Joint research: Okhotsk culture, Satsumon culture, and Ainu culture from the perspective of exchange and environment - their formation and development process

Core research

Dynamic research into Japanese history from the perspective of the environment and exchange

Okhotsk Culture, Satsumon Culture, and Ainu Culture from the Perspective of Interaction and Environment: Their Establishment and Development Processes

Purpose of research

The Okhotsk culture (5th to 9th centuries) and Satsumon culture (8th to 12th centuries), which developed in ancient Hokkaido, developed their own unique cultures while being influenced by various cultures in the course of exchange with the ancient nations of Honshu, Sakhalin, the Kuril Islands, the continent, etc. This research aims to determine how these two cultures transformed and transitioned into Ainu culture through various exchanges with neighboring nations and cultures, as well as through their relationships with the environment and society that formed the background for these exchanges. In other words, the purpose of this research is to reconstruct the formation process of Ainu culture from an archaeological perspective, from the perspective of exchanges, and environmental and social changes.

There are very few contemporary documents that describe the Okhotsk and Satsumon cultures. Therefore, this study will analyze archaeological materials to grasp the actual movement and exchange of people and goods, and reconstruct the actual picture by examining historical documents. Specifically, (1) based on the analysis and examination of archaeological and historical documents related to iron products, sueki, belt fittings, coins, etc. that were brought to the Okhotsk and Satsumon cultures from Honshu, and furs and marine products that were brought to Honshu in exchange for them, we will clarify the state of mutual exchange between the ancient state of Honshu, the northern Tohoku region, and the Okhotsk and Satsumon cultures. (2) From a northern perspective, we will examine bronze products, nephrite, glass beads, etc. that were brought to the Okhotsk and Satsumon cultures from Sakhalin and the continent, and by examining historical documents, we will clarify the exchange with northern cultures and the influence of continental states such as the Sui, Tang, and Bohai on both cultures. We will then examine the relationship between the development of this kind of exchange and changes in settlement dynamics and cultural elements in the Okhotsk and Satsumon cultures, and pursue the transformation of both cultures prompted by diverse exchanges. (3) Based on archaeological and historical studies, we will add the perspective of Ainu cultural studies to investigate how the exchange between the Okhotsk and Satsumon cultures and cultural elements were passed down in Ainu culture, and examine the process by which Ainu culture was established. In addition, (4) we will introduce oxygen isotope tree-ring dating to dating research and environmental reconstruction, improving the accuracy of the investigation and building a research foundation to analyze the influence of the environment on the societies and exchanges of the Okhotsk and Satsumon cultures, cultural transformation, and the process by which Ainu culture was established.

In this way, this study will use interdisciplinary research methods to analyze the state of north-south exchange surrounding the Okhotsk and Satsumon cultures, as well as the actual social and cultural changes that occurred as a result of this exchange, and will pursue the process by which Ainu culture was formed. The aim is to position the historical development of the Okhotsk and Satsumon cultures, and the process by which Ainu culture was formed, within the broad history of exchange in Northeast Asia, which stretches from Honshu to the continent.

Research groups, etc.

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