Luke Roberts: Lives of Samurai Women of the Edo Period

2:45-3:15 Prof. Luke Roberts, University of California Santa Barbara

“Lives of Samurai Women of the Edo Period”

This talk will describe the lives of samurai women of the Mori house in Tosa domain in the Edo period. The Mori house was an average 200-koku house of the rank of mounted guard.  Patterns of government documentation tend to erase the presence of samurai women and make it difficult to recover stories of their lives, yet the abundant Mori family records allow us to reconstruct stories of their lives while uncovering many of the untruths in daimyo government records that were created to preserve an image of stable patriarchy.

Nojiri Yasuhiro: Why Did People Make Fake Documents in the Early Kinsei Era

2:00-2:30 Prof. Nojiri Yasuhiro, Meiji University

"Why Did People Make Fake Documents in the Early Kinsei Era?”

Prior to Japan’s early modern period, a large number of written historical documents were created. Today we call them “old documents,” komonjo, and they are investigated and categorized by historians. Research begins with the cataloging process. When a catalogue is created, we gain a sense of the individuals that brushed the documents and the organizations that catalogued them. And by reading the contents of komonjo, we can ascertain the historical realities of the time.

When investigating and categorizing such documents, from time to time scholars encounter strange komonjo. For instance, there are documents in which the contents clearly diverge from reality, such as false genealogical or inheritance records. These are called “faked documents,” gimonjo. I am interested in why such documents were made in the early modern era and what the reasons tell us about society at the time.

In this presentation I focus on a strange village record that bears a Nara-period date, Tenpyô 1 (729) but which was actually created in the sixteenth century. What is this record and its background? The contents claim to specify the village’s boundaries. Although the villagefaced the sea,  the majority of the district was mountainous, and land-use rights for the mountains were frequently contested by a neighboring village. During the Warring States era in the latter half of the sixteenth century, even though the state of judicial affairs was gradually being put in order, the proprietor responsible for making judicial decisions had changed. These were the sorts of geographic and social circumstances that led to the creation of faked documents. 

日本の近世は、それ以前の時代よりも大量の記録（文字史料）が作られた。文字史料は現代では古文書と呼ばれ、それらを調査・整理し、目録を作成することから研究が始まる。目録を作成することで、古文書を作り出した個人や団体の概要を把握したり、古文書に記された内容を読解したりして、歴史事実を確かめていくのである。
調査・整理をしていると、時々不思議な古文書に出会うことがある。たとえば、明らかに事実と異なる内容が記されている、系図や由緒（物事の来歴）などの古文書である。それらは偽文書（ぎもんじょ）と呼ばれ、研究の対象から外されてきた。しかし、近年では、偽文書がなぜ作られたのかという研究視角が重視されている。つまり、偽文書が作られた要因ついて、その社会背景を明らかにしながら探ろうというのである。

本報告では、日本海に面する村に残された、天平元年（729）の年号を有する古文書を検討対象とする。そして、この古文書が作成された背景を追究する。結論を簡単に示す。この古文書は、村の境目を主張する内容で、16世紀末に創作された。この村は海に面しているが、村の大部分は山地である。この山地を使用する権利について、しばしば隣村と争ったこと。16世紀後半の戦国時代に、裁判制度が徐々に整えられつつも、裁判を行う領主が交替したこと。このような地理的条件と社会状況が偽文書を作り出した要因と考える。

Dan Sherer: The Purpose and Significance of the Tenshô 4 (1576) Nichiren-sect Kanjin Campaign in Kyoto

12:15-12:45Dan Sherer, USC History Department

"The Purpose and Significance of the Tenshô 4 (1576) Nichiren-sect Kanjin Campaign in Kyoto”

In 1576, the Council of Head Temples of the Nichiren sect in Kyoto held a city-wide fundraising (kanjin) campaign. While there are detailed accounts showing who donated, how much they donated, and how the money raised was spent, the campaign remains a mysterious affair. Fundraising campaigns in Japan were typically universal; this one was sectarian. Fundraising campaigns in Japan had a clear stated goal, usually building or repairing temple buildings. This one however paid for gifts to warriors (primarily during the regime of Oda Nobunaga) over a period beginning in 1572 and ending in 1577. In this presentation, using sources concerning the campaign, I will explain how and why it was undertaken.

天正四年、京都の日蓮宗本山会合が洛中勧進を行った。寄贈者の名前と帰依僧、寄付金の額も集めたお金の支出も、詳しく記されいるが、この勧進がまだ不思議なことである。中世日本の勧進は宗派を問わず、すべての人を対象とした。天正四年洛中勧進は日蓮宗に限った。そのうえ、普通に勧進は寺社の修造や造営などの表明された目標がある。天正四年洛中勧進は表明された目標がなく、その募金が元亀三年から天正五年にかけて幕府・織田政権の関係者への贈与の費用を負担した。本報告は天正四年勧進の関係資料を説明して、勧進の目標と意義を明らかにしたい。

Nicolette Lee: Legitimacy and the Power of Reading at Medieval Japanese Royal Convents

11:45-12:15 Nicolette Lee, USC School of Religion

“Legitimacy and the Power of Reading at Medieval Japanese Royal Convents”

