Tag: Japan

From Villages to Kingdoms

July 30, 2020 justin-david-hebert Season 2, Yayoi Comments Off on From Villages to Kingdoms
Season 2, Episode 2: From Villages to Kingdoms
Bronze spearheads from Kyushu dating to the 1-2c CE. Source: I, PHGCOM / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)
A Dotaku bell unearthed in Shizuoka prefecture, which is located just to the east of Kansai. Clusters of these bells buried on hilltops throughout central Honshu may have been part of a ritual to ratify alliances between clans. Source: Miguel Hermoso Cuesta / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
Bronze swords excavated from the Yoshinogari site. Katanas are still hundreds of years away, but these would certainly get the job done. Source: Pekachu / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

The Yayoi Way

July 27, 2020 justin-david-hebert Season 2, Yayoi Comments Off on The Yayoi Way
Season 2, Episode 1: The Yayoi Way
Burial Jars from the Yoshinogari Site. Public Domain.
A stone knife from the Yayoi period on display at the Nagoya City Miharashidai Archaeological Museum. Source: KKPCW / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

Check out the webpage of the Yoshinogari Site for more pictures and history!

Bonus Episode: Dinosaurs of Japan

July 6, 2020 justin-david-hebert Season 1 Comments Off on Bonus Episode: Dinosaurs of Japan
The Nipponosaurus Skeleton. Note the duck bill and Lambeosaurine crest atop its noggin. Attrib.: Momotarou2012 / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)
Paleoartist Hattori Masato’s reconstruction of Kamuysaurus, seen here exhibiting both two-legged and four-legged movement. Attrib.: Art by Masato Hattori, published by Yoshitsugu Kobayashi, Tomohiro Nishimura, Ryuji Takasaki, Kentaro Chiba, Anthony R. Fiorillo, Kohei Tanaka, Tsogtbaatar Chinzorig, Tamaki Sato & Kazuhiko Sakurai / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
Kamuysaurus compared to a human. Hi there, big fella! Image Public Domain
A skeleton of a Fukuisaurus. Note the almost ceratopsian skull which looks, to me, a bit like a rat. Attrib.: Titomaurer / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
A reconstruction of Fuikuiraptor (left) facing off against Fukuisaurus (right). Attrib.: 藤谷良秀(Yoshihide Fujitani)
A reconstruction of Fukuititan, still pretty big for being on the small side of the titanosaur family! Attrib.: 藤谷良秀(Yoshihide Fujitani)
Fukuivenator Skeleton, with scale model reconstruction. Attrib.: Titomaurer / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
Paleoartist Tamura Nobu’s reconstruction of Fukuivenator, feathers and all. Attrib.: Nobu Tamura email:nobu.tamura@yahoo.com http://spinops.blogspot.com/ http://paleoexhibit.blogspot.com/ / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
The elusive Fukuiraptor in all of his ambiguous glory! Its skull is strikingly Tyrannosaurid, and yet its teeth are Carchodontosaurid. Attrib.: Titomaurer / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

This will probably be the last episode on Dinosaurs I ever make but it was worth it. No ragrets.

All About Pottery!

June 22, 2020 justin-david-hebert Jōmon, Season 1 Comments Off on All About Pottery!
Two vessels from the Incipient Jomon Period (11,000-7,000 BCE). Note the relative simplicity, the designs adding only a subtle accent to the overall work. Attrib: Ismoon (talk) (merci Gaspard !) / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
A pot from the Middle Jōmon Period (2,500-1,500 BCE). Note the extensive applique, the texturized spaces. Attrib.: I, Sailko / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)
Another Middle Jōmon Vessel, this one decorated in the “flame style.” Attrib.: しんぎんぐきゃっと / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)
A Dogū Figurine from Tōhoku (Far Northeastern Honshu), circa 1,000-400 BCE. Attrib.: World Imaging / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Tōkyo National Museum Jōmon Exhibit – Lots of great pictures of various items which the Jōmon people used every day, including wooden baskets, pottery, Dogū

Cleveland Museum of Art Jōmon Pottery – Great virtual exhibit of Jōmon pottery from various angles, as well as helpful descriptions of their uses.

Chino City Jōmon Page – A pleasant English-language walkthrough of the Jōmon Period with lots of relevant artifacts unearthed in Nagano Prefecture.

The Ainu and Ryukyuan Peoples

June 18, 2020 justin-david-hebert Jōmon, Season 1 Comments Off on The Ainu and Ryukyuan Peoples

This episode was difficult to research but I felt it was important to include both the Ainu and Ryukyuan peoples in the narrative where possible because they are far too often overlooked. Here are some public domain/creative commons photos to help with visualization:

A Group of Ainu people, taken in 1904, Author Unknown
An Ainu Family, photo taken in 1904 – Gerhard Sisters / Public domain
An Ainu Marriage Celebration – munechika tanaka / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)
Ainu Mother and child, 1904 – Public Domain
Five Men Wearing Ryukyuan Dress – year unknown (between 1868-1912) – Public Domain
A traditional Ryukyu home featuring Shisa (Lion Dog) protectors – attrib.: I, 倶楽部オータム / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

The Paleolithic and Jōmon Periods

June 15, 2020 justin-david-hebert Jōmon, Season 1 Comments Off on The Paleolithic and Jōmon Periods

The first episode is now live! IT LIVES!

I got to read a lot of academic articles for this, which was fun. I wish I could go into more detail regarding plant husbandry and Jōmon religion, but a lot of it is still speculation. It’s probably fair to assume a bit of overlap between the Ainu and the Jōmon regarding rituals and cultural practices but, again, there’s still a lot we don’t know for sure about this period.

Sannai-Maruyama Site Official Webpage – Explore the site I mentioned in the podcast from the comfort of your screen! Lots of great photos and information!

Jōmon Archaeological Sites – A fantastic page featuring loads of photos and information of various Jōmon sites throughout Japan!

Hope you enjoyed the episode!