Latest news with #Yayoi
Asahi Shimbun
03-06-2025
- General
- Asahi Shimbun
Re-creation of Kofun Period dog on display at Nara museum
Brown and gray statue re-creations of a dog from the early Kofun Period based on bones found at the Makimuku ruins in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture (Provided by Sakurai city education board) SAKURAI, Nara Prefecture—Statue re-creations of an ancient dog breed modeled after fossilized remains excavated at the Makimuku ruins are now on display at a local museum here until Sept. 28. The city education board and municipal Research Center for Makimukugaku announced the completion of the brown and gray models on April 22, a day ahead of their unveiling at the Sakurai City Center for Archaeological Operations. Researchers were fortunate to work with a nearly complete skeleton of what they believe is a female canine who was at least 18 months old and lived during the first half of the third century based on where the remains and other artifacts were found. This would have been right at the beginning of the Kofun Period (third to seventh centuries). As a whole, the Makimuku ruin is designated as a national historic site and is a front-runner for the location of the Yamatai state, which is thought to have been ruled by Queen Himiko around the third century. This is the second case in Japan where skeletal remains were successfully used to re-create what a dog of the past may have looked like. The Yayoi dog was the first instance—its bones were discovered at the Kamei ruins located in Yao, Osaka Prefecture, known for the remains of settlements from the Yayoi Pottery Culture Period (1000 B.C.-A.D. 250). A CITY'S REQUEST After the initial discovery of the Makimuku dog in January 2015, the research center decided how they would go about restoring its likeness and organized an interdisciplinary team. Members hailed from a range of backgrounds with expertise in archaeology, anatomy and evolutionary biology, among other areas of study. Models of individual bones were crafted to assemble a 3-D replica of the skeleton, and the team chose to reference the Yayoi dog for the missing pieces. Based on this specimen, they posit that the Makimuku breed stood about 48 centimeters tall and 58 cm long. This puts them around the same size as today's female Kishu and Shikoku dog breeds and larger than the Shiba Inu. And although the Yayoi dog variety was referenced for the project, the Makimuku breed is thought to have had a smaller head and slender body with long legs and paws. These characteristics make it difficult to place the Makimuku dogs in the lineage of canines from the Yayoi period; one possibility is that they were brought from mainland China or the Korean Peninsula. The true color of the breed's fur is unknown. Researchers extrapolated the brown and gray coats based on the genomes of canines from the time periods that preceded and followed. One more unknown falls on the public to discern. The city is calling for ideas on what to nickname the dog. Entries are limited to one per person and those interested can fill out the form with the nickname and meaning behind it. Forms must be emailed, mailed or submitted to the box at the Sakurai City Center for Archaeological Operations by June 30. ROYALTY AND SACRIFICE The dog's bones were unearthed along with pottery and wooden items in a ditch running from northeast to southwest of a residential area in the Makimuku ruins. The pottery is dated from the same time frame as the dog. Rather than being a stray's grave, the ditch is thought to have been part of the 'Royal Palace of Himiko' as well as the future site of one of Japan's largest buildings during the first 50 years of the Kofun Period. At about 3.2 meters wide and a meter deep, the ditch cuts through the building plan. 