium, etc.) is supplied by the party responsible, this is usedwith minimum changes in capitalization etc. to conform to the style followed by Trends in JapaneseArchaeological Research. Romanized names of individuals are given with the surname followed by the
personal name.]
2
須田勉
3
藤村新一
4
砂原
5
出雲
6
Matsufuji Kazuto et al. 松藤和人他, “Izumo-shi Sunahara iseki no gakujutsu chōsa” 出雲市砂原遺跡の学術 調 査 (Research Excavation at the Sunahara Site, Izumo City), presented at the Nihon Kōkogaku
Kyōkai 2010 Nendo Sōkai 日本考古学協会 2010 年度総会 (Japanese Archaeological Association 2010
General Meeting) (Kokushikan Daigaku, 23 May 2010).
7
Kyūsekki jidai kenkyū no shomondai: Rettō saiko no kyūsekki o saguru 旧石器時代研究の諸問題: 列島
最 古 の 旧 石 器 を 探 る (Problems in Japanese Palaeolithic Research: In Search of the Oldest Human/
Culture in Japanese Archipelago), abstracts and materials from the symposium held in conjunction
1

Trends in Japanese Archaeological Research, 2010
© 2012 The Japanese Archaeological Association
published online: December 2012

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TRENDS IN JAPANESE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2010

in discussion at the symposium held in conjunction with the 8th meeting of theJapanese Paleolithic Research Association in June. Whereas there had already beena newspaper report giving the age as 120,000 years, an opinion held at the time of
excavation, this was later adjusted to 120,000–70,000 years ago, based on areexamination of the artifact-bearing layers.
In opposition to these views of the investigators, there were skeptical opinions
about whether these materials could be distinguished as man-made or naturalstone, and even denials that they were Paleolithic. As seen from the way in which
debate at the above-mentioned symposium, between Matsufuji Kazuto and Inada
Takashi8 over assessments of the finds as stone tools, was taken up in nationwide
editions of newspapers (such as the Asahi Shimbun and the Mainichi Shimbun),there is still considerable interest held in these matters by the mass media and thecitizens. As the issue at the Sunahara site is a debate over evaluation as stone tools,
in order that mistakes of the past are not repeated, it is hoped that full data
regarding these materials will be quickly made public, and that open debate will be
conducted with shared data.
At the Makimuku9 site in Nara prefecture, a candidate for the location of theancient country of Yamatai, 10 a large embedded-pillar building (19.2 m north-south
by a reconstructed east-west width of 12.4 m) and another 3 × 2 span building withexternal ridge-end pillars, were detected in the Tsuji district of Sakurai 11 in workfrom 2009 to 2010. They comprised part of a facility, known from previous
excavations and now consisting of three buildings surrounded by a fence, that waslaid out in planned fashion along an axis extending east-west, and it has become
clear that this group of buildings functioned together as a group. A third-century
date has been attributed to post holes of the building with external ridge-end pillars.
In the 168th investigation at Makimuku in 2010, a large pit and a ditch-shapedfeature of the first half and middle portion of the third century were detected. From
within the pit, in addition to items such as miniature pots, wooden vessels, and abow, more than 2,000 peach pits were recovered. It is highly likely that the peachpits were utilized in ritual, and these finds have drawn attention concerning theirnature.
With regards to the investigations of 2009-10, the results were broadcast widelyin the mass media, with a documentary even airing on NHK. 12 But for a site in which
the nation’s interest is so strong, we at least would like to have its topics sharedacademically on a nationwide basis, such as through a research presentation at theAnnual Meeting of the Japanese Archaeological Association. One hears that evenwith the Dai 8-kai Nihon Kyūsekki Gakkai 第 ８ 回 日 本 旧 石 器 学 会 (8th Meeting, Japanese Paleolithic
Association) (Meiji Daigaku, 26-27 June 2010).
8
稲田孝司
9
纏向
10
邪馬台
11
Tsuji 辻, Sakurai 桜井
12“‘Yamataikoku’ o horu” “邪馬台国”を掘る (Digging “The Country of Yamatai”), a documentary in the
NHK special series Rekishi/kikō 歴史・紀行 (History/Travel) (aired 23 January 2011).