The paradigmatic image of a Japanese Buddhist nun is the widow nun who lives a cloistered life. Similarly convents for elite women have been regarded as places for unmarried women to perform rituals in order to protect their family lineage. Rather, most of these women were sent as young children to assume religious vocations and led a social life. They enjoyed visits to the palace and pilgrimages with other courtiers, ladies-in-waiting, and nuns. Furthermore Muromachi-period (1333-1573) royal convents fulfilled the important role as literary salons—they were sites of literary production, consumption, and circulation. We know this fromevidence demonstrating exchanges of literary works like picture scrolls (emaki) between convents and their networks of aristocratic and shogunal patrons. In my project, I am investigating the literary exchange of texts among nuns from the tennō’s family and their patrons, primarily by using Prince Fushiminomiya Sadafusa’s (1372-1456) journal, the Kanmon nikki (1426-48). I will examine how the convent, aristocratic families, and shogunal patrons were mutually focused on owning, circulating, and sponsoring literary works as a means to accumulate cultural possessions that symbolically legitimated the family lineage and authority. In particular I will focus on royal nun Rien’s (1422-?) life, which offers a window into complex relations between her familial patrons, the royal and shogunal families. She was the youngest daughter of Sadafusa, younger sister of the sovereign Go-Hanazono (1419-71), and adopted daughter of shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori (1394-1441). By focusing on this network of cultural lending and borrowing, my project explores elite women’s lives at the intersection of the literary arts and religion.

中世日本の仏教の尼というのは、 パラダイムのイメージが「ゴケアマ」という尼だ。後家尼（ゴケアマ）はご主人がなくなった妻になり、残った責任・義務はご主人の往生ができるように祈ることだ。同じく、貴族的な女性が入る尼寺は、未婚の女性が、ただ、家族の守るために儀式を行う尼寺に入るとよく考えるそうだ。しかし、実に、この貴族的な女性たちは、幼い頃、尼寺に入る理由が、真面目に宗教的仕事をする予定だからだ。それに、家族・友達と活動したりして、そんなに遠隔の生活ではない。

特に、室町時代に(1333-1573)、王家の尼寺は宗教的役割に加えて、「文学的なサロン」という重要な役割も果たした。文学サロンというのは、作品を制作したり、消費したり、回流したりするサイトだ。その尼寺というサイトで、特に貴族的な尼寺と尼寺の貴族家・将軍家の恩人たちとよく絵巻のやり取りが記録した証拠があり、貴族的な尼寺の文学サロンの価値も重要でもっと研究がするべきだ。

私のプロジェクトに関して、伏見宮貞成(1372-1456)の日記、『看聞御記』、を調べて、 尼寺と尼寺の恩人たちとの絵巻の回流を調べる。特に、特別の作品を制作したり、消費したり、回流したりしたら、なぜ文化財を溜まるのは、自分の系統と権利を象徴的に正統ができるのかと考える。特に、理延（りえん）(1422-?)という王家の尼を中心する。貞成の末女、後花園天皇(1419-71)の妹、将軍足利義教(1394-1441)の養女で、理延は複雑で有力の関係があるので、絵巻のやり取りはただ楽しみのことではなく、政治的な意味も入っている。

Cassandra Dierolf: Research Concerning Property and Inheritance Rights of Women in the 12th and 13th Centuries

11:15-11:45 Cassandra Dierolf, USC East Asian Studies Center

“Research Concerning Property and Inheritance Rights of Women in the 12th and 13th Centuries”

For my master’s thesis I have researched women’s property and inheritance rights as they appear in the laws of the later Heian and Kamakura Periods. First, I examined the law book known as the Hōsōshiyōshō written by the Sakanoue family in the very late Heian/very early Kamakura Period. The legal scholars of the Sakanoue family recorded the precedents set by and their understanding of laws concerning women’s property and inheritance rights as practiced by noble families of the time. Next, I examined the legal text known as the Goseibai shikimoku, established by the Kamakura bakufu to shape the process of lodging suits in bakufu courts by their houseman warriors in the Kamakura Period (1185-1333). I also researched what is known as the Tsuika hō, created after the Goseibai shikimoku, after a number of lawsuits occurred, and the rulings of those cases became new or supplementary laws. Within the Hōsōshiyōshō, the Goseibai shikimoku, and the Tsuika hō, there are a number of clauses that concern the rights of women in holding land. Particularly, in an examination of Clause 24 (est. 1232) of the Goseibai shikimoku, and Clauses 327 (est. 1239) and 330 (est. 1285) of the Tsuika hō, the limiting of women’s property rights over a fifty-year period is very clear. In this presentation, to illustrate the change in women’s property rights, these three clauses will be discussed in some detail.

修士論文のため、平安時代後期から鎌倉時代の法律における女性の財産権や継承権を研究した。まずは、平安末期から鎌倉初期にかけて、坂上氏により「法曹至要抄」という法律書を調べた。法曹官僚の坂上氏はその時の公家に関する法律の前例や分かることを記された。次に、鎌倉時代の鎌倉幕府が武士階級を統制するための制定された御成敗式目という法律制度を調べた。そして、御成敗式目の後、訴訟がいくつか起こされ、その訴訟の判決から新しい条項が成立し、「追加法」と呼ばれている法律を研究した。この法曹至要抄と御成敗式目と追加法には、女性が所領を持つ権利に関する条項がいくつかある。御成敗式目の２４条（１２３２年）と追加法の３２６条（１２３９年）、３３０条（１２８５年）を見ると、５０年ぐらいの間に女性の財産権が制限されるようになったことが明確になる。本発表では、女性の財産権の変化を見せるため、この三つの条項について詳しく論じる。

