Acceptance and development of Korean culture in East Japan at Kofun Era

2002 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 12610419
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: 考古学(含先史学)
• Research Institution: Senshu University
• Principal Investigator: HABUTA Yoshiyuki Senshu University, School of Literature, Professor, 文学部, 教授 (50228524)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): SAKAI Kiyoji Komazawa University, School of Literature, Associate Professor, 文学部, 助教授 (80296821)
• Project Period (FY): 2000 – 2002
• Keywords: Korean culture / cairms / stone duelling / the arrival of korean people

Research Abstract

The study attempted to explore how Korean culture was developed in Eastern Japan in the Kofun era shortly after its introduction into Western Japan. It was found that in Eastern Japan Korean culture was not introduced into extended areas, but rather, it was introduced sporadically. It was also found that in some places this culture has been completely assimilated into existing Japanese culture with few or no traces of its original form, while in other places the former has had a great impact on the latter and has still preserved its original style. The first finding suggests that the way in which Korean culture was introduced into Western Japan is greatly different from that into Eastern Japan, and that this might have caused a traditional mistaken assumption that Korean culture was introduced into Eastern Japan much later than Western Japan. As to the second finding, it should be pointed out that in the Nagano Basin the introduction of Korean culture already started in the Yayoi era a nd that Japan might have had direct contact with Korea through the Japan Sea. On the other hand, cairns and store dwellings have shown some evidence of the arrival of Korean people, but this is more likely to suggest that these people were forced to move and settle in designated areas by Japanese with great authority living in Eastern Japan. However, the present study could not give a definite answer to a question whether those Japanese had autonomy or they were under the control of those with greater power in the Kinai district.
This study has clarified that Korean culture was introduced into Japan much earlier than previously thought but that unlike in Western Japan, Eastern Japan absorbed and assimilated Korean culture sporadically rather than extensively. It should also be mentioned that the Sendai Plain is considered to be the farthest north area which has shown clear evidence of continuous contact with Korean culture, whereas the Koriyama Basin in Fukushima Prefecture is the farthest north district which might have had close, direct contact with this culture.