O VERVIEW–3–

within the Kansai region, presentations of the results in venues such as researchmeetings were few.
The Sakurai Chausuyama13 tomb, at the southeast edge of the Nara basin, is
known from the investigation conducted in 1949-50 to be a large-scale keyholeshaped tomb over 200 m in overall length, having a vertical stone chamber with anabundance of grave goods. The aims of the reinvestigation conducted 60 years later
were to reaffirm details of the burial facilities and take measures to preserve thewooden coffin. Bronze mirror fragments, in addition to the 53 items recovered 60
years ago, increased to 384 with another 331 items from the reinvestigation. As formirror types, from a classification of the patterns on the mirrors’ backs, it waspossible to affirm among other things that at least 81 different mirrors had been in
existence.
Reinvestigation to pursue detailed information regarding artifacts and features,and to undertake preservation of the wooden coffin, may be called an effective
measure for augmenting accurate historical evaluation of a tomb.
Reassessment was conducted of materials recovered from the Gojō Nekozuka14
tomb, regarded as extremely important for considerations of the introduction of
metalworking technology and of foreign relations in the Middle Kofun period. A
comprehensive reexamination of the recovered finds was performed a half century
after publication of the site report in 1962. Whereas at the Sakurai Chausuyama
tomb above the focus was the artifacts and features, and for the Goj ō Nekozuka it
was a reassessment of the recovered materials, the two efforts can be said to share apoint in common as restudies. Without having to go back a half century, there are
doubtless many reports that were published under the pressure of deadlines
without undergoing sufficient analysis. The conduct of reexaminations andreassessments focusing on such sites will likely continue to be a necessary task in
the future.
Investigation of the Kengoshizuka15 tomb, by the Board of Education of the townof Asuka,16 can be cited as an event worth special note for the latter half of the year.
Previously, as this tomb’s structure has a horizontal side-entrance stonecompartment17 hollowed out of a single huge boulder of volcanic tuff, and in
addition to gilt-bronze cloisonné casket fittings and fragments of a dry-lacquercoffin, glass beads and teeth had been found, the tomb was considered worthy of
attribution as a royal grave and had been thought possibly the mausoleum ofEmpress Saimei.18 With this investigation by the Asuka Board of Education, fromdiscoveries such as dressed stone paving with internal angles of 135° at the corners,
it is clearly seen as an octagonal mound, and in practicality has been identified as
桜井茶臼山
五條猫塚 (Nara prefecture)
15
牽牛子塚
16
明日香 (Nara prefecture)17
yokoanashiki sekkaku 横口式石槨
18
斉明 (594-661)
13
14

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TRENDS IN JAPANESE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2010

the tomb of Empress Saimei.19 Numerous dressed stones of volcanic tuff paved thecircumference of the mound, which is seen as a regular octagon 22 m on a side.
There were traces of granite lined up to the outside of the dressed stone paving,
beyond which was a paving of packed cobbles.
From these results of the investigation the Kengoshizuka tomb, which was
equipped with coffin plinths, 20 is regarded as the mausoleum for the double burial of
Saimei and her daughter, Imperial Princess Hashibito, 21 mentioned in a Shoku
Nihongi 22 entry for the year 699 regarding tomb construction work. 23 The
Koshitsuka Gomon24 tomb found approximately 20 m south of Kengoshizuka also
has a horizontal side-entrance stone compartment, and the Asuka Board of
Education has announced the strong possibility of this being the grave of Imperial
Princess Ōta,25 Saimei’s granddaughter. Meanwhile, the Imperial Household
Agency’s Archives and Mausolea Department proclaimed its wish to pay close
attention to the progress of investigations at these tombs as being of great interest,
but declared it would not change its official designation of another mound, theKurumagi Kennō26 tomb, as Saimei’s mausoleum.
For the Ancient period, the year 2010 was above all else the 1300th anniversarycelebration of the capital’s move to Nara. Beginning with the public opening of thereconstructed Former Imperial Audience Hall, the ancient capital of Nara bustledwith unprecedented crowds. In the Asuka palace district, the movement to have
Asuka inscribed on the World Heritage list has become lively. At the Fujiwara
palace, the 160th excavation investigated the cloisters of the State Halls andImperial Audience Hall Compounds, with the position estimated for each being
confirmed. In the Nara palace, there were investigations of groups of buildings androadway features spanning six phases in the 440th and 446th excavations at theEastern Government Office Sector, with the latter excavation also examining theEast Palace Sector, and in the 454th excavation the Imperial Audience Hall’s plaza[Translator’s note: An octagonal shape was incorporated in the tomb regarded as the mausoleum of
Saimei's husband, Emperor Jomei 舒 明 (593–641), and from the mid-seventh century this form wasutilized in central Japan only by the royal family.]20[Translator’s note: The burial compartment is divided into left and right halves by a central stone
partition, and the floor on each side was carved with a raised platform about 10 cm in height to receivea coffin.]
21
間人皇女
22
『続日本紀』
23[Translator’s note: Although a Nihon shoki 『日本書紀』 entry for 667 (2nd month, 27th day) notes
the burial of Saimei together with her daughter, it also records a declaration by Saimei’s son, Emperor
Tenji, stating he obeyed his mother’s command to forgo excessive funerary expenses. This raises
doubts as to whether the elaborate burial facility at Kengoshizuka, with its hollowed-out stonecompartment, was built at that time. Accordingly, the reference cited here to repair work done at thesame tomb, which appears in a Shoku Nihongi entry for 699 (10th month, 20th day) in the reign ofSaimei’ grandson, Emperor Monmu 文武, is taken as evidence for later construction of the facility. The
match between the dual plinths at Kengoshizuka, indication that the compartment was intended for a
double burial from the start, and the account of Saimei’s burial together with her daughter, is regarded
as strong evidence for the identification.]
24
越塚御門
25
大田皇女
26
車木ケンノウ (Nara prefecture)
19

