Koji Mizoguchi

Time in the reproduction of mortuary practices

Abstract This paper argues that the archaeologist can interpret the way time was marked through human practices and manipulated in the reproduction of relations of dominance. It is argued that this task can be accomplished by moving interpretative/analytical emphasis away from the examination of static patterns, and interpreting the way those variables were mobilized as symbolic resources in the production and maintenance of social structures. These points are discussed through the study of the mortuary practices of Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age East Yorkshire, England.

Archaeology, society and identity in modern Japan

This bold and illuminating 2006 study examines the role of archaeology in the formation of the modern Japanese nation and explores the processes by which archaeological practice is shaped by national social and intellectual discourse. Leading Japanese archaeologist Koji Mizoguchi argues that an understanding of the past has been a central component in the creation of national identities and modern nation states and that, since its emergence as a distinct academic discipline in the modern era, archaeology has played an important role in shaping that understanding. By examining in parallel the uniquely intense process of modernisation experienced by Japan and the history of Japanese archaeology, Mizoguchi explores the close interrelationship between archaeology, society and modernity, helping to explain why we do archaeology in the way that we do. This book is essential reading for anybody with an interest in the history of archaeology or modern Japan.

A future of archaeology

ARCHAEOLOGICAL FUTURES As archaeologists we look to the past, but where might archaeology be going in the future? In this issue of Antiquity we begin a new feature where we invite archaeologists from different parts of the world to consider how the subject may or should develop in the coming years. For the first of these, Koji Mizoguchi, President of the World Archaeological Congress and Professor at Kyushu University in Japan, offers a perspective on the regional traditions of archaeology within an increasingly globalised world.

The Great East Japan Earthquake and cultural heritage. Towards an archaeology of disaster

The earthquake that struck Japan on 11 March 2011, named the Great East Japan Earthquake by the Japanese government, was one of the largest seismic events the world has seen for generations. Akira Matsui reported his experience of visiting the areas devastated by the earthquake and tsunami soon afterwards, outlining the initial assessment of damage caused to museums and cultural heritage assets, and the plans for their rescue (Kaner et a/ 2011; Matsui 201 I a). The present contribution reports how far the implementation of these plans has been successful, the prospects for the future, and situates all of this in a broader context of archaeological response to earthquakes.

Genealogy in the ground: observations of jar burials of the Yayoi period, northern Kyushu, Japan

The author finds that cemeteries in early first millennium Japan reflect the associations of family with land. The burial parties of a core settlement could be seen to be referring to earlier burials in a dynastic or genealogical sequence, while a secondary settlement developed its burial ground in a disordered sequence. Thus Koji Mizoguchi shows that the differences between the haves and have-nots extended their having, or not having, a history.

The Protection of the Site: Discursive Formation and Self-identification in Contemporary Society

The paper argues that rescue archaeological activities in Japan create a discursive space where the future protection and management of the site is debated, notably between academic archaeologists, developers (the financial/administrative force) and the media. This discursive space is more and more dominated by the media agenda, to which the academic force largely conforms.This is connected with the nature of the stability of the lives of the rescue excavation officers themselves, in contradistinction to that of the general public.

The centre of their life-world: The archaeology of experience at the Middle Yayoi cemetery of Tateiwa-Hotta, Japan

Social analysis of cemeteries has traditionally viewed them as static images of social organisation. In this study of the Middle Yayoi jar-burial cemetery of Tateiwa-Hotta, however, the dynamic interrelationship between competing groups and successive generations can be discerned. Two initial burials proved to be foundational acts, followed by over 40 further burials spread over a series of generations. Differences in grave orientation and grave goods signalled the separate identities of the adjacent hamlets that came to bury their lineage leaders in this prominent location. Competition between lineages is indicated by externally acquired grave goods, including prestigious bronze mirrors from the Han commandery of Lelang in Korea, and by the varying styles of burial jar that illustrate and symbolise connections or alliances with other communities.

The Anyang Xibeigang Shang royal tombs revisited: A social archaeological approach

Abstract The Shang Dynasty has attracted much archaeological research, particularly the renowned ‘royal tombs’ of the Xibeigang cemetery at Anyang Yinxu, the last Shang capital. Understanding of the social strategies informing Shang mortuary practices is, however, very limited. A new reconstruction of the detailed chronology of the cemetery is presented here, allowing social theory to be applied, and reveals the strategic social decisions behind the placement of the tombs in relation to each other. The results of this analysis are important not only for the reconstruction of the social structure and organisation of the late Shang dynasty, but also for understanding the relationship between mortuary practices and the functioning of early states in other regions.

The Yayoi and Kofun Periods of Japan

The Yayoi and Kofun (meaning ‘old tumuli’) Periods of the Japanese Archipelago witnessed the introduction of rice paddy field agriculture and the subsequent rapid development of social complexity and hierarchy, culminating in the establishment of ascribed social stratification and the formation of an early state. The process can most typically be observed in the transformation of the way people dwelled and buried the dead. In what follows, I trace that process in Japan and describe possible causes of significant changes punctuating the historical trajectory by focusing on settlement and mortuary evidence.1

The regeneration of life: Neolithic structures of symbolic remembering and forgetting - Commentary

The social construction of identity and memory can be expressed through public ritual. The organization of mortuary practices, the repetitive use of imagery and figurines, and the long-term reuse of human skulls in the near Eastern Neolithic illustrate how household ritual linked the living to the dead. Secondary mortuary practices and the plastering and painting of human skulls as ritual heirlooms served as a form of memorialization and erasure of identity within Communities. The deliberate focus on the face in both construction and decoration, was part of a shared system of ritual practices. Skull caching and modification transcended the past, present, and future, reiterating the expectation of future mortuary events while simultaneously recognizing continuity with the past through the crafting of memory. Collectively these patterns represent a complex web of interaction involving ritual knowledge, imagery, mortuary practices, and the creation of intergenerational memory and structures of authority.The social construction of identity and memory can be expressed through public ritual. The organization of mortuary practices, the repetitive use of imagery and figurines, and the long‐term reuse of human skulls in the Near Eastern Neolithic illustrate how household ritual linked the living to the dead. Secondary mortuary practices and the plastering and painting of human skulls as ritual heirlooms served as a form of memorialization and erasure of identity within communities. The deliberate focus on the face in both construction and decoration was part of a shared system of ritual practices. Skull caching and modification transcended the past, present, and future, reiterating the expectation of future mortuary events while simultaneously recognizing continuity with the past through the crafting of memory. Collectively these patterns represent a complex web of interaction involving ritual knowledge, imagery, mortuary practices, and the creation of intergenerational memory and structures of authority.