Jōmon Sea: Navigation in the Origins of Japan
Dublin Core
Title
Jōmon Sea: Navigation in the Origins of Japan
Description
Japanese neolithic, the so called Jōmon Period, represents a vast terrain in which to develop new and exciting
research in the archaeological field. This is because there are still many questions that need to be answered to
better clarify the evolutionary dynamics of the cultures that characterized it. The project Jōmon Sea: Navigation
in the Origins of Japan aims to study and understand the use of the sea and waterways during the Japanese
Neolithic period, both in terms of movements within the archipelago and contacts with the surrounding
territories. In its first phase, the project will focus on the analysis of the nature and dynamics behind the first
relations with the Korean peninsula. For this reason, International Research Institute for Archaeology and
Ethnology (IRIAE) has developed a new project of maritime archaeological investigation on land and
underwater. The project identifys the island of Tsushima (Nagasaki Prefecture) as a crucial point. The activities
will begin at the sites of Meotoishimae and Ongaura, both overlook the Korean coast and have geomorphological
characteristics of possible landings and/or coastal settlements. Among these, those most under analysis are
related to the origins of the Jōmon culture, a topic that cannot be separated from human environment interaction:
the relationship with the Korean populations and that with the sea. What was the role of the sea in the life of the
Jōmon People? How did they move and what boats did they use? What were kaizuka really and what did they
mean? How did they adapt to the environmental changes at the advent of the Holocene?
research in the archaeological field. This is because there are still many questions that need to be answered to
better clarify the evolutionary dynamics of the cultures that characterized it. The project Jōmon Sea: Navigation
in the Origins of Japan aims to study and understand the use of the sea and waterways during the Japanese
Neolithic period, both in terms of movements within the archipelago and contacts with the surrounding
territories. In its first phase, the project will focus on the analysis of the nature and dynamics behind the first
relations with the Korean peninsula. For this reason, International Research Institute for Archaeology and
Ethnology (IRIAE) has developed a new project of maritime archaeological investigation on land and
underwater. The project identifys the island of Tsushima (Nagasaki Prefecture) as a crucial point. The activities
will begin at the sites of Meotoishimae and Ongaura, both overlook the Korean coast and have geomorphological
characteristics of possible landings and/or coastal settlements. Among these, those most under analysis are
related to the origins of the Jōmon culture, a topic that cannot be separated from human environment interaction:
the relationship with the Korean populations and that with the sea. What was the role of the sea in the life of the
Jōmon People? How did they move and what boats did they use? What were kaizuka really and what did they
mean? How did they adapt to the environmental changes at the advent of the Holocene?
Creator
Daniele Petrella
Irene Ciulla
Diego M. Mezzapelle
Giuseppe Avola
Publisher
The Museum of Underwater Archaeology
Date
2023
Language
English
Bibliographic Citation
Petrella, Daniele. 2023. “Jōmon Sea: Navigation in the Origins of Japan.” Edited by Jennifer Craig, Jay Mok, T. Kurt Knoerl, Akifumi Iwabuchi, and Kotaro Yamafune. In Proceedings of Fifth Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage: Gwangju, The Republic of Korea, November 13-18 2023. The Museum of Underwater Archaeology. URL: https://apconf.omeka.net/exhibits/show/apconfproceedings/item/1891
Files
Citation
Daniele Petrella et al., “Jōmon Sea: Navigation in the Origins of Japan,” Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage Proceedings, accessed September 16, 2026, https://apconf.omeka.net/items/show/1891.