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was investigated.
Regarding directional orientation in the construction of ancient capitals, Uno
Takao’s methodology is drawing attention. Uno has made surveys using GPS for theKuni27 and Ōtsu28 capitals, and conducted viewshed analysis (visible area analysis)
utilizing GIS. With these methods he has made examinations of the construction ofsuch facilities ranging from the technology to the ideology involved, and has also
made analyses of temples, which bore an important role in the compositions ofcapitals. As a result, he concludes by pointing out that many examples of such
construction were planned with attention paid to a true north orientation. 29 Also, asa result of carrying out observations of the sun and the pole star that could serve theChinese as basis for the ideology, he showed clearly that by using the latter method,
it is possible to approximate true north to a high degree of accuracy. 30
For regional government offices, there was the investigation of the Kume
Takabata31 site in Matsuyama, Ehime prefecture. On the southern side of the outer
enclosure for the government office site of Phase I, in the mid-seventh century, agap of about 10 m in width in a line of pillars thought to be a board fence was
detected, and is hypothesized to be a gate feature. As the eastern side of theenclosure has already been ascertained from its features, by projecting its position
to the west using the gate as the center, the prospect of reconstructing the entire
outline has thus emerged, a highly significant development. At the center of the
precinct a main hall and a fore hall are lined up north to south, and it is assumed
that subsidiary halls were set up to the east and west. Judging from the mid-seventhcentury date for the features, there is a good possibility these facilities were related
to a miyake.32
Meanwhile, at the Sannō33 abandoned temple site in Maebashi, Gunma
prefecture, an investigation of embedded-pillar buildings in the lower strata of thesite was conducted. The existence of such features had been made clear earlier inthe postwar period, but with this investigation the numbers increased, reaching 13
buildings and including examples of structures with pillars placed on a regular grid

恭仁 (Kyoto prefecture)
大津 (Shiga prefecture)
29[Translator’s note: The comparison is being made here with China, where the use of a grid oriented
to true north was based on the ideology of the emperor as the incarnation of the pole star, but waslimited in its application to the capital, with few exceptions. In ancient Japan, however, this type of
construction was widely carried out in regional administrative centers and temples, as well as at thesites of capitals. (The translator thanks Prof. Uno for this clarification, provided through personalcommunication.)]30[Translator’s note: Han period astronomy texts record surveying methods based on both the sun andthe pole star, but the latter was shown to be superior through experimentation. (The translator again
thanks Prof. Uno, as above.)]
31
久米高畑
32
屯 倉 [Translator’s note: Miyake were estates held directly by the Yamato court prior to the Taika
Reform of 645, and many subsequently served as a basis for regional governance under the ritsuryō
system.]
33
山王
27
28

