◯ Yasuhiro YAMADA (Tokyo Metropolitan University), Tomoya AONO (Tohoku University of Art & Design), Shin HIDAKA (Tokyo Gakugei University), Kyoko FUNAHASHI (Kyushu University), Junichiro TSUJITA (Kyushu University)
1. Objectives and Directions of the Study
Group A01 is responsible for studying the social structure of prehistoric humans using archaeological methods and proposing hypotheses to be tested using anthropological methods. Specifically, in cemeteries and grave sites at prehistoric sites in various regions, we will select grave groups that have been considered family or household burial sites from an archaeological perspective, grave groups and specific individuals that may indicate a hierarchy, and examine archaeological burial attributes (burial site, burial posture, head position, accessories, presence and type of burial accessories, tooth extraction). The team aims to test the hypotheses by conducting dating, carbon, nitrogen, and strontium isotope analysis, and DNA analysis in collaboration with Groups A02 and A03.
２．2023 Activity Achievements
Yasuhiro YAMADA: The group leader, Yasuhiro Yamada, has been collecting and reviewing archaeological information on existing excavated human remains. This year, I conducted dating of human remains excavated from the Inariyama Shell Mound, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, which reinforced the theory that the tooth extraction type is a time-related difference. The following are some of the publications related to this project.
- Dating and Archaeological Considerations of the Sacred Bone Mills from Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, " 77th Annual Meeting of the Japan Anthropological Society, Tohoku University (joint presentation with Minoru Yoneda).
- A Proposal for an Integrated Bioarchaeology of the Japanese Archipelago," 25th Annual Meeting of the Evolutionary Studies Association of Japan, University of the Ryukyus.
- The Jomon Society in the Chugoku and Shikoku Regions," Chugoku and Shikoku Jomon Culture Study Group Meeting, Tottori, Japan.
- Burial Attributes and mtDNA Analysis of Human Bones Excavated from the Ikawazu Shell Midden, Aichi Prefecture, Japan," presented at the 89th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Archaeological Association (joint presentation with Yoshiki Wakiyama, Yusuke Watanabe, Takashi Gakuhari, Hiroki Oota, Minoru Yoneda, Soichiro Kusaka, Kae Koganebuchi, and Daisuke Waku).
The following papers have also been presented.
- The Jomon Grave System: Aspects of the Burial Attributes and mtDNA Dating of Human Bones Excavated from the Ebishima Shell Mound, Iwate Prefecture, Japan," National Museum of Japanese History Research Report, Vol. 242 (with Minoru Yoneda).
- The Jomon kinship organization in the Atsumi Peninsula in the Late Jomon Period," in What Drove History, Vol. 1, Yuzankaku (ed.), Atsumi Peninsula, Japan.
Tomoya AONO: Tomoya Aono, a co-leader of this research, conducted excavations at the Usu Moshiri site in Hokkaido, Japan, and collected block samples of Late Jomon shell beds, which are scarce nationwide, for use in the study of subsistence, as well as analytical samples for determining the sea area difference (ΔR) necessary to correct for marine reservoir effects in the carbon-14 dating of human bones. I also studied Tomb No. 18, which is an example of multiple burials and reburial, and found that it is predominantly composed of young males, that there are several individuals with traces of injury and healing on the cranium, and that it contains siblings through nuclear DNA analysis. In addition, the small number of phalanges in the hands and feet indicated that many of the individuals had primary burial graves elsewhere, while the small number of clustered tarsal bones of the same individuals suggested that Tomb No. 18 was the primary burial grave, and that some individuals were relocated there after being skeletonized.
Research publications directly related to this planned research include the following.
- The Jomon Culture of the Southern North Sea and Northern Tohoku Region," Hokkaido Archaeological Society 2023 Annual Conference, Hokkaido University.
- Experimental Study on Taphonomy of Bones and Artifacts Excavated from Grave Pits," The 10th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Zoological Archaeology, Hokkaido University Museum (joint presentation with Katsunori Takase and Yukito Nagatani).
- Classification of Shell/Bone Beads in the Epi-Jomon Culture and Elucidation of Their Use," 14th International Council for Archaeozoology Conference.
- Fluorine Concentration in Natural Water Used by Ancient Humans at the Usu Site, Hokkaido, Japan," 72nd Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Analytical Chemistry (joint presentation with Kazuhisa Yoshimura, Haruka Yamaguchi, Minoru Yoneda, Junmei Sawada, and Yukimi Noto).
In addition, the following research papers have been published.
- Evaluation of the Continued Jomon Culture," Quarterly Journal of Archaeology, Supplement No. 42, Yuzankaku.
- A Summary Report on the Excavation of the Usu Moshiri Site 4," Journal of Historical Heritage Research, No. 18 (with Yukito Nagatani and Tomohiro Mitani).