'It is highly likely that this dog shared time and space with Himiko. The restoration is highly accurate and has high academic values in studying the history of dogs in Japan,' said Kaoru Terasawa, who serves as director of the research center and has an archaeology background. The state of the remains also offers clues on the canine's role as it appears to have suffered no broken bones or other injuries. This led Taiji Miyazaki, a visiting researcher of archaeology at the Foundation of East Asia Cultural Properties Institute in South Korea, to extrapolate that 'the dog may have been offered as an animal sacrifice in a ground-breaking ceremony before establishing a building or other ritual." Miyazaki was on the team that created the Makimuku dog statues and was also involved in the reconstruction of the Yayoi dog excavated from the Kamei ruins. Another remarkable aspect about this specimen is that although canine remains from other eras in the country's distant past have been discovered, it is rare to find so many preserved bones of a dog from the early Kofun Period. According to Masashi Maruyama, a professor of animal archaeology at Tokai University who is another member of the restoration project, the oldest dog bones discovered in Japan are thought to date to the early Jomon Pottery Culture Period (c. 14500 B.C.-1000 B.C.), excavated at the Natsujima shell mound in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. Archaeologists have unearthed many dog fossils from the Jomon period at shell mounds and ruins around the country. While some of those dogs received burials, most remains were found scattered at the dig sites. Dogs of the subsequent Yayoi period, meanwhile, are posited to be a hybrid breed larger than their Jomon ancestors who migrated from China or the Korean Peninsula and those born in the Japanese archipelago. The trend continues with Miyazaki describing the Makimuku as one of the largest breeds of the Kofun Period based on its height relative to its head size along with elongated body and legs. This also opens the possibility that a new, larger dog was brought over from the Korean Peninsula during the Kofun Period. 'It is very significant that the specific physical characteristics, such as the size of the head, neck, body and the length of legs, were restored based on clear evidence,' said Maruyama when commenting on the re-creation of the Makimuku breed. OVERSEAS TEAM-UPS Japan is not the only country with many researchers looking into ancient dog breeds. "If DNA analysis of dogs advances in South Korea and China, we will learn new things along with research into their traits,' said Miyazaki. 'Research into East Asian dogs is very hot right now." One such project involves the Neukdo archaeological site on a small island in southern South Korea where the bones of at least 28 dogs were discovered. The dogs had been buried and their remains are believed to date to the first century B.C., which corresponds to the middle of the Yayoi period in Japan. Around half of the canines excavated had skeletons that were nearly intact. Researchers distinguished three to five separate breeds of large to small dogs based on size and proportions. Currently, Yohei Terai is conducting DNA analyses of the dogs discovered at the Neukdo site with researchers from the Gaya National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage in South Korea. The associate professor at the Research Center for Integrative Evolutionary Sciences at the Graduate University for Advanced Studies specializes in researching the origin of dogs via the genomes of Japanese wolves and ancient dogs.
Yomiuri Shimbun
17-05-2025
- General
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Collecting Goshuin Stamps from Yayoi Period Ruins Gaining Popularity; Stamp Varieties Rising
Courtesy of Tottori Prefecture Goshuin stamps of Yayoi period ruins participating in a stamp-collecting project KAKOGAWA, Hyogo — Visiting ruins from the prehistoric Yayoi period and collecting goshuin stamps there has recently been seeing a quiet rise in popularity. The Yomiuri Shimbun The goshuin stamp of the Onaka ruins, center, in Harima, Hyogo Prefecture The Yayoi period started several hundred years before Christ and continued until around 300 A.D., when rice production began in Japan. Archaeological ruins from the period are found all over the country. To promote the Yayoi period ruins that they manage, museums and other facilities have begun offering original goshuin stamps, which are usually offered at temples and shrines for people to commemorate their visit. It seems that the museums' and other facilities' goshuin stamps resonate with archaeology enthusiasts and others not only due to their unique designs but also because they include catchphrases that capture the characteristics of each individual site. 35 locations nationwide The Tottori prefectural government's 'Tottori Yayoi Kingdom' promotion department has arranged a scavenger hunt-like activity, in which participants collect goshuin stamps from