A comprehensive study on Palaeolithic voyage in the Ryukyu Islands

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 16K13133
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Area studies
• Research Institution: National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Kaifu Yousuke 独立行政法人国立科学博物館, 人類研究部, グループ長 (20280521)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): SHINODA Kenichi 国立科学博物館, 人類研究部, 部長 (30131923) ; KONO Reiko 慶應義塾大学, 文学部, 准教授 (30356266) ; YONEDA Minoru 東京大学, 総合研究博物館, 教授 (30280712) ; GOTO Akira 南山大学, 人文学部, 教授 (40205589) ; ONO Rintaro (40462204) ; NOBAYASHI Atsushi 国立民族学博物館, 教授 (10290925) ; KAN Nobuhiro 九州大学, 比較社会文化研究科, 教授 (20294390) ; YOKOYAMA Yusuke 東京大学, 大気海洋研究所, 教授 (20294390) ; KUBOTA Yoshimi 国立科学博物館, 地学研究部, 研究員 (80710946) ; KOKUBUGATA Goro 国立科学博物館, 植物研究部, 研究主幹 (40300686) ; IHARA Yasuo 東京大学, 理学系研究科, 講師 (90376533)
• Project Period (FY): 2016-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 旧石器時代 / 航海術 / 琉球列島

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The goal of this project was to form a theoretical model that explains how Palaeolithic people crossed the seas of the Ryulyu Islands in southwestern Japan. Researchers form a wide variety of fields got together to share information for this purpose. We conclude that the Palaeolithic people crossed the ocean by paddling either reed-bundle boat, bamboo-raft boat, or wooden dug-out canoe, as a group of at least 5 men and 5 women, in the sea of the Kuroshio current. This must have been an intentional voyage. We will later apply this model to our ongoing experimental voyage project to further understand how difficult their challenge was.

Free Research Field

人類学