<論説>古墳出現期の社会と土器の移動 (特集 : 移動)

Abstract

土器の移動は、縄文時代以来さまざまなかたちで認められる。なかでも古墳出現期の土器の移動は、須恵器出現以前の広域流通を果たしていない生産体制のもとにあって、日本列島の各地の土器がそれぞれの様式圏を越えて広域かつ長距離に移動する点に特徴がある。さらに移動先の土器様式に大きな変化をもたらす場合も少なくない。こうした土器の移動は、人の動きや物資流通、あるいは情報の流れを反映し、古墳の出現や成立過程、また広域流通機構のありかたを考察するうえでの材料となってきた。本稿では、土器の移動から読み取られてきた古墳出現期の社会のありかたについて、土器の生産体制、畿内を中心とする入りと出の双方向の土器の移動、流通機構と集落のネットワークの観点から研究の現状について整理した。

The movement of pottery after the Jomon period has been recognized as having taken several forms, among these, the movement of pottery during the initial stage of the Kofun period has been characterized by the movement of ceramic vessels over broad expanses and great distances transcending stylistic spheres in various areas of the Japanese archipelago under a system of production prior to the appearance of Sue ware that did not achieve wide distribution. Moreover, it was not at all rare for great alterations in style of the pottery to take place at the destinations of distribution. This movement of pottery reflected the circulation of people and goods as well as the flow of information; and it has become a source for consideration of the initial appearance of the kofun (burial mounds), their development, and wide-ranging distribution system. In this article, I make a systematic examination of the current state and issues facing the field from the point of view of the system of pottery production, the two-way mutual movement of pottery in the Kinai region (the movement of pottery into the Kinai region and the movement of pottery from the Kinai region), the system of distribution and the networks of settlements that can be interpreted from the movement of pottery in regard to society during the period of the initial appearance of the kofun, using sources primarily from western Japan. In regard to the system of pottery production, it has been confirmed that from the late Yayoi period through its final stage, pottery production, which had previously been self-sufficient for each settlement, was augmented by production on multiple levels on the basis of the concentration of production due to regional division of labor in various places in western Japan such as Sanuki, Awa, Kibi, Kawachi, and Yamato. The pottery of each of these regions used characteristic clay paste, coloring, techniques, and shapes; and in recent years the location of production and range of supply has been examined on the basis of the ratios of transported pottery to local pottery found in archaeological sites, and thus the movement within the range of supply and the situation in which they were transported outside that range is becoming clear. In regard to the transport outside a stylistic sphere, relations among various regions have been deduced from the examination of the route of movement, changes in the chronology of their transport, regional differences, and alteration of the direction in the movements. The active inter-regional distribution of pottery over a wide range has been thought to be one factor that brought about Kofun-period society, which was characterized by the appearance of the keyhole-shaped tumuli. It was surmised in particular from the Makimuku site in Nara prefecture, where early kofun such as the Hashihaka Kofun tumulus was constructed, that the fact that various styles of pottery, which had been transported from a wide area from the Kanto region to the western Seto Inland Sea, occupied up to 15% of the total, indicated the character of the central Kinai region, and it was also surmised that there were multiple causes such as the movement of people who were employed in the engineering and construction of the tumuli in addition to trade activities. In contrast, in the study of the widespread movement of Kinai-area pottery research has been conducted chiefly into their distribution and trends as well as in studies on localised character in the regions where they were received. In the latter, research into the process of reception within the region and an attempt to grasp the trends of local groups are proceeding on the basis of an analysis of the relationship between local style and Kinai style pottery. The phenomenon of the shift in the style of pottery across a wide area of northern Kyushu from Hakata Bay to the Ariake Sea to the Kinai style has been recognized, and many have argued that the this location was also the entryway for interchange with China and the Korean peninsula as well as linking it to the advance of groups from Kinai. It is thought that distribution of necessary materials such as iron across long distances played an important role in the formation of Kofun-period society. The study of the movement of pottery indicates this widespread trade was linked and supported by a network of sites that have been recognized as active in this exchange and from which many examples of transported pottery have been excavated and helps us identify distribution routes. In addition, an analysis of the movement of pottery from the Korean peninsula has clarified the character and form of trade during this period, including the fact that the coast of Hakata Bay was the site of negotiation in foreign relations. The study of the movement of pottery has advanced from the viewpoint of lineages, forms, chronology, spatial characteristics and quantity ratios. Particularly in regard to the issue of lineages (forms), typological studies of each region, studies of basic materials including the clay and various admixture fillers, and an understanding of the local character and systems of production have formed a foundation. Moreover, in combination with the pursuit of an understanding of the parallel relationship between regions on the basis of their cross-dating, which is an important element in the study of the movement of pottery, this series of intellectual operations, including a reexamination of previously known findings, must be repeated continuously in the future.