Ethnoarchaeological Analysis of Prehistoric Baskets from Central Japan and Basketry Techniques found at the Museum of Archaeological Research

Summary

Many ancient baskets have been excavated from the wetland sites of the Japan’s prehistoric period in the Hokuriku district, Central Japan. 65 baskets have been excavated from 10 prehistoric sites and date from c.3600 cal BC to c.250 cal AD. Also 14 impressions of basketry were found on the bottom of deep bowls from 8 prehistoric sites.

Two points are clear from the analysis of these basketry materials: (1) in terms of construction materials, a Inugaya (in Japanese; Cephalotaxus harringtonia), a Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica), a hiba arborvitae (Thujopsis dolabrata), a silvervine (actinidia), and a tudurafuji (in Japanese; Sinomenium acutum) were used to make basketry. No baskets were made of straw and (2) regional difference in basket materials plainly existed in prehistoric Japan, bamboos in the Tohoku and Kanto district and plant other than bamboos in the Hokuriku district.

We have been using ethnographic basketry to help us understand these ancient basketry examples since these historic baskets were made with Japanese cypress, silvervine, and tudurafuji in the Hokuriku district 30 years ago.

Archaeologists, who work at the museum of archaeological research of Komatsu City, have been teaching schoolchildren and the elderly how to make basketry using traditional ancient techniques.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Reconstructing Indigenous Practices in Museum Settings: Perspectives and Approaches

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14942