Yayoi period ruins throughout Japan. Tottori Prefecture is home to such Yayoi period ruins as the Aoya Kamijichi ruins, where many wooden artifacts and other items have been discovered. The prefecture started the project to help increase the number of visitors to these and other ruins. The Yomiuri Shimbun A re-created dwelling from the Yayoi period in the Tano ruins in Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture The rules of the project require facilities related to Yayoi period ruins to come up with their own catchphrases and for the size of the goshuin stamps not to exceed a length of 15.5 centimeters and a width of 9 centimeters. The project started in October 2022 at 19 ruins and 20 facilities around the country. Currently, 35 ruins and 38 facilities in 16 prefectures are participating. Among the areas involved in the project, Hyogo Prefecture is first in terms of the number of participating sites it has, with six ruins and seven related facilities. Many sites from the Yayoi period exist in the prefecture, and several of them are known for their unique remains, such as an old village, an iron workshop and burial mounds. The Onaka ruins in Harima, the Tano ruins in Amagasaki and the Gossakaito ruins in Awaji, all in the prefecture, have been participating in the project since it started. 'Housing exhibition' The catchphrase for the Onaka ruins refers to the site as a Yayoi housing exhibition. About 140 round, hexagonal and other shaped pit dwellings were discovered there and at adjacent ruins. The Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology and the Harima town history museum are participating in the project in collaboration with the ruins. 'I hope the activity will provide an opportunity for people to get interested in archaeology,' an official of the archaeology museum said. The Yomiuri Shimbun The goshuin stamp offered at the Gossa-Kaito ruins in Awaji, Hyogo Prefecture The catchphrase for the Gossa-Kaito ruins references a Yayoi blacksmith workshop, as iron artifacts were discovered in a pit-type building site at the ruins. Meanwhile, the Kamo ruins in Kawanishi, which feature the remains of a settlement surrounded by a moat, have a catchphrase meaning 'Yayoi hilltop moated settlement.' For the Shingu Miyauchi ruins in the city of Tatsuno, the catchphrase notes that the site houses one of the biggest Yayoi villages in the Harima region, the southwestern part of Hyogo Prefecture. The catchphrase for the Une ruins in the city of Ako incorporate an allusion to the burial mounds of powerful leaders that characterize that site. All three of these latter ruins, also in Hyogo Prefecture, joined the project last year. Photos provided by each site From left: The goshuin stamp of the Toro ruins in Shizuoka, incorporating rice plants in its design; that of the Aoya Kamijichi ruins in Tottori, like an ancient seal; that of the Yoshinogari ruins in Saga Prefecture, based on the image of a clay burial jar Outside the prefecture, the catchphrase for the Yoshinogari ruins in Saga Prefecture, where the appearance of a village in the Yayoi period has been re-created, is 'Listen to the Yayoi Voice,' while the catchphrase for the Toro ruins in Shizuoka Prefecture is something like 'It all began at the Toro ruins,' noting that the ruins of Japan's first rice paddy were discovered at the site. The designs of each location's goshuin stamps are unique and distinctive. The Onaka ruins' goshuin stamp includes the kanji characters of its name and a picture of Hottan, the archaeology museum's mascot. The goshuin stamp of the Ikegami-Sone ruins, offered by the Osaka Prefectural Museum of Yayoi Culture in Izumi, Osaka Prefecture, incorporates an illustration of a dragon believed to have been drawn by a person from the Yayoi period. At the Sugu Okamoto ruins in Kasuga, Fukuoka Prefecture, the site's goshuin stamp carries a picture of a bronze mirror, one of the most representative artifacts discovered at those ruins. Helping attract visitors A post-pandemic travel boom is partly behind the project's ability to draw interest. According to the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Archaeology next to the Onaka ruins, visitors come to collect its goshuin stamp not only on weekends but also weekdays. 'We hope people visit ruins across the country and collect unique Yayoi period goshuin stamps,' said Hiroshi Nakamura, an official at the museum.