Chris Bovberg: The Jôkyû Disturbance of 1221, A Case Study of Warrior Government

10:30-11:00 Chris Bovberg, University of California Berkeley

“The Jôkyû Disturbance of 1221, A Case Study of Warrior Government”

My dissertation investigates the early development of “warrior government” in the Kamakura bakufu (1180-1333) by examining key turning points. I attempt to identify what this construction, “warrior government,” signifies. What did it mean to be a “warrior”? What did their organization do? How did it relate to, complement, or stymie the court government? How do these questions inform our conception of the “medieval” period? I argue that to better understand how new military and police positions and powers were developed and incorporated into Japanese governing structures, a greater focus on the process of the expansion of authority is necessary. I contend that the bakufu was a dynamic institution, changing to adapt to new circumstances and crises as they arose, while remaining, at least conceptually, under the umbrella of the court government. This process was driven by personality, events, and other uncoordinated forces, as bakufu leadership sought solutions to the problems in front of them, not as a military takeover. The Jōkyū Disturbance (1221) is a salient example of a turning point in this development. Bakufu forces emerged victorious over the royal coalition, but it faced increasingly serious challenges after the battle was won. Power vacuums emerged at the center and local levels of government, sporadic episodes of violence continued across the countryside, and confusion and uncertainty threatened the stability of the established order. And yet, even though the bakufu was militarily unrivaled, it expanded only to the point of overcoming these difficulties – it never eclipsing or replacing royal authority. For example, it established new law enforcement officers to keep the peace while issuing new laws to establish their agents’ civil accountability, rather than using the power it had amassed to simply aggrandize the position of its own regime. In short, despite its unprecedented expansion, it remained fundamentally conservative.  Kamakura extended its reach across the country, but did so to preserve the status quo of the rest of the systems and institutions under the tennō’s government. This demands that we rethink the standard narrative of “warrior rule” and common conceptions of a separate “warrior” establishment and instead consider Kamakura administration as defying easy categorization.

Gulnoza Kurbonova: Women in the Genji Monogatari, Especially Fujitsubo and Murasakinoue

5:00-5:30 Gulnoza Kurbonova, Meiji University

“Women in the Genji Monogatari, Especially Fujitsubo and Murasakinoue”

In the Genji monogatari, a woman’s refinement and character are seen as more important than rank or descent. Within the Tale, many women are described as having a beautiful (utsukushii) personality and disposition. From a very young age the main character, the Shining Prince Genji, yearns romantically for the Queen Consort Fujitsubo, and he is always looking for a woman like her. For Genji, Fujitsubo is the most desirable type of woman. The young Murasaki, Fujitsubo’s niece, is about ten years old when she appears in the Tale. Genji is eighteen, and at a monastery in the mountains north of the capital, he sees this girl who looks just like Fujitsubo, and she replaces the latter in his affections. He steals her away to his residence at Nijôin, and then raises her to make her into his ideal woman. And as she grows into adulthood, Murasaki seems just like Fujitsubo, making Genji happy as his desires come to fruition. Nevertheless while Murasaki resembles Fujitsubo, her personality and disposition are different. Murasaki wins because of her intelligence, but her personality causes problems for Genji. In this presentation, I will examine in some detail the vocabulary used to describe the personalities of Fujitsubo and Murasakinoue, a vocabulary that shows their human qualities as they appeared to Genji.

源氏物の女性―藤壺と紫の上を中心に

『源氏物語』において、女性の身分や出自よりも教養や人柄が重要視されているように思われる。物語に数多く登場する女性たちは、それぞれ「美しい」性格・性質的な面をもって特徴づけられている。主人公光源氏が、若い時から父桐壺帝の后である藤壺を心から恋い慕っており、藤壺のような女性を望み求める。源氏にとっての藤壺はまたとない理想的な女性であった。といよりは、源氏本人によって理想化された、彼が一番望ましいとする女性のタイプであったと考えられる。藤壺の姪そして「ゆかり」の人として物語に十歳ぐらいの少女若紫（のちの紫の上）が登場する。源氏が十八歳のとき、北山のある僧都の坊で、面影が藤壺そっくりのこの少女を見出し、藤壺の代わりとしていつも見ていたいと思う。あるとき、紫の上を二条院に盗みとって、自ら自分が希求するような理想的な女性に育てようとする。成長するにつれて、藤壺そっくりになっていく紫の上を見て、自分の望みが叶っていると光源氏も喜ぶ。しかし、紫の上が面影という点では藤壺に非常に似通っていても、性格および性質は異なっている。表立って才たけている様子を見せることがなかった藤壺に対して、紫の上は利発さの勝ちすぎていた人柄であった。また、紫の上には少し厄介な「気」（嫉妬の癖）もあり、これらが源氏にとって困ったところであった（朝顔巻）。本発表において、藤壺と紫の上の人柄を形容する語彙を詳細に検討して、光源氏にとっての藤壺と紫の上の人間について確認する。

Inokuma Kaneki: Research in the Material Culture of the Old Japanese Royal Court

4:15-4:45 Prof. Inokuma Kaneki, Tokyo National Museum

“Research in the Material Culture of the Old Japanese Royal Court”

In the kind of class-structured society that existed in the pre-modern era, a person’s lifestyle corresponded to that person’s rank in the class hierarchy. Members of the court sought to pass down their ways of life to their descendants based on the formal manners and customs of the court, with the aim of preserving their special hierarchic status. The body of knowledge concerning these formal customs is known as 有職 (yūsoku). The essential aim of the court’s formal customs was to maintain order in the hierarchy. Courtiers were kept in line by their bureaucratic position, class, and ancestry. This order was physically embodied in the practice of ceremonial rituals that made use of the palace, furnishings, and costumes. In other words, the buildings, implements and clothing of the court were not only tools but also articles of material culture that, through their form and design, had the social function of signifying a courtier’s position and lineage, and the state of court ceremonial. As such the style of the court was formed through these articles of material culture. This use of material culture to differentiate between members of society and ceremonial events is a universal phenomenon that can be seen throughout world history.

