![]() ![]() I spent several days in the archaeology laboratory of Tohoku University in the city of Sendai, where I was introduced to the wonders of shell-midden archaeology along the remarkable coastline. I first visited the north-east of Japan in 1988, gathering data for a PhD on the settlements of the prehistoric inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago. A massive rescue and relief operation has swung into effect and, as news and images of the disaster were broadcast around the world, the global community responded with immense generosity. Everywhere we went, impromptu groups set themselves up to raise funds for the hinansha, the victims of the earthquake and tsunami: more than 20,000 people lost their lives, or remain missing. But the impact of the disaster was being felt across Japan. Unable to travel north, as planned, I headed west. ![]() Rail, road, and air links in the affected areas were out of action, as were mobile phone networks. I had come to Tokyo to attend a conference, but this was, inevitably, postponed. When the catastrophic earthquake and subsequent tsunami struck earlier this year, among the appalling casualties were many archaeological sites and museum collections. Yet, surprisingly little is known of this country’s archaeology outside its own borders. Japan’s Neolithic started earlier and ended later than anywhere else its pottery is the oldest in the world. Artefacts include some of the oldest pottery and lacquer yet discovered prehistoric waterlogged sites have yielded well-preserved organic remains, evidence of a sophisticated early civilisation.ĭamage caused by the tsunami at Rikuzentakata Museum’s storehouse, in Iwate Prefecture. Japan is home to some of the world’s most exceptional archaeology, including well-preserved prehistoric settlements, stunning castles, and huge burial monuments. The huge wave relentlessly engulfed the tidy fields, villages, and towns along the coast. The epicentre lay off the Pacific shoreline of Sendai, north of Tokyo, and about 45 minutes after the first major shock, the tsunami tore into the coast, sweeping away everything in its path. Finally, as announcements over the tannoy system confirmed this was, indeed, an earthquake, everyone calmly made their way down the stairs and out through the exit. The building swayed, books fell from the shelves, a stand-alone book case collapsed, and fellow shoppers – better trained than me in earthquake etiquette – squatted down on the floor. The largest earthquake to strike Japan for 1,000 years – a country that endures about 2,000 quakes a year – lasted some five minutes. On 11 March at 2.46pm, I was browsing the archaeology shelves high up in one of Tokyo’s premier bookshops in the huge new Oasa Building overlooking the Marunouchi side of Tokyo Station to the north lies Edo Castle, built by the Tokugawa Shoguns and today home to the Emperor and his family.
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