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TRENDS IN JAPANESE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2010

within the core,34 those with pillars on the perimeter supporting the roof, 35 andthose built atop tamped-earth platforms. From the relations of overlap andorientation, these buildings divide broadly into two phases, with 10 belonging to theolder, and three to the newer phase. Among these, there were two instances for theolder phase where roof tiles were used as foundation blocks within the post holes,
strengthening the likelihood that the founding of the temple and the construction of
the government offices proceeded simultaneously. As many experts date the eightfold simple-lotus-petal design of the round eaves tiles of the temple’s founding
period to around 660, features of the lower strata of the Sannō abandoned temple
site can possibly be regarded as the early phase of the district office complex. That
the Kuruma36 district headquarters located in the lower strata of the Sannō
abandoned temple site was perhaps established in its oldest phase along with thetemple as far back as the third quarter of the seventh century is probably because of
the nature of the Sano37 miyake, which held influence from the center of the ancient
province of Kōzuke38 to the west, as an area under direct control of the Yamato
monarchy.
In the 2010 Fiscal Year there were many excavations related to state-supported
provincial monasteries. Conducted mainly for the purpose of preparation as historicsites, these included the provincial monasteries of Aki 39 and Izumo40 in westernJapan, and those of Tōtōmi,41 Mikawa,42 Kai,43 and Musashi44 in eastern Japan, andas they were based on new investigative techniques, they produced plentiful results
overturning received understandings. Among these, the compound-lotus-petal
design of round eaves tiles of the 01 and 01B types used for the founding period
main hall of the monastery at Aki were found to be produced from the same molds
used for the 6408J and 6408R types at the Nara capital. From the progression ofmold marks and subsequent carving applied to the molds, it is clear that both molds
were taken from Nara to the monastery in Aki. This is the first confirmed case ofmolds used at the Nara palace and capital being transferred and utilized at a
provincial monastery. This development probably involved a relationship of the
manager of the molds in the capital with the ancient province of Aki.
sōbashira tatemono 総柱建物
gawabashira tatemono 側柱建物
36
群 馬 [Translator’s note: The name of the district was originally written with the character 車 ,conventionally read as Kuruma, but with an order in 713 to standardize district and province names toa two-character length, this was changed to 群 馬 while the pronunciation remained the same. The
custom of reading this by the more standard pronunciation of Gunma came much later.]37
佐野38
上野 [Translator’s note: This was originally written 上毛野国 and pronounced variously as Kamitsuke
no kuni or Kōzuke no kuni, but after the order to regularize the length of names for districts andprovinces (kuni 国) to two characters (see note, above), it was shortened to 上毛国 while still read witheither of the two variant pronunciations.]39
安芸 (in modern Hiroshima prefecture)40
出雲 (in modern Shimane prefecture)41
遠江 (in modern Shizuoka prefecture)42
三河 (in modern Aichi prefecture)43
甲斐 (modern Yamanashi prefecture)44
武蔵 (modern Tokyo, and parts of Saitama and Kanagawa prefectures)
34
35