It is particularly marked, however, in 礼制 (J: reisei, C: lǐzhì, or the system of protocol) that developed in ancient China. The form of government of the Chinese court, called 朝廷 (J: chōtei, C: cháotíng), which was based on the principles of protocol, was not only passed down to successive dynasties in China. Since it was a universal system of government that spread to the Japanese archipelago, the Korean peninsula, the Vietnam region, and the Ryūkyū Islands, the Chinese court style also influenced courts in other parts of Eastern Asia.

My discussion of the style of the monarch’s court in Japan is divided into the categories of rituals 祭祀 (saishi), the New Year’s Imperial Greeting ceremony 朝賀 (J:Chōga, C:Cháohè), and official events 公事 (kuji).  1)  祭祀 (saishi) The items of material culture used in the 大嘗祭 (Daijō-sai), or Great Food Offering ceremony were devices intended to project ancient customs. By preserving them, those ancient customs have been passed on down to the present day. 2)  朝賀 (Chōga) In embodying the principles of the chōtei court, the court style was formed by material culture such as palaces, furnishings and costumes that imitated items used in the Chinese icourt of the Tang Dynasty. 3) 公事 (kuji) The characteristics of era, region and ethnicity in courtesy-based East Asian imperial courts are most apparent in their inner courts (private space). In Japan’s inner court, annual events of the season emerged to form a court culture that was rich in elegance.

日本の宮廷を対象とする物質文化的研究

前近代の階層社会では階層ごとの生活様式が形成されており、公家階層が構成する宮廷では宮廷礼法に基づく生活様式が伝承された。この宮廷礼法の知識体系を有職という。宮廷礼法の要点は身分秩序の維持にあり、その秩序は宮廷人の官職・階級・家柄などによって正され、殿舎・調度・服飾などを用いた宮廷行事を実践するなかで形而下的に具現された。即ち、宮廷における建築・器物・衣服は生活用具であるばかりでなく、その形式や意匠によって宮廷人の身分地位や宮廷行事の状態などを表象する社会的機能を有する物質文化であり、それらによって宮廷様式が形成されていた。このように物質文化を用いて社会構成員の差別や儀式行事の状態を表象する行為は、古代中国で発達した礼制における顕著な現象であった。礼制の理念に基づいた朝廷という政治体制は中国の歴代王朝に継承されたばかりでなく、日本列島・朝鮮半島・越南地域・琉球諸島などにも普及した普遍的政体であるので、中国の宮廷様式は東アジア各地の宮廷にも影響を及ぼした。以上のような趣旨を踏まえて、本研究では日本の宮廷様式を祭祀系・朝賀系・公事系に分類する。

①祭祀系：大嘗祭に用いられた物質文化は古い習俗を投影する装置であり、これらによって太古の習俗が現代まで伝承された。

②朝賀系：朝廷の理念を具現するために、唐の宮廷で用いられていた物質文化の形式に基づいた宮廷様式が整備された。

③公事系：礼制に基づく東アジア宮廷では内廷に時代・地域・民族の特色が現出する。日本の内廷では年中行事が発達して雅趣に富んだ宮廷文化が形成された。

Nadia Kanagawa: What Should Be In a Name: Petitioning the Sovereign to Change Names and Titles in Early Classical Japan

3:30-4:00 Nadia Kanagawa, USC

“What Should Be In a Name: Petitioning the Sovereign to Change Names and Titles in Early Classical Japan”

Over the course of the Nara period, nearly ten thousand Yamato subjects petitioned for and received new names and titles from the sovereign. Designations were critical markers of status and belonging in the classical state, and receiving the grant of a new name or title was not only a point of direct contact with the sovereign but also an important way to maneuver for higher rank and office. While many scholars have examined name and title systems as part of the process by which Yamato sovereigns consolidated their power and configured the people of their realm, far fewer have considered how the many subjects who actively participated in these systems understood their logic and purpose. The sources for such a study are admittedly limited, but among the hundreds of records of name and title changes in the official chronicles there are a handful of entries that include the petition submitted to request the change. This paper focuses on these petitions, using a close reading of the justifications that they give to gain insight into how individual subjects interpreted and responded to state policy on designations.