Japan Forward
27-04-2025
- Science
- Japan Forward
Exhibition 'Ancient DNA: The Journey of the Japanese People'
Situated within Ueno Park, the National Museum of Nature and Science is currently holding a special exhibition titled Ancient DNA: the Journey of the Japanese People . The exhibition provides an informative overview of Japanese prehistory and draws on cutting-edge DNA technology to speculate on the origin of the first inhabitants of Japan. Japanese prehistory is dominated by the Jomon period, which commenced around 16,000 BCE. It was supplanted by the Yayoi period, during which hunter-gathering gave way to paddy rice farming. Typically, the Yayoi period is dated from 330 BCE to 300 AD, although evidence exists of paddy rice farming considerably earlier. The exhibition notes that as "paddy rice farming began in northern Kyushu 2,900 years ago…. [T]here is much debate as to exactly when the Jomon period ended" and the Yayoi period commenced. The written history of Japan was initiated with the Kofun period (300 AD to 538 AD). It was a time of cultural imports from China and the Korean peninsula. The Kofun period is named after the keyhole-shaped burial mounds that were characteristic of that era. Studies of prehistory have traditionally been carried out by examining the fossil record and archeological artifacts. In recent decades, DNA analysis has been added to the arsenal of archeology. DNA analysis began in the 1980s, and the technology continues to develop at a rapid pace. Formerly, high-quality specimens were needed for DNA to be extracted. With every passing year, however, the range of samples from which DNA can be obtained continues to grow. The Japanese people of Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku are typically referred to as the Yamato. Hokkaido and Okinawa were incorporated into the Japanese nation in 1869 and 1879, respectively. The Ryukyu people of Okinawa and the Ainu of Hokkaido thereby joined the Yamato as distinct ethnic groups of Japan. These lines, the Yamato, Ryukyu, and Ainu, can all trace a genetic link to the Jomon. It is with the Jomon, however, at which definitive knowledge of the DNA chain presently ends. The cradle of humankind is thought to be central Africa. How did humankind first reach Japan? This is a question that the exhibition seeks to answer. The journey of humankind from the cradle of central Africa to the extremities of the globe.(Courtesy of the museum) A skeleton from the Shiraho Saonetabaru Cave Ruins on Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, is the highlight of the exhibition. DNA analysis of the largely intact 27,000-year-old skeleton was successfully conducted by a collaboration of the National Museum of Nature and Science and Nobel Prize-winning Swedish scientist, Svante Pääbo. A DNA link to the Jomon people was established. "The Jomon are composed of at least two ancestral components," suggests Pääbo, "one similar to the Shiraho individual and one similar to ancient people in Northeast Asia." They are likely "a combination of two ancestral groups," he concludes, "that probably came to Japan independent of each other." "No 4" human skeleton – excavated from the Shiraho Saonetabaru Cave Ruins on Ishigaki Island, Okinawa Prefecture/ Paleolithic Age / Collection: Okinawa Prefecture Archaeological Center. (Courtesy of the museum) A full-length view of "No 4" human skeleton – excavated from the Shiraho Saonetabaru Cave Ruins on Ishigaki Island, Okinawa Prefecture/ Paleolithic Age / Collection: Okinawa Prefecture Archaeological Center. (Courtesy of the museum) The exhibition then examines the lifestyles and societal arrangements of the Jomon people through an examination of artifacts found at archeological sites. It also highlights those particular to the Ainu and Ryukyu people. Through DNA analysis of multiple skeletons found together at various sites, it speculates on family and societal relationships and structures. An examination of Jomon skeletons found throughout Japan suggests that the Jomon people had distinctive features such as round faces and prominent jaws. They exhibited deeply chiseled features that included high noses. An average adult male was about 158 centimeters tall, the average female 146. The Jomon had well-developed muscles and a generally robust build. Somewhat surprisingly, mountain inhabitants were more delicate than those who lived on the coast. Facial reconstruction based on DNA analysis of a male skull unearthed at the Aoya Kamijichi Sites / Collection: Aoya Kamijichi Historical Park. (Courtesy of the museum) The most substantial and impressive of the Jomon artifacts on display are ceramic pots in which the bones of babies had been placed. This ritual, it is believed, was carried out so that the baby could be