Type of Research Fundamental Research
[Topics to be selected]
Research Title Changes of the local societies from Yayoi to early Kofun period: With the analyses of manufacturing system of bronze and iron goods in Kinki region
Head of the Research Team Prof. WAKABAYASHI Kunihiko, Doshisha University Historical Museum
Research Period FY2019 -2021
Purpose By examining the actual condition of bronzeware and ironware production sites of that time, this project aims to clarify the processes that shaped society in the Kofun period, which was a time of regional cooperation (integration) throughout the Pan- Japanese archipelago. Using physical and chemical analyses, technical genealogy, and the analysis of product form, this research evaluates the production sites within each regional society and clarifies the social significance of metalware production during the time from the late Yayoi to the early Kofun periods. Through this attempt, we aim to explain the process and the nature of centralizing power in society of the Kinki region during the Kofun period.
Result

In the Japanese archipelago, bronze and iron objects began to be used during the Yayoi period, around the 4th century BC. The intimate relationship between the widespread use of metal objects and increasing social complexity is commonly recognized within Japanese archaeology.

The purpose of this research project is to examine the process of state formation through a consideration of the interaction between the production of metal objects and social change in the Kinki region, which eventually rose to prominence at the center of these social transformations.

Based on archaeological research, in addition to experimental data and metallurgical (physical and chemical science) analysis, we approached the production and circulation of bronze and iron goods from a multidimensional perspective and considered the fundamental nature of the transition from the Yayoi to the Kofun period. Analysis and discussion focused largely on production technology and social control, and the social functions of bronze and iron objects were evaluated from both macro and micro perspectives.

This research project clarified the historical significance of the transition from the Yayoi to the Kofun period, emphasizing that the evolutionary gap between the two periods was not as great as the appearance of large mounded tombs would suggest and stressing the need to recognize aspects of continuity. With the nature of Late Yayoi-period society coming into even greater focus, we suggested that it is now time to reconsider the very concept of “Yayoi culture”.