古代日本の改賜姓請願の中にみる「氏姓」について

奈良時代に天皇の勅による改賜姓を受けた人々が一万人を超える。古代日本において、「姓」は身分や階級と密接に関係していた。天皇に姓を授与されることは、天皇との密接な繋がりを示し、官位の昇進のために非常に大切な事だった。これまでの多くの研究は、大和政権の政治的体制を確立していく過程における氏姓制度の意義を問題としているが、ここでは氏姓制度に自主的に参加した人民側からこの制度の目的と論理を考えてみたい。このための歴史史料は少ないが、『六国史』の多くの改賜姓記事の中ではいくつかの改賜姓請願の例も含まれている。この発表ではその改賜姓の請願の根拠に焦点を当てることによって、国家の政策に対する人民の理解と対応を明らかにしたい。

Sakurada Marie: The Royal Consort Before the Ritsuryô System

2:45-3:15 Sakurada Marie, Meiji University

“The Royal Consort Before the Ritsuryô System”

It is the common opinion that the kisaki (royal consort), the title for a wife of the tennô in the time before the implementation of the ritsuryô system, supports the theory that the title ôkisaki, referring to the tennô’s legal wife, was a predecessor of the title kôgô (senior queen-consort), later changing into a clear hierarchy. However, per examination of ôkisaki in historical records prior to the implementation of the ritsuryô system, ôkisaki did not mean “legal wife.”  For that reason, ôkisaki was not the predecessor of the title kôgô. Additionally, in the Nihon shoki, titles for “legal wife” besides kisaki are listed under the ritsuryô system. Those titles, however, were not all utilized equally under the ritsuryô system, and the Nihon shoki record does not demonstrate a clear hierarchy under kisaki. Further, without the existence of the legal wife term ôkisaki, one can say that a clear hierarchy for kisaki under the ritsuryô system did not exist. Nevertheless some royal consorts possessed an influential voice, could be enthroned as a female sovereign, or were chosen to preside over retainers like the tennô. While this was not the case for all royal consorts, at times when the post of tennô was vacant the influence of the royal consort is clear. Thus, one can consider that the royal consort had a different status than under the ritsuryô system. I will consider how the royal consort before the ritsuryô system did not exist as ôkisaki. The administrative code created a different hierarchy. And yet, it is true that some royal consorts exercised a forceful voice within the court and could be enthroned as a female sovereign.

Scans of documents used in Sakurada's research to demonstrate readings and definitions of particular titles prior to the Ritsuryô.

律令制以前の天皇のキサキについて

律令制以前の天皇の妻＝キサキは、通説では「皇后」の前身で天皇嫡妻の「大后」（＝オオキサキ）とそれを支える制度によって、明確に序列化されているとみなされてきた。しかし、律令制以前の史料にみえる「大后」という語句を検討してみると、その語句に嫡妻という意味はない。そのため、「大后」は「皇后」の前身ではない。また、『日本書紀』には、嫡妻以外のキサキにも律令制下のような称号が付されている。しかし、そのような称号を検討してみると、必ずしも律令制下と同様の観念では使用されておらず、『日本書紀』からはキサキの間に序列があったことを証明することはできない。以上のように、天皇の嫡妻たる「大后」は存在せず、ほかのキサキの間にも律令制下のような序列は存在しないといえる。とはいえ、キサキには発言力を持ったり、女帝として即位したりした人物もいる。そのようなキサキを検討してみると、天皇と同様にキサキが群臣推戴によって選ばれていること、それがすべてのキサキではないこと、天皇空位時に特定のキサキが発言力を行使していることがみうけられる。つまり、キサキには、律令制下とは異なる序列が存在したと考えられるのである。以上のように、律令制以前のキサキは、通説のような「大后」は存在しないものの、令制とは異なる序列が存在し、それにより特定のキサキが発言力を行使したり、女帝として即位したりしたのである。

Satô Kenri: How Does the Archeological Record Help Us Understand Human Groupings: A Comparison of Ceramic Forms and the Design of Human Habitations

1:45-2:15 Satô Kenri, Meiji University

“How Does the Archeological Record Help Us Understand Human Groupings: A Comparison of Ceramic Forms and the Design of Human Habitations”

This paper approaches prehistoric human groups from archaeological records.  Japanese archaeologists have assumed that spatial distribution of pottery that was regionally distinctive and continuously changed was a representation of a human group. Behind this assumption is the large quantity of prehistoric pottery of various time periods that have been excavated all over Japan. Japanese archaeologists have classified the prehistoric pottery of Japan into numerous types representing different regional and chronological phases, based on the morphology, surface decoration, production techniques, and assemblages. In this presentation, I discuss the case of the southern Kantō region of eastern Japan during the Late Yayoi Period (first to third centuries A.D.).  In this region at that time, while the Kugahara type pottery characterized by cord-marked surface was distributed in the coastal region of the Tokyo Bay, the Chōkōjibara type pottery characterized by a comb pattern was distributed in heights to the west of the Tokyo Bay region.  It is noteworthy that the Chōkōjibara type pottery is always found in association with the Kugahara type pottery.  In order to account for this interesting phenomenon, several hypotheses have been proposed, the most convincing of which is that two human groups originating from different regions resided together in a single settlement. I consider this hypothesis problematic because the evidence for it is nothing more than pottery.  I argue that semi-subterranean houses should be taken into consideration when studying this phenomenon.

In my analysis, I have classified semi-subterranean houses into different types based on the floor area and structure, and I have investigated the spatial and temporal distributions of each type of semi-subterranean houses.  As a result, a type of semi-subterranean houses with multiple fireplaces correlates closely with to the types of pottery bearing a comb pattern, including the Chōkōjibara type.  This suggests to me the possibility that the construction plan of semi-subterranean houses is also evidence for distinguishing human groups, along with pottery types.  If this is indeed the case, it is possible to speculate the nature of human groups in the absence of pottery.  Correlations between pottery types and types of semi-subterranean houses should be tested against more data in other regions and time periods.

