2007 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Anthropological Cooperative Research on Sacred Place and Buried Place in the Amami Islands
| Project/Area Number |
17202025
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Cultural anthropology/Folklore
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| Research Institution | University of the Ryukyus |
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Principal Investigator |
TSUHA Takashi University of the Ryukyus, College of Law and Letters, Professor (90128489)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
IKEDA Yoshifumi University of the Ryukyus, College of Law and Letters, Professor (40150627)
MACHIDA Munehiro University of the Ryukyus, College of Law and Letters, Professor (10145518)
ISHIDA Hajime University of the Ryukyus, College of Medicine, Professor (70145225)
GOTO Masahiko University of the Ryukyus, College of Law and Letters, Associate Professor (30291553)
INAMURA Tsutomu University of the Ryukyus, College of Law and Letters, Associate Professor (50347126)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2005 – 2007
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| Keywords | anthropology / cultural anthropology / archaeology / geographic information system / folklore studies / Amami Islands / sacred place / buried place |
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| Research Abstract |
In an attempt to reevaluate the work of Yashu Nakamatsu, Takashi Tsuha focused his research mainly on open air (fuus∩) tombs (風葬墓) in Yoron Island including ceremonies of reinterment after bone washing (洗骨改葬). FuusH (風葬) practices were banned in Yoron Island at the beginning of the Meiji Period. However, fuus∩ tombs (風葬墓) have not lost their connections with family descendents. Tsuha conducted interviews and observed some reinterment rites (洗骨改葬), which are still actively practiced today. He also created a database of tomb (墓) types in the Amami Islands, and from that database he selected one case study each from of the islands of Tokunoshima, Okinoerabu, Yoron, and Kume Islands. This database contains a large quantity of personal information, and cannot be made public at this time, but there are plans to make the data available after taking measures to ensure the privacy of informants.
Masahiko Goto and Hidefumi Ikeda reported on two areas of research on Isen Town in Tokunoshima. Their
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first area of focus was on the measurement of sacred places, specifically the tomb of a feudal lord from the Ryukyu Kingdon era (aji-baka-按司墓). The drawings they made as a result revealed that the summit of the hill which constitutes the core of the sacred site is a chinshi tomb (chinshi-baka-積石墓) constructed of stone. Moreover, they excavated a sacred site called amuto-gami (アムト神), which was thought by some researchers to be a tomb. Their excavations uncovered pottery indicating construction in the early modern era, and discovered that it is not burial tomb (葬墓).
Hajime Ishida conducted research on small mutations in brainpan size in 121 sets of human remains in gravesites in Kume Island from the early modern era, and compared his results with data on neighboring human groups. The findings of his comparative study indicate that Okinawa, more specifically the group of islands including Okinawa, Amami, Sakishima, and Kume Islands, showed similarities with human groups in South China and Southeast Asia as well as affinities with mainland Japan. It indicates the possibility that Okinawa has been influenced not only by mainland Japan, but also from the South from prehistoric times through historic era.
Naomi Dohi conducted research on Tokunoshima in 2005 and collected information on burial sites (葬地). Dohi categorized information from the analysis of human bones excavation in the Amami Islands in table form, and concluded her research with findings on early modern era humans. Through the analysis of human remains, Dohi aims to deliniate the history of human habitation in the Nansei Islands, and plans to expand her research to encompass the Amami and Okinawa Islands as well. Less
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