Historical Research on Ancient Eastern Japan (Concerning the Formation of a New Historical Demography)

• IKEGAMI Satoru(Rissho Univ.)
• SAKAI Kiyoji(Komazawa Univ.)
• SAOTOME Masahiro(The University of Tokyo)
• HOJO Yoshitaka(Tokai Univ.)
• TANAKA Fumio(Kanto Gakuin University)
• KATO Kenkichi
• NISHIKAWA Shuichi(Yokohama Asahi Highshcool)
• TAKAHASHI Kazuo(Saitama Cultural Deposits Resarch)
• OTANI Toru(Saitama Prefecture)
• MIGISHIMA Kazuo(Gunma Prefecture)
• HIDAKA Shin(Tokyo National Museum)
• SUGIYAMA Shinsaku
• UENO Yoshifumi
• NITO Atsushi
• NAGASHIMA Masaharu
• SAKAMOTO Minoru

The discovery of the Inariyama–Sword Inscription, composed of 115 characters, from the Inariyama Kofun in Saitama Prefecture, in 1978 made a significant contribution to the development of the interdisciplinary research conducted by archeologists and philologist on the history of eastern Japan in ancient times. In particular the words inscribed on the sword, such as "shingai–nen, certain year according to zodiac signs)", "wakatakeru, thought to be a name of a royal person)" and "amenoshitashiroshimisu–okimi, thought to be a royal designation)," attracted the attention of historical researchers who discussed methods for interpreting these terms, and greatly enlivened the study of the political structures of ancient eastern Japan and the Yamato court. The activities of these historians generated broad public interest in this historical event as well. However the passion for this interdisciplinary research soon flagged as retention periods became longer due to the sheer amount of archeological materials uncovered in excavations which were accelerated prior to land development. The historical period was subdivided endlessly, and historical researchers offered less and less historical demography which would have helped the public understand the history itself. This condition of subdivision has remained in place until the present due to a centralization of vision, which discounts the particular conditions of each area, and sectionalism, which disregards interrelationships with other areas. The sense of stagnation which has been brought on by the detrimental conditions in existence up to now makes it hugely challenging to establish a new vision for the future of history and to explore what the position of ancient Japan in such a new historical view might be. Before undertaking such a challenge, it is important to fully apprehend ancient eastern Japan, which occupied a huge swath of territory and developed a quite unique history. The purpose of this cooperative research is, with the cooperation of Kanto area based researchers, to study the economic power and centralized political system, via the excavation and research of the ancient tombs of ancient eastern Japan, as well as the mentality of the chieftains of the ancient eastern Japan, which brought into being the large keyhole–shaped tomb mounds with a certain degree of autonomy and the sophisticated sepulcher of hewn–stone cave–type chambers in the huge tomb mounds,