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One site I would like to take up in this discussion of the Ancient period is Baba
Minami,45 in Kizugawa,46 Kyoto prefecture. Around the features of a main (image)hall and a worship hall are the traces of a watercourse, and horse-shaped clay
figurines, human effigies, and ink-inscribed pottery drawn with human faces wererecovered.47 Meanwhile, fragments of clay Buddhist sculpture were found at themain hall, so it was truly a syncretic temple of Buddhist and native deity worship.
Among ink-inscribed pottery recovered are examples with characters perhaps readas Kamiodera or Kannōji,48 representing the name of the temple, and keka,49 a
Buddhist ritual of repentance, suggesting it was a facility exclusively for such rites.
In the agricultural village realm of eastern Japan as well there are temples
comprised of a main hall and a worship hall, bringing to mind facilities similar innature to Nigatsudō of Tōdaiji temple.50 It may be said that in addition to Buddhist
temples transmitted from the Sui and Tang dynasties, we have reached the time to
pay attention as well to the nature of temples bearing a different structure.
Research meetings on Medieval pottery held at the Sakai City Museum now
number 29 sessions. Archaeological research is gradually broadening its sphere,
and this series of meetings is one that has progressed together with thedevelopment of Medieval archaeological studies. This year’s theme was Izumi-style
Ga ware bowls.51 Materials of this type were on display at the meeting’s venue, andthe opportunity to examine and compare Izumi-style Ga ware bowls recovered fromevery part of western Japan was well received.
The center of Medieval archaeological research can be said to lie in the Late
Medieval to Warring States periods, when the construction of castles, the operationof kilns, and other areas of production were becoming more active. Historicalreconstructions of the Medieval period, for which many types of recorded data
survive, such as archaeological and documentary materials, plus picture scrolls, areproviding a much richer portrayal with the addition of the field of archaeology.
At Sawayama52 castle in Hikone,53 famous as the residence of Ishida Mitsunari, 54
the remains of the inner moat were detected, as well as boundary ditches for housesof the castle town. The inner moat was at least 22 m in width, and artifacts relating
to smithing and metal casting were recovered from the houses of the castle town.
馬場南 [Translator’s note: Information on this site is available on the website of the JapaneseArchaeological Association. URL: http://archaeology.jp/sites/2010/baba.htm]
46
木津川
47
[Translator’s note: The three types of finds mentioned here are associated with native rituals aimed
at purging the human body of impurities thought to be the source of illness and misfortune.]
48
神雄寺
49
悔過
50
Nigatsudō 二月堂, Tōdaiji 東大寺 (Nara)
51“Izumi-gata gaki wan o kangaeru” 和泉型瓦器椀を考える (Considering Izumi-type Ga Ware Bowls), Dai
29-kai Chūsei Doki Kenkyūkai 第 29 回中世土器研究会 (29th Meeting for Research on Medieval Ware)(Nihon Chūsei Doki Kenkyūkai 日本中世土器研究会 [The Japan Society for Medieval Ware], Sakai-shi
Hakubutsukan 堺市博物館 [Sakai City Museum], 4-5 December 2010).
52
佐和山
53
彦根 (Shiga prefecture)
54
石田三成
45

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TRENDS IN JAPANESE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2010

Regarding the roof tiles, the Kobiki-B 55 type which came into use between 1583-87
was recovered in numbers, and the finds are thus precious materials for knowing
conditions of the castle at the time Ishida Mitsunari resided there.
In Fukuoka, a symposium focusing on East Asia and Hakata in the Late Medieval
period was held to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Hakata ResearchSociety.56 Regarding Hakata in the Late Medieval period, presentations were given
from documentary history on Hakata’s relations with East Asia and on realistic
images of Hakata trade merchants, and also from archaeology on topics such as
relations with China, Korea, and Southeast Asia as seen from recovered ceramics,
inspecting thereby Hakata’s position in East Asia of the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries. Depictions of the world of the samurai, in which national interest is high,are common for the Late Medieval period. But in order to know society of that
period, the study of merchants in places like Hakata and Sakai is an indispensable
element.
The third exhibit in a series on treasures brought up from the sea, such as
Medieval pottery and stoneware recovered from the seabed in the Geiyo 57 Islands,
was held at the Murakami Suigun Museum in Imabari, Ehime prefecture. 58 Japan isa maritime nation surrounded by seas. Ships that have sunk to the bottom of thesea, and submerged sites on the floors of lakes, are numerous. With regard
especially to the time of the Mongol invasions, articles from sunken ships are
precious as a way to know the actual conditions of the day, as hardly any written
records have survived.59 It has been pointed out that underwater archaeology inJapan lags far behind in comparison with China and South Korea. How to preserve
historical heritage at the bottom of the sea will likely become an important issue inthe future. For this reason, these exhibits on treasures recovered from the sea are asignificant project.
The Edo Archaeological Site Research Society held one meeting after another, its
23rd on the theme of ceramics,60 and its 24th on stone from Izu 61 used in the castle
コビキ B [Translator’s note: Flat eaves tiles made by cutting slabs off a large mass of clay are distin guished by whether twined cord was used for slicing (Kobiki-A コビキ A), leaving coarser traces fromthe cutting, or iron wire as in Kobiki-B, giving a smoother surface. The change from the former to thelatter method was generally complete by the end of the sixteenth century throughout Japan.]
56“Chūsei kōki no Higashi Ajia to Hakata” 中世後期の東アジアと博多 (East Asia and Hakata in the Late
Medieval Period), symposium held by the Hakata Kenkyūkai 博 多 研 究 会 (Hakata Research Society)(Fukuoka-shi Maizō Bunkazai Sentā 福岡市埋蔵文化財センター [Fukuoka City Archaeology Center], 1314 November 2010).
57
芸予
58“Dai 3-kai Umi kara agatta takaramono” 第 3 回 海 か ら あ が っ た 宝 も の (Third Exhibit of Treasures
Brought Up from the Sea) (Murakami Suigun Hakubutsukan 村 上 水 軍 博 物 館 [Murakami Suigun
Museum], Imabari, Ehime prefecture, 4 September 2010 – 6 February 2011).
59[Translator’s note: Details of recent underwater archaeological work shedding light in this manneron the Mongol invasions are available on the website of the Japanese Archaeological Association.
URL: http://archaeology.jp/sites/2012/takashima.htm ]60“Toshi Edo no yakimono” 都 市江 戸のやきも の (Ceramics of the City of Edo), Dai 23-kai Edo Iseki
Kenkyūkai taikai 第 23 回江戸遺跡研究会大会 (23rd Meeting of the Edo Archaeological Site ResearchSociety) (Edo Tōkyō Hakubutsukan 江戸東京博物館 [Edo-Tokyo Museum], 30-31 January 2010).
61
伊豆 (in modern Shizuoka prefecture)55

