JSSSCP and surveys in Akita and Hachinohe

On July 6th (Sat) and 7th (Sun), I joined in the 30th Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Scientific Studies on Cultural Properties (JSSSCP). In this congress, the special session "The recent results about studies of the Kamegaoka culture" was held on 6th, and the recent research results about the Kamegaoka culture were presented.

On 7th (Sun), I presented my results "Were any plants processed by Hokkaido type stone crowns?: Plant utilization in the Kitakogane Shell Mounds from starch granules". After my presentation, many participants including researchers in Hokkaido provided many suggestions to me. A new research plan will be progressed in Hokkaido, and so I will start planning other analyses of starch residues in Hokkaido as well as studying the Kitakogane Shell Mounds.

After that, we moved to Daisen city in Akita Prefecture, and we visited to the Kamiyachi site in Yokote city on 8th (Mon). At the site, I took residue samples from the stone querns which were unearthed from last May to July. Unfortunately it was rainy, and a structure, from which a stone quern was found, went under the water. But we can see structures such as storage pits and house remains as well as artefacts including pigments.

 

From the afternoon of 8th (Mon) to the morning of 9th (Tue), at the Akita Prefectural Archaeological Center (URL: Japanese only), I observed stone querns and grinding stones from the Ikenai site, and took residue samples from them.

In this survey, I mainly took samples from the stone tools published in the excavation reports. In the next survey planning in next November, I will take samples from other stone tools.

In the afternoon of 9th, we moved to Hachinohe city, and on 10th (Wed), at the Hachinohe city Archaeology Center Korekawa Jomonkan (URL: Japanese only). I observed stone querns and grinding stones found from the Tashiro site in 2012 and stone querns from the Korekawa-nakai site, and took residue samples from them. In the next survey, based on this survey result, I will take samples from stone tools designated as nationally important cultural properties.