考古資料から人間集団をどう把握するか？土器型式と住居設計原理の比較

本発表では、考古資料から先史時代の人間集団をどのように把握できるのかを考える。
日本列島では、先史時代の土器が多数発掘され、その研究の蓄積も多数にのぼる。特に、土器群の形態・装飾・製作技術・組成などに関する時期と地域ごとの差異を基準として、多数の土器型式が設定されている。これまで、ある土器型式群が型式学的に連続し、なおかつ隣接地域の土器型式群と顕著な違いがある場合、それぞれを異なる人間集団と考える傾向が強かった。

本発表では、弥生時代後期（AD１～３世紀）における東日本の南関東を対象とする。東京湾沿岸では縄文の帯で文様構図を描く久ケ原（くがはら）式土器、その西側の丘陵地帯では櫛描文が盛んに用いる朝光寺原（ちょうこうじばら）式土器が分布する。しかし、後者では、常に久ケ原式土器も共存するため、それぞれの集落の人間集団をどのように考えるか、いくつかの仮説が提出されている。そのうち、出自の異なる２集団が集落内で共存するとみる仮説が有力視されてきた。しかし、土器だけから人間集団を把握するのは問題がある。この地域に多数存在するもう一つの考古資料が竪穴住居であり、この問題を考えるには竪穴住居も取り上げるべきだと、私は考える。
本発表では、その竪穴住居を取り上げて集団の把握を試みる。はじめに、住居の構造から住居型式を設定し、その空間的・時間的な広がりを分析した。その結果、複数の炉をもつ特徴的な住居設計原理が、櫛描文を持つ土器型式と密接な関わりがあることが判明した。すなわち、土器型式と同様に、住居の設計原理も特定の集団と結びつく可能性を示したのである。さらに、土器が出土しない場合でも、住居型式からその設計・居住者を特定できる可能性も示すことができた。今後は、土器型式と住居型式との相関をさらに検討する必要がある。

Doi Shôhei: The Process of Regional Unification in Eastern Peripheral Japan in the Third Century A.D.

1:00-1:30 Doi Shôhei, Meiji University

“The Process of Regional Unification in Eastern Peripheral Japan in the Third Century A.D.”

Presentation Abstract: It was during the Kofun Period that various regions of Japan came to be unified through the sharing of sets of mortuary rituals associated with the construction of keyhole-shaped mounded tombs. Japanese archaeologists interpret these keyhole-shaped mounded tombs as elite burials because of their very rich goods deposited with the dead and because of their large mounds and burial chambers.  Furthermore,  Japanese archaeologists have previously considered that local regions came to be unified under the leadership of the highest- and higher-ranking chiefs residing in the central Kinki region, historically referred to as the Kinai. In recent years, however, Japanese archaeologists have recognized that the processes involved in changing and unifying sets of mortuary rituals were regionally distinctive in peripheral regions of Japan, such as Kyushu, Hokuriku on the Sea of Japan coastal region of central Japan, and northeastern Honshu.  Accordingly, it is important to understand regional variations of the transformation processes of mortuary rituals. In this presentation I examine the unification process in the Kanto region of eastern Japan, at the time when Kofun culture was penetrating the region from the west. That process was distinct from the unification processes of western Japan.  To demonstrate that, I consider the following: 1) holes drilled through the bottom of pottery vessels after they were fired; 2) large storage jars offered at mortuary rituals; and 3) pottery vessels placed as if to enclose a tomb.  I trace how these attributes diffused and were accepted locally.

As a result of my analysis, I have discovered that in the middle stage of the Early Kofun Period (early fourth century A.D.), mortuary customs of different local regions came to be mixed. Prior to this stage, each local region maintained locally unique mortuary customs.  In the middle stage, however, local regions adopted different mortuary customs originating from other local regions, thereby transforming their own mortuary customs. This phenomenon can be interpreted as an element of the regional unification process from the standpoint of mortuary archaeology. It is very important to note, however, that the direction of diffusion was not one way.  Already in the Late Yayoi Period (the first to early third centuries A.D.) local regions interacted with one another, and this phenomenon of the middle stage of the Early Kofun Period was, I believe, the continuation of inter-regional interaction among local regions since the Late Yayoi Period.  Furthermore, tombs that had incorporated different styles of mortuary rituals originating from different regions were keyhole-shaped with a square rear mound, or they were larger than other neighboring tombs. It is likely that locally influential people were buried in these tombs. I conclude that diffusion of different mortuary customs, their local adoption, and subsequent transformation of mortuary customs at small- and medium-sized tombs at the time of the construction of large mounded tombs was a result of the unification of local regions that had existed since the Late Yayoi Period.

Keni'ichi Sasaki: Archaeological Investigations of the Dainichizuka Mounded Tomb

12:15-12:45Prof. Sasaki Ken'ichi, Meiji University
"Archaeological Investigations of the Dainichizuka Mounded Tomb”

Abstract from the Presentation: I will report on the major results of analysis of haniwa ceramic figurines excavated at the Dainichizuka Mounded Tomb in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, 50 miles northeast of Tokyo.  I excavated the Dainichizuka Mounded Tomb in March and August, 2015, and discovered large quantities of haniwa ceramic figurines. The most notable are a fairly complete haniwa ceramic model of a house and three fairly complete haniwa ceramic figurines of female shamans. In comparison to other examples of haniwa ceramic models of houses, the Dainichizuka find is a model of a residential structure, rather than a storehouse or ritual structure. This distinction is based on the existence of two windows, as opposed to only one window for a storehouse, and walls that support the roof, rather than pillars. More than five ledges are typical of the Ibaraki region in the late sixth century. And as to haniwa ceramic figurines of female shamans, the morphology of apricot-shaped eyes is typical of the Lake Kasumigaura region, and distinguished from the central Ibaraki region, where the bottom line of the eye is straight. The hair style of the three viewed from the top looks like a fundō weight of a Tokugawa-period balance. This hair style is typical of the Kanto region in the late sixth century.  These observations all support a previous interpretation that the Dainichizuka Mounded Tomb was built at some point in the late sixth century.

