Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-tf8b9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T07:44:39.706Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The ‘idea of prehistory’ in Japan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Gina L. Barnes*
Affiliation:
St John's College, Cambridge CB2 1TP

Extract

Thirty years after Glyn Daniel's perceptive publication on the ‘idea of prehistory’ (Daniel 1962), the topic is enjoying a return engagement in the archaeological literature. Not only have the sources of the words for ‘prehistory’ been traced in various languages (Chippindale 1988; Clermont & Smith 1990). but a new nuance has been added to the word ‘idea’. In the new chapters added to the re-issue of Daniel’s book, Renfrew uses the phrase ‘idea of prehistory’ to mean ‘a picture of the past’ or a ‘reconstruction of the past’ (Daniel & Renfrew 1988: 198, 203). In other words, Renfrew has subtly shifted the meaning of ‘idea’ from the concept of a time of human existence before the advent of written history, as I perceive Daniel originally used it, to an interpretation of what went on in that time period.

Type
Special section
Copyright
Copyright © Antiquity Publications Ltd 1990

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aston, W.G. 1896. nihongi, chronicles of japan from the earliest times to AD 697, transactions and proceedings of the japan society, supplement 1. Reprinted 1956 London: George Allen & Unwin; 1972 Tokyo: Tuttle, Charles E. Google Scholar
Barnes, G.L. 1988. Protohistoric Yamato: Archaeology of the first Japanese state. Ann Arbor (MI): Center For Japanese Studies And The Museum Of Anthropology, University Of Michigan.Google Scholar
Barnes, G.L. (Ed.). 1990. Bibliographic Reviews Of Far Eastern Archaeology 1990. Oxford: Oxbow Books.Google Scholar
Bleed, P. 1983. Prehistoric archaeology. Kodansha encyclopedia of japan 1: 756.Google Scholar
Bleed, P. 1986. Almost Archaeology: Early Archaeological Interest in Japan, Pearson, R.J., Barnes, G.L. & Hutterer, K.L. (Ed.), Windows on the Japanee past: studies in archaeology and prehistory: 5767. Ann Arbor (MI): Center for Japanese Studies. University of Michigan.Google Scholar
Chamberlain, B.H. 1883. kojiki, or records of ancient matters, supplement to Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan 10. Reprinted 1906 Tokyo: Asiatic Society of Japan.Google Scholar
Chippindale, C. 1988. The invention of words for the idea of ‘prehistory’. Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society 54: 30314.Google Scholar
Clermont, N. & Smith, P.E.L. 1990. Prehistoric, prehistory, prehistorian . . . who invented the term? Antiquity 64: 1226.Google Scholar
Daniel, G. 1962. the idea of prehistory. London: C.A. Watts.Google Scholar
Daniel, G. & Renfrew., C. 1988. the idea of prehistory. Edinburgh University Press.Google Scholar
Ebersole, G.L. 1989. ritual poetry and the politics of death in early Japan. Princeton (NJ): Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Egami, N. et al. 1936. Symposium: The Palaeolithic Culture of Japan — chronicling its origins and demise. Mineruva 1: 3446. (In Japanese.)Google Scholar
Florenz, K. 1901. Nihongi: Zeitaiter Der Götter. Tokyo.Google Scholar
Hamada, K. 1934. On the recent excavations of the Han Tombs at the ancient Lo-Lang District, Korea, Proceedings of the Imperial Academy of Japan 10.4: 1914.Google Scholar
Hoffman, M.A. 1974. The rise of antiquarianism in Japan and Western Europe, Arctic Anthropology XI Supplement: 1828.Google Scholar
Hudson, M. 1990. From Toro to Yoshinogari: changing perspectives on Yayoi archaeology, in Barnes, G.L. (ED.): 63111.Google Scholar
Kanaseki, H. 1983. Protohistoric Archaeology, Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan 1: 769. Tokyo: Kodansha.Google Scholar
Kanaseki, H. 1985. World archaeology and japanese archaeology. Iwanami koza nihon kokogaku 1: 30143.Google Scholar
Kaner, S. 1990. The Western-language Jomon, In Barnes, G.L. (Ed.): 3162.Google Scholar
Kida, T. 1936. Concerning the terminal phase of Japan’s Stone Age, Mineruva 1.3: 19. (In Japanese.)Google Scholar
Kidder, J.E. Jr., 1977. The making of the past: Ancient Japan. Oxford: Elsevier-Phaidon.Google Scholar
Kudo, M. 1974. The Minerva debate and its before and after Kokogaku Kenkyu 20.3: 1440. (In Japanese.)Google Scholar
Lee, Chong-SIK. 1983. History and politics in Japanese-Korean relations: the textbook controversy and beyond, Journal of Northeast Asian Studies 2.4: 6993.Google Scholar
Lubbock, J. 1965. Pre-historic times, as illustrated by ancient remains and the manners and customs of modern savages. London: Williams & Norgate.Google Scholar
Martin, S.E. 1966. Lexical evidence relating Korean to Japanese, Language 42.2: 185251.Google Scholar
Miller, R.A. 1971. Japanese and other Altaic languages. Chicago (IL): Chicago University Press.Google Scholar
Milne, J. 1881. The Stone Age in Japan: with note on recent geological changes which have taken place, Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland 10: 389423.Google Scholar
Milne, J. 1882. Notes on the Koro-pok-guru or pit-dwellers of Yezo and the Kuril Islands, Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan 10: 18798.Google Scholar
Motoori, N. 1928. The story of ancient Japan, or tales from the Kojiki (Kojikiden). translated by Yai-Chiro lsobe. Tokyo: Sankakusha.Google Scholar
morse, E.S. 1879. Shell Mounds of Omori. Tokyo: University of Tokyo Science Department. Memoirs of the Science Department 1(1).Google Scholar
Oba, T. & Chard., C.S. 1963. New dates for early pottery in Japan, Asian Perspectives (1962) 6: 756.Google Scholar
Philippi, D.L. 1969. Kojiki. Princeton (NJ) Princeton University Press Google Scholar
Sato, Y. 1988. The special character of stratigraphical research in Japanese archaeology Iwate-Ken Bunka Shinko Jigyo Maizo Bunkazai Sentaa Kiyo 8: 136. (In Japanese.)Google Scholar
Serizawa, C. 1970. The Minerva Debate, Kokogaku Kenkyo 17 3 2678. (In Japanese.)Google Scholar
Takahashi, R. 1980. The background to the Minerva debate, Kodai Tangyo: 14162. (In Japanese.)Google Scholar
Torii, R. 1914. Etudes Archéologiques et ethnologiques: populations primitives de la Mongolie Orientale, Journal of the College of Science, Tokyo Imperial University 36.Google Scholar
Torii, R. 1915. Etudes Archéologiques et ethnologiques: populations prehistoriques de la Mandchourie Méridionale, Journal of the College of Science, Tokyo Imperial University 36.Google Scholar
Torii, R. 1925. Yushi Izen no Nihon (Japan before History). Tokyo. (In Japanese).Google Scholar
Torii, R. 1926. Les dolmens de la corée, memoirs of the Toyo bunko 1: 93100.Google Scholar
Torii, R. 1930. Les dolmens du chan-toung (Chine). Memoirs of the Toyo Bunko 5: 1659.Google Scholar
Yamanobe, T. 1983. Yusoku-Kojitsu, Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan 8: 358.Google Scholar