reborn. It was not only humans for whom the ritual was conducted, however. The skeletal remains of boars and deer have also been found within pottery, suggesting a desire for animal populations to multiply. (5) Vessel with flange and small perforations decorated with human figure – excavated from the Imojiya Site, Yamanashi Prefecture/ Middle Jomon period, 5,000 years ago / Collection: Minami Alps City Board of Education A section of the exhibition that will likely prove popular is the journey of dogs and domestic cats into Japan. Recent DNA evidence suggests that dogs likely arrived in the Japanese archipelago around 10,000 years ago, during the Jomon period. From the ancient past until the present day, therefore, dogs have been a part of Japanese society, adapting to the needs of each era. Akita dog / Modern /Collection: National Museum of Nature and Science. (Courtesy of the museum) Writing did not evolve within Japan. It was imported from China. This has resulted in a clear divide between the prehistory of Japan and its period of written history. From the Kofun period onwards, the history of Japan is meticulously documented, whereas the study of the Yayoi and Jomon periods relies on the patience and skill of archeologists. Ancient DNA: the Journey of the Japanese People is fittingly being held at The National Museum of Nature and Science, an educational hub for Japanese youth. One hopes and suspects it will inspire the next generation to continue with the task of exploring the lives and journey of ancient Japanese people. Vessel with flange and small perforations decorated with human figure – excavated from the Imojiya Site, Yamanashi Prefecture/ Middle Jomon period, 5,000 years ago / Collection: Minami Alps City Board of Education. (Courtesy of the museum) Name: Ancient DNA: The Journey of the Japanese People Where: Ueno Koen, National Museum of Nature and Science When: On through June 15 Access: The museum is located in Ueno Park, right next to the major JR Ueno Station, with access through numerous rail and subway lines. Specifics are available online. Author: Paul de Vries
The Star
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Model of ancient Yayoi dog attracting visitors to museum in Japan's Shiga Prefecture
The Yayoi dog model on display at the Azuchi Castle Archaeological Museum in Omi-Hachiman, Shiga Prefecture. - Photo: The Yomiuri Shimbun OMI-HACHIMAN, Shiga (Japan): A model of an ancient dog at a museum in Omi-Hachiman, Shiga Prefecture, is gaining popularity thanks to social media posts showing the dog model 'walking' in and out of the museum. Visitors come to the Azuchi Castle Archaeological Museum run by Shiga Prefecture to see the elaborate model of a female Yayoi dog, which is believed to have lived in Japan during the ancient Yayoi period. The model dog has left an exhibition room where it had been displayed for more than 30 years due to the renovation of the room. Since the museum's opening in 1992, the dog model had been displayed in Permanent Display Room No.1, along with models of humans carrying farming tools and making earthenware, which was designed to introduce the agricultural lifestyle of the Yayoi period. The museum decided to move the dog model in order to set up a new theater in the display room that currently shows a video of Azuchi Castle reproduced with high-definition computer graphics. Last June, the museum posted a video on its official Instagram page titled 'troubling doggy,' which showed its staff struggling to move the model Yayoi dog, which was attached to a shelf. Since then, the model dog has been actively promoted as the museum's 'mascot dog,' wearing its trademark Magatama beads around its neck. The mascot dog sometimes greets visitors at the entrance or at the reception desk. The model even made an outing to a museum in Gifu Prefecture and was one of the first to sneak into the new theater room before its opening. The model's front legs are outstretched and its face looks up at people kindly, making its appearance very lifelike. As the museum continued to post pictures on social media, an increasing number of people began visiting the museum to see the dog, saying, 'I came to see her' or 'Where is she today?' 