Publication

No.128 January 20.2005

Cover Graphics

Lives of the people and terraced rice fields in China's Yunnan Province

棚田

Even more than its beautiful landscape, the value of rice terraces lies in its ability to support the daily lives of its inhabitants.
1) View of terraced rice fields in the southern part of Yunnan Province. Not only does the field provide rice for the tables of its population, but other fresh produce include eels, frogs and wild herbs.
2) Top: A woman from the Yao tribe shopping at the market. Regular markets held every few days are full of a variety of produce and have a bustling festival like atmosphere.
Middle: Women from the Hani tribe passing warp thread they have made through a yarn guide. The task of dyeing requires much work before the yarn is ready for weaving, which is why it is common for women to work together.
Bottom: Pigs raised in a Hani tribe village. Wrinkles around the nose are a distinctive feature of this type of pig.

1) Terraced rice fields, Yunnan Province.
(A village in Honghe, December 2003)
2) Snapshots of the daily lives of the people.
(Photos of villages and towns in Honghe taken between December 2003 and February 2004.)

Satoko Yoshimura
(Museum Research Department)

Index

Special Feature:Spaces for meeting people and objects - "field" work revisited

* The "field" as a meeting space - possibilities （Satoko Yoshimura）

A Witness to History

A photographic introduction to items from the collection
Hina dolls and dolls associated with Princess Kazunomiya		 （Kazuto Sawada）
Maki-e hina accessories with arabesque peony patterns （Kaoru Hidaka）

Special Feature:Spaces for meeting people and objects - "field" work revisited

Historical fieldwork and the "present" （Satoshi Shirouzu）
The practice of regional initiatives using historical sites （Toru Wakasa）
Local areas, media and bodies- from the perspective of "fieldwork" on the Minatsuki-Sannosai festival （Kiyoshi Kawamura）
The power of imagination inspired by a single flyer （Tsuneo Yasuda）

Column

Objects and the past/reality and actuality - On the grassy remains of Birkenau concentration camp （Masahiro Terada）
People "telling" stories （Satoko Yoshimura）

An Invitation to History

"Sea Routes of East Asia during the Middle Ages - Maritime Commerce, Ports and Sunken Ships" （Masatoshi Ono）

Introducing Our Researchers - Part 16

Do folklorists see "fieldwork" as work? （Satoru Yasumuro）

Book Review

"The Archeology of the Major Change in the Yayoi Period" by Shin'ichiro Fujio
Reviewed by Masayuki Komoto

Book Introductions by the Author

"The Function of Medieval Temples and Monasteries- Esoteric Ceremonies, Zen Monks and Bathing Facilities"
edited by the National Museum of Japanese History
"Collection of Japanese Musical Instruments: Heirloom of Kishu-Tokugawa Family"
Illustrated Catalogue of the National Museum of Japanese History (3)

From Classroom to Museum

From meeting "objects" to meeting "people" （Kazuo Umezawa）

Rekihaku Chat (readers' page) January 20, 2005

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