The USC-Meiji 2017 Exchange Schedule

2017 USC-Meiji University Exchange

March 17-18, 2016

2016 Meeting of the Meiji University-USC Exchange
International Symposium

Ken'ichi Sasaki: April 2015 Lecture Series

April 20-21, 2015

flier
Prof. Ken'ichi SASAKI (Meiji University)
Lecture Series
State Formation in the Center and Eastern Periphery of Kofun Period Japan

April 20:
Talk 1: Japanese theories of state formation
Talk 2: Appearance of keyhole-shaped tumuli in the middle and late third century
4:00 - 6:00 PM, WPH 204

April 21:

Talk 3: Distribution of iron armor in the fifth century and its political significance
Talk 4: Corridor-style burial chambers and clustered tumuli in the sixth century
4:30 - 6:30 PM, East Asian Seminar Room (Doheny Library)

Nojiri Yasuhiro: An Introduction to Tokugawa-period Documentary Sources

An Introduction to Tokugawa-period Documentary Sources 江戸時代の古文書を求めて
NOJIRI Yasuhiro, Professor of History, Meiji University 野尻泰弘

Understanding the people of the Edo Period (1600-1867) starts with reading the old records of that time. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the study of Early Modern Japan equals the reading of these old records. In this brief presentation, I am concerned with the characteristics and current state of preservation of Edo-period manuscripts, especially those that have been passed down in villages. There is much investigation of such records now under way, and such investigation offers basic training for those just beginning their research.   

江戸時代の人々の動向を知るには、古文書を読むことからすべてが始まる。近世史研究＝古文書を読む、といっても過言ではない。本報告では、江戸時代の古文書の特徴や保存管理の現状、古文書の調査について概要を述べることにする。なお、対象とするのは、村に伝来した古文書である。村の古文書は、数量も多く、現在も各地で調査が行われている。そういった調査は、研究を始める者たちが訓練を積む良い機会にもなっている。

Powerpoint presentation

Makino Atsushi: Women that Had Buddhist Rituals Conducted, Seen in the Tenpōrinshō Manuscript at the National Museum of Japanese History

Women that Had Buddhist Rituals Conducted, Seen in the Tenpōrinshō Manuscript at the National Museum of Japanese History 法会を営む女性―国立歴史民俗博物館所蔵『転法輪鈔』を中心に
MAKINO Atsushi, Professor of Literature, Meiji University 牧野淳司

Tenpōrinshō , which means “Expounding the Buddha’s Turning the Wheel of the Law,”  is a compilation of statements of intent (hyôbyaku) meant to be read out at the beginning of a Buddhist rite to proclaim its purpose to all present. The compilation was begun by the late Heian-period Tendai-school monk Chōken (1126-1203) but it was completed later by Chōken’s son, Shōgaku (1167-1235) in the Kamakura Period. Originally there were over 664 sections, but only one of those is extant today. The National Museum of Japanese History has four folded books of the work that I have been fortunate to be able to study. Tenpōrinshō is made up of a great variety of statements of intent, but the National Museum of Japanese History copy has declarations of female benefactors. In this presentation, I will report on my reading of these rarely utilized materials that are of significant interest to literature specialists, historians, art historians, and other researchers. I want to demonstrate the value of these historical sources, which will be published together with a synopsis of research in the near future.

『転法輪鈔』は、平安時代末期の天台僧であった澄憲が作成した表白（法会開催の趣旨を述べた文章）を集めた編纂物で、澄憲の子である聖覚の手によって、鎌倉時代に成立した。全部で六百六十四帖以上あったと考えられるが、現存するのはその一部である。国立歴史民俗博物館には四帖の『転法輪鈔』が所蔵され、発表者はこれを研究する機会に恵まれた（本文と解題的研究はまもなく公になる予定である）。『転法輪鈔』は多種多様な表白を収録しているが、国立歴史民俗博物館本には女性が施主となった法会の表白がいくつか含まれる。今回の発表では、それらの表白から読み取れることを報告してみたい。『転法輪鈔』は、日本文学・日本史学・美術史など、さまざまな分野からの読解が可能と思われるが、あまり利用されているとは言えない。発表者は、表白の資料的価値をさまざまな側面から見出していきたいと考えている。

Presentation Handout

Sutō Ayumi: The Retired Go-Shirakawa Tennô and Imayō— Imayō-matching Contests in the Kikki Journal, 1179

The Retired Go-Shirakawa Tennô and Imayō—
Imayō-matching Contests in the Kikki Journal, 1179 後白河院と今様合—『吉記』における承安四年「今様合」を中心に
SUDÔ Ayumi
須藤あゆ美

In Jishō 3 (1179) a serious incident occurred. Taira no Kiyomori took Retired Monarch Go-Shirakawa, the de facto ruler at the time, to the Toba Detached Palace and put him under house arrest. The Engyōbon, one of the Heike monogatari variants, includes an episode entitled, “The Retired Monarch under House Arrest,” and it depicts the heartbroken Go-Shirakawa. In this episode, Go-Shirakawa compares his current miserable state with the blessed events that he had experienced in the past — sightseeing, pilgrimages, and celebratory ceremonies — and the retired monarch is overwhelmed with sorrow. Here, it is noteworthy that Go-Shirakawa chooses imayō-song-matching contests as a blessed occasion, indicating how such events symbolized his glorious and joyful past.