'The Yayoi dog has been watching over the museum since its opening. We hope it will help people become interested in the museum,' said a museum curator. Little known about Yayoi dog The model Yayoi dog has been exhibited at the museum as an animal with close ties to humans. But the museum said it had no materials or detailed information about the dog. In 1980, nearly complete skeletons of a male and a female Yayoi dog were excavated at the Kamei Remains in Yao, Osaka Prefecture. In 1996, the staff of the Osaka Prefectural Museum of Yayoi Culture in Izumi City, Osaka Prefecture, who participated in the excavation, produced a model of the dog for the first time in Japan. Based on the findings of zooarchaeology and anatomy, the model was made with reference to the skeleton of the excavated male dog and a Shikoku dog, which has similar characteristics. The dog model at the Osaka museum is displayed with a human family from the Yayoi period in a section on pit dwellings. The museum's website introduces the dog with cartoons with the dog character saying things such as, 'I was a hunting companion' and 'They made a grave for me.' While the Yayoi dogs are believed to be partners of humans in ancient times, their bones with amputation marks have been unearthed in various locations, suggesting that they were also eaten. A Yayoi period bronze bell, which is said to have been found in Kagawa Prefecture and housed in the Tokyo National Museum, depicts humans and dogs hunting a wild boar. - The Yomiuri Shimbun
Yomiuri Shimbun
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Model of Ancient Yayoi Dog Attracting Visitors to Museum in Shiga Pref.; Social Media Posts Show Dog ‘Walking' in and Out of Facility
The Yomiuri Shimbun The Yayoi dog model on display at the Azuchi Castle Archaeological Museum in Omi-Hachiman, Shiga Prefecture OMI-HACHIMAN, Shiga — A model of an ancient dog at a museum in Omi-Hachiman, Shiga Prefecture, is gaining popularity thanks to social media posts showing the dog model 'walking' in and out of the museum. Visitors come to the Azuchi Castle Archaeological Museum run by Shiga Prefecture to see the elaborate model of a female Yayoi dog, which is believed to have lived in Japan during the ancient Yayoi period. The model dog has left an exhibition room where it had been displayed for more than 30 years due to the renovation of the room. Since the museum's opening in 1992, the dog model had been displayed in Permanent Display Room No.1, along with models of humans carrying farming tools and making earthenware, which was designed to introduce the agricultural lifestyle of the Yayoi period. The museum decided to move the dog model in order to set up a new theater in the display room that currently shows a video of Azuchi Castle reproduced with high-definition computer graphics. Last June, the museum posted a video on its official Instagram page titled 'troubling doggy,' which showed its staff struggling to move the model Yayoi dog, which was attached to a shelf. Since then, the model dog has been actively promoted as the museum's 'mascot dog,' wearing its trademark Magatama beads around its neck. The mascot dog sometimes greets visitors at the entrance or at the reception desk. The model even made an outing to a museum in Gifu Prefecture and was one of the first to sneak into the new theater room before its opening. The model's front legs are outstretched and its face looks up at people kindly, making its appearance very lifelike. As the museum continued to post pictures on social media, an increasing number of people began visiting the museum to see the dog, saying, 'I came to see her' or 'Where is she today?' 'The Yayoi dog has been watching over the museum since its opening. We hope it will help people become interested in the museum,' said a museum curator. Little known about Yayoi dog The model Yayoi dog has been exhibited at the museum as an animal with close ties to humans. But the museum said it had no materials or detailed information about the dog. Courtesy of the Osaka Prefectural Museum of Yayoi Culture An exhibit at the Osaka Prefectural Museum of Yayoi Culture shows how humans lived with dogs during the Yayoi period. In 1980, nearly complete skeletons of a male and a female Yayoi dog were excavated at the Kamei Remains in Yao, Osaka Prefecture. In 1996, the staff of the Osaka Prefectural Museum of Yayoi Culture in Izumi City, Osaka Prefecture, who participated in the excavation, produced a model of the dog for the first time in Japan. Based on the findings of zooarchaeology and anatomy, the model was made with reference to the skeleton of the excavated male dog and a Shikoku dog, which has similar characteristics. The dog model at the Osaka museum is displayed with a human family from the Yayoi period in a section on pit dwellings. The museum's website introduces the dog with cartoons with the dog character saying things such as, 'I was a hunting companion' and 'They made a grave for me.' While the Yayoi dogs are believed to be partners of humans in ancient times, their bones with amputation marks have been unearthed in various locations, suggesting that they were also eaten. A Yayoi period bronze bell, which is said to have been found in Kagawa Prefecture and housed in the Tokyo National Museum, depicts humans and dogs hunting a wild boar.