O VERVIEW–9–and town of Edo.62 The research results accumulated by the society have reached
an enormous volume. The Early Modern city of Edo was one of the leading sites ofconsumption in the world, and much has been told about its relation withproduction areas in terms of supply and demand or from the perspective of thecirculation of goods. In the first of these two meetings, taking Edo as the vantage
point and using ceramics as materials for understanding Edo from the outside, thediversity of current research on glazed and unglazed ceramics exhibited in this lightmade it a valuable session. Meanwhile, the meeting on Izu stone in the castle andtown of Edo was held for the purpose of developing research methodology for the
future, with regard to Edo which produced no stone itself, and also to investigationsof stone quarry sites elsewhere. It was an invaluable occasion providing greater
scope for the Stone Quarry Site Research Society 63 newly formed for the Sagami 64
and Izu regions.
Also, for underwater archaeology there were investigations on the Noto
peninsula65 and results obtained from the Okitsu coast in Katsuura. 66 At the Naoe
Sengen site in Maibara,67 Shiga prefecture, stone blocks with marks left by wedgeshaped tools68 were found on the floor of Lake Biwa, and these are hypothesized as
possibly an embankment or watercourse that collapsed due to an earthquake. As
noted above in the discussion of the Medieval period, underwater archaeology is anarea in which Japan is behind its neighbors, despite its being a maritime nation, and
it is surely necessary to show as much interest in this direction as for terrestrialsites.
In addition to the above, a considerable number of research meetings, lectures,and symposia were held everywhere in the country, with it not being unusual fordifferent symposia of the same field of research being scheduled at the same time.
Research activities conducted in every quarter may be called lively on the whole.
Moreover, as is clear from looking at the themes of research presentations andposters for the meetings of the Japanese Archaeological Association, the contents ofJapanese research activities are extremely varied and diverse. They may even becalled outstanding on a global scale. It can also be readily seen that exchanges with,and excavations in, other countries of the world beginning with Asia are becoming
more active year by year. What is important is how the results of Japanese“Edojō/jōka to Izu ishi” 江戸城・城下と伊豆石 (Edo Castle/Castle Town and Izu Stone), Dai 24-kai
Edo Iseki Kenkyūkai taikai 第 24 回江戸遺跡研究会大会 (24th Meeting of the Edo Archaeological Site
Research Society) (Edo Tōkyō Hakubutsukan, 19-20 September 2010).
63
Ishi Chōba Iseki Kenkyūkai 石丁場遺跡研究会 (Stone Quarry Site Research Society)64
相模 (in modern Kanagawa prefecture)65
能登 (Ishikawa prefecture)66
Okitsu 興津, Katsuura 勝浦 (Chiba prefecture)
67
Naoe Sengen 尚江千軒, Maibara 米原
68[Translator’s note: Driving iron wedges into stone, especially granite, was a technique used to quarry
blocks of a desired size. This process left telltale rows of wedge-shaped marks both in the bedrock at
the quarry, and on undressed stone transported elsewhere. Examples of both can be seen in a featureon stone supplied for Edo-period construction at Osaka castle, on the website of the JapaneseArchaeological Association. URL: http://archaeology.jp/sites/2011/ishikiri.htm ]62

– 10 –TRENDS IN JAPANESE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH, 2010archaeology, accumulated over the long years, will be positioned within archaeology
on a global scale. This may be called the issue now at question.