Japan

Approaches to Experimental Pit House Reconstructions in the Japanese Central Highlands: Architectural History, Community Archaeology and Ethnology

Author(s)
John Ertl 1 ✉,
Yasuyuki Yoshida 2
Publication Date
EXARC Journal Issue 2021/4
#EAC12 World Tour 2021
***In Japan, over 1,000 prehistoric house reconstructions have been built at 360 different locations since 1949. Pit houses from Neolithic Jomon Period (14,000–300BC) are the most common but they are mostly based on archaeological remains limited to pits and postholes. Therefore, decisions on material and structure come...

Cooperating to Create a Greater Impact - The Case Study of ‘DEJIMA Transcending Time Itself’

Author(s)
Miyuki Yamaguchi 1 ✉
Publication Date
EXARC Journal Issue 2021/3
“Cooperating to create a greater impact" was a session during the ICOM General Conference in Kyoto, Japan. It was organized by ICOM NL, ICOM JP, DEMHIST, EXARC and the Japan Museum Sieboldhuis. The session took place on September 4, 2019. The session focused on themes of collaboration, cooperation, joint ownership and the possibilities in continued contacts...

Upopoy (National Ainu Museum and Park) (JP)

Member of EXARC
No

As a national center for learning about and promoting Ainu history and culture, Upopoy (National Ainu Museum and Park) (ウポポイ(民族共生象徴空間）) enables people of all nationalities and ages to learn about the Ainu’s worldview and respect for nature. It also acts as a symbol of a society based on mutual respect and coexistence, passing on and sharing various aspects of Ainu culture, which has developed over many years and is influenced by the surrounding nature.

The Ainu are an indigenous people in the northern region of the Japanese archipelago, particularly Hokkaido. The Ainu culture is distinctive, with a language that is unrelated to Japanese, a spirituality that holds that spirits dwell in every part of the natural world, traditional dances that are performed at family events and festivals, and crafts such as wood carving and embroidery that incorporate unique patterns.

Onaka Archaeological Park (JP)

Member of EXARC
No

Onaka Archaeological Park is situated in Hyogo Prefecture, the west of Japan. It is the settlement in the Yayoi Period dates from AD150 to AD250. There are 7 reconstructed buildings and 2 Museums in the park. 

Onaka archaeological site was discovered by 3 junior high school students in 1962, and since then the excavation and archaeological research have been conducted by Hyogo prefectural Board of Education and Harima town office.

Conference Review: The Museum World’s Convention in Kyoto

Author(s)
Roeland Paardekooper 1 ✉
Publication Date
EXARC Journal Issue 2019/4
ICOM is the international council of museums with over 40,000 members. Every three years, ICOM organises a large convention for museum professional; this year the 25th ICOM general conference was held in Kyoto, Japan. It was the largest conference ICOM ever organised, with 4,500 delegates...

Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture (JP)

Member of EXARC
No

The Nagasaki Museum of History and Culture is one of the few museums in Japan dedicated to the history of international exchange. The Museum holds approximately 81,000 objects in its precious collection, including historical documents, art and craftworks that tell the story of Nagasaki, the sole window open to foreign countries during the period of Japan’s national isolation. 

In addition, part of the Nagasaki Magistrate's Office (a local agency of the central government in the Edo period called bugyōsho) has been faithfully reconstructed based on historical materials, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of feudal Japan. The craft center offers hands-on classes of Nagasaki’s traditional crafts.

Heijo Palace (JP)

Member of EXARC
No

During most of the Nara Period (710-794), Nara served as the capital of Japan and was known as Heijo-kyo. The Heijō Palace (平城宮 Heijō-kyū) served as the site of the emperor's residence and government offices. The city, and the palace grounds, was based largely on Chang'an (present-day Xi'an), the capital of China during the Tang dynasty, which was contemporary to the time when Nara was capital. For its great historical and cultural importance, the palace site is included as one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Nara.

When the capital was moved to Heian-kyō (now called Kyoto), Nara's Imperial Palace was simply abandoned. The site was built over for agriculture that almost no trace of it remained, however the location was still known. Excavations started in the 1970s and large-scale reconstruction based on contemporary literary sources and excavations starting in the 2000s.

Yoshinogari Historical Park (JP)

Member of EXARC
No

At the Yoshinogari Historical Park, visitors experience life in the ancient Yayoi period of Japan's history. Yayoi life and culture come alive through the carefully reconstructed village and unique exhibitions found here. 

The Yoshinogari hills were originally slated for one of Saga Prefecture's industrial areas, but the project was suspended upon discovery of ruins and relics, until further research into the area could be carried out. In 1986, the site was meticulously studied to understand whether it was a truly important cultural site. The concluding result was that this area was one of Japan's largest moat encircled villages dating from the Yayoi period (3c. B.C. - 3c. A.D.).

Sannai-Maruyama (JP)

Member of EXARC
No

The Sannai-Maruyama special historical site ((三内丸山遺跡)) features the remains of a large, long-term settlement that from the Early to the Middle Jomon period (from approximately 5,500 to 4,000 years ago).

Excavation that started in 1992, and pit-dwellings, large pit-dwellings, burial pits for adults, burial jars for children, mounds, the remains of large and regular-sized pillar-supported building, storage pits, clay mining pits, and remains of roads have been found. These findings have revealed how people lived in this settlement, as well as the natural environment at that time.