Shin HIDAKA: Shin Hidaka, a research subcontractor, commissioned Applied Geology Co., Ltd. to conduct topographical surveying (February 2024) and radar surveying (March 2024) in the "Acorn Forest" located between recently identified horizontal grave sites in Koganei, Tokyo and those identified approximately 50 years ago, in preparation for this survey planned for FY2024. Preparations are underway for the main survey scheduled for FY2024. As a result of the research in FY2023, I am planning to publish an article entitled "Current Status and Issues of Research and Survey of Burial Human Remains in Kofun Period Burials" in "Tokyo Kouko" 42 (to be published in the spring of 2024) under the theme of "Issues Related to Burial Subjects and Group Composition in Later and Terminal Period Kofun Tumuli". The article, "Current Status and Issues of Research on Human Remains Buried in Kofun Period Burial Mounds," was accepted for publication and is currently in the process of being printed. In this paper, I review the results of archaeological research, anthropomorphological research, DNA analysis, and dating on human remains buried in Kofun period burial mounds, and discuss the importance of first accumulating data on DNA analysis and dating, especially since there are few examples of such research.
- Female Burial Deceased and Female Haniwa from the Kofun Period," Deepening History, Otsukishoten.
- Kinship relationships in the Kofun period, " Archaeo-Clio, Vol. 21, Yuzankaku (ed.), Department of Archaeology and Cultural Properties Science, Tokyo Gakugei University.
- Current Status and Issues on the Study of Human Remains from the Kofun Period, " TOKYO KOKO, vol. 42, TOKYO KOKO DANWAKAI (in printing).
Kyoko FUNAHASHI: In preparation for my research on the social structure of the Yayoi and Kofun periods in the collection of my institution, Kyushu University, I held meetings and cooperated with other groups in this project to reconstruct the collection and reinterment of bones and the reconstruction of kinship groups using crown measurements and other Kofun-period kinship data found at the site during the Early Yayoi period. I also conducted meetings and cooperated with other research groups in this project to reconstruct the Kofun period kinship. As for the reconstruction of the collection and reinterment of human remains from the beginning of the Yayoi period, the Shinmachi and Jakui sites in Fukuoka Prefecture have been reported to have excavated human remains in a state different from that of primary burial, and the possibility of collecting bones has been suggested for the latter site. This year, I reexamined the excavation status of human remains at the sites and rearranged the excavated human remains themselves to reexamine the act of collecting and re-dispatching bones. In the future, I plan to submit a paper on bone collection and remittance at the beginning of the Yayoi period in the first half of FY2024 by adding the reexamination of the Jakui site and the Nakanohama site, which is also a case from the Early Yayoi period.
The estimation of kinship using dental crown measurements was conducted using human bones excavated at the Yokokuma Kitsuzuka site in Fukuoka Prefecture. The results of this study will be published in a paper in 2024, together with the results of the estimation of people who grew up in other places using Sr isotope ratios, which has already been conducted at another institute.
In addition, I cooperated in the preliminary work for the reconstruction of kinship relationships in the Kofun period and in the sampling of human skeletal materials by Group B04. The following are the results of this year's research on the above-mentioned studies.
- Reexamination of Funerary Acts in Human Skeletons Excavated from the Shinmachi Site," New Horizons of East Asian Archaeology, Professor Kazuo Miyamoto's Retirement Commemorative Project Group.
Junichiro TSUJITA: As a research associate, Junichiro Tsujita has been studying two major archaeological issues. The first is an archaeological examination of the issues surrounding the regalia of prestige goods and kingship, and the second is a specific examination of the interrelationship between prestige goods transfers and kinship relationships.
The first point is an examination of the emergence of regalia in ancient Japan, based on archaeological findings. Regalia are generally thought to refer to treasure (sacred objects) that represent kingship, but another way of describing them is that they are symbolic objects that are passed down from generation to generation in a way that is restricted to the royal center. The fact that ancient Japanese regalia share some similarities with pre-Kofun period burial accessories such as mirrors, swords, and jades has raised the question of whether there is a direct link between these items and regalia. From this perspective, I examined the chronological transition of the various burial goods and their acquisition, use, and consumption during the Kofun period.
The second point is an examination from an archaeological perspective of the relationships among burials and the acquisition, use, and consumption of burial accessories based on cases of burials of multiple burials in tumuli throughout the archipelago from the Early Kofun period to the first half of the Late Kofun period. It is hoped that these issues can be resolved by examining burial cases in which human remains have been excavated, using a combination of archaeological methods and methods based on trait anthropology, DNA analysis, and other methods.
The following papers are published on the results of the above research.
- Yamato Kingship's Prestige Goods and Regalia," in Opening Ancient History: Ancient Kingship, Iwanami Shoten.