Imayō was a popular song style that became prevalent during the late Heian Period when retired monarchs led the court. Throughout his life Go-Shirakawa was fascinated by imayō. He sponsored an imayō-song-matching contest at his Hōjūji mansion that lasted for fifteen nights, beginning on the first day of the ninth month in Jōan 4 (1174). For this event he selected thirty senior nobles who were adept at imayō, divided them into two groups each night. He had them sing imayō while competing against each other. Then on the thirteenth day a musical performance was held after the contest. Contemporary sources — the courtier journals Kikki and Kujo Kanezane’s Gyokuyō, the female attendant’s memoir Tamakiwaru, and the didactic tale Yoshino Kissui-in gakusho — all provide detailed information. Among them, Kikki offers particularly valuable records about the thirty senior nobles as well as the outcome of their imayō matches.

Presentation Powerpoint

Presentation Handout

治承三年、平清盛が、院政期最後の治天の君である後白河院を鳥羽殿へ監禁するという事件が起こる。延慶本『平家物語』第二本三四「法皇ノ御棲幽ナル事」では、後白河院が遊覧や参詣、祝賀の儀式など過去にあっためでたきことを回想し、幽閉の現状と対比することで、悲しみにくれる場面がある。それらめでたきことの一つとして、「今様合」が挙げられているのは注目すべきである。「今様合」が後白河院の栄華や喜びの象徴であるといえる。
今様とは、院政期に都で大流行した歌謡で、この今様に生涯魅了され続けたのが後白河院であった。後白河院は、承安四年（1174）九月一日より十五夜にわたり御所である法住寺殿において「今様合」を開催する。承安四年「今様合」は、今様に堪能な公卿三十人を選んで毎夜一番ずつ歌い合わせて勝敗を決めるもので、十三日には「今様合」の後に管絃の御遊が催された。その詳細は『吉記』『玉葉』『たまきはる』などの官僚や女房の日記、音楽説話集『吉野吉水院楽書』などに記されている。それらの史料の中でも、『吉記』の記事では、参加した公卿三十人の名とその勝敗が知られる。

本発表では、後白河院主催の承安四年「今様合」に参加した人物に注目し、この今様合が彼らにとってどのような役割を果たしたのかについて考察する。また、今様合によって後白河院と参加した公卿たちが、あるいは公卿同士が、どのような関係性を結んでいったのかについて言及してみたい。

Igarashi Motoyoshi: Control Over Trade with the Emishi People of the Northeastern Frontier in Ritsuryo Times

Control Over Trade with the Emishi People of the Northeastern Frontier in Ritsuryo Times 律令制下における蝦夷支配と交易
IGARASHI Motoyoshi, Ph.D. Candidate in History, Meiji University 五十嵐基善

The central government of classical Japan under the ritsuryô code could not maintain strong control over people residing on the northern frontier, in northeastern Honshu and Hokkaido. These people were called “Emishi” by the Kinai government. To expand its territory and conquer the Emishi, the central government made several attempts to invade the northern frontier between the seventh and ninth centuries.

It is important to note, however, that both sides needed the other as a trading partner. The Emishi people loyally paid tribute to the central government and in return obtained cloth and iron from the central government. From the standpoint of the center, not only was the order of the government maintained owing to the Emishi people obeying its directives, but the central government also obtained horses, sea weed, and furs from the Emishi.

Indeed, the central government was able to procure hard-to-obtain items from the north. For example from the Emishi people residing in Hokkaido the central government imported skins and feathers of animals and birds that did not inhabit in mainland Japan. These rare items were not only used in rituals in the capital, but they also served as prestige goods to be gifted to influential elites. Although these rare items were originally meant to be markers of loyal tribute to the central government, they became trade items over time. So while the Emishi people were seen as subjects by the central government, at the same time they were important trading partners.

Presentation handout

古代における日本列島の北辺地域（北海道・東北地方）は、日本の律令制国家による支配が十分に及んでいない地域であった。律令制国家は、服属していない集団を蝦夷と呼称し、華夷思想を背景として支配するべき存在として設定した。律令制国家は、蝦夷を服属させることにより支配領域を拡大し、7世紀から9世紀にかけて侵略性を持つ北方進出を展開していった。

しかし、律令制国家と蝦夷の関係には、共存性があったことにも注目しなければならない。蝦夷は朝貢により服属を示すが、律令制国家から返礼として布・鉄などを入手した。律令制国家からすると、蝦夷の服属により国家秩序が維持されただけではなく、馬・昆布・毛皮などを入手することができた。このように、両者は支配・被支配の関係にあるものの、交易を通して相互に依存していたことが特徴である。

律令制国家からすると、列島の北辺地域は貴重な産物を入手するために重要であった。特に、北海道の渡嶋蝦夷との交易では、本州に生息しない動物の皮・羽などを入手していた。これら北方の産物は、中央の儀式に用いられるようになっただけではなく、有力者の権威を誇示する要素としても機能した。本来は服属を示す政治的な朝貢品であったが、次第に交易としての性格を強めていった。律令制国家は、蝦夷を支配対象として認識していたが、重要な交易相手でもあったのである。

Presentation PDF