Ritual practices and social organisation at the Middle Yayoi culture settlement site of Maenakanishi, eastern Japan

Combined archaeobotanical and archaeological data from Middle Yayoi (fourth century bce-first century ce) cultural layers of the Maenakanishi site (36°08′55′′ N, 139°24′08′′ E) in northern Saitama Prefecture indicate that rice was less significant as everyday food, but played an important role in ritual practices and in strengthening social stratification at the studied settlement site. The results further suggest that the crop was used in feasting performed in context of pillared buildings that were often large and occupied a spatially separated central location within a settlement. We propose that these pillared buildings were residences of political/religious leaders, who directed these rituals related to agricultural production and worship of elite ancestors. Such ritual practices were likely introduced to Japan from continental East Asia as part of the 'Yayoi package' and conducted for empowerment and labour mobilisation

Ancient history · Archaeology · Context (archaeology · Elite · Empowerment · Ethnology · Geography · Political science · Politics · Settlement (finance · Social science · Social stratification · Sociology · Worship · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies · History · Pacific and Southeast Asian Studies

• Trajektori Hanami sebagai Diplomasi Budaya Jepang

  Open Access•Wanda Listiani•Panggung•2023

  Incluir item

• Human activities, early farming and natural environment in the north-western Kanto Plain (Central Japan) during the Final Jomon–Early Kofun period (990 cal BCE–330 cal CE) inferred from palynological and archaeobotanical records

  Open Access•Christian Leipe, Franziska Kobe et al.•Quaternary Environments and Humans•2024

  Incluir item

• The onset, dispersal and crop preferences of early agriculture in the Japanese archipelago as derived from seed impressions in pottery

  Open Access•Eiko Endo, Christian Leipe•Quaternary International•2022

  Incluir item

• A Comparative Study of Painted Pottery Culture of China and Ukraine from the Perspective of Art Archaeology

  Open Access•Min Wang•Archaeologies•2022

  Incluir item

• Crop cultivation of Middle Yayoi culture communities (fourth century bce–first century ce) in the Kanto region, eastern Japan, inferred from a radiocarbon-dated archaeobotanical record

  Open Access•Christian Leipe, Eiko Endo et al.•Vegetation History and…•2020

  Incluir item

• Timing and cultural-environmental context of the spread of barley to and within northern East Asia

  Open Access•Christian Leipe, E A Sergusheva et al.•Journal of Archaeological Science…•2025

  Incluir item

• The long rice story. A comparison of rice’s introduction into Italy and Japan

  Open Access•Claudio Pelloli•Asian Archaeology•2024

  Incluir item

• The earliest societies in Japan

  Open Access•J Edward Kidder, Jr J Edward Kidder•The Cambridge history of Japan•1993

  Incluir item

• Subsistence, Sedentism, and Social Complexity among Jomon Hunter-Gatherers of the Japanese Archipelago

  Open Access•Noriko Matsumoto, Naoko Matsumoto et al.•Handbook of East and Southeast…•2017

  Incluir item

• Religion in archaic Japan

  William E Deal•Routledge Handbook of Premodern…•2017

  Incluir item

• Agriculture and food production

  Charlotte von Verschuer•Routledge Handbook of Premodern…•2017

  Incluir item

• Craft Production and Social Change in Northern China

  Open Access•A P Underhill•Craft Production and Social…•2002

  Incluir item

• State Formation in Japan

  Gina L Barnes, Gina Barnes•State Formation in Japan•2007

  Incluir item

• Isotopic perspectives (δ 13 C, δ 15 N, δ 34 S) of diet, social complexity, and animal husbandry during the proto‐shang period (ca. 2000–1600 BC) of China

  Open Access•Ying Ma, Benjamin T Fuller et al.•American Journal of Physical…•2016

  Incluir item

• Ancient Jomon of Japan

  Open Access•Junko Habu, Sang Hyuk Lee et al.•Ancient Jomon of Japan (Case…•2004

  Incluir item

• A New History of Shinto

  Open Access•John Breen, John M Breen et al.•New History of Shinto•2010

  Incluir item

• Rice, Agriculture, and the Food Supply in Premodern Japan

  Charlotte von Verschuer, Charlotte Verschuer et al.•Rice, Agriculture, and the Food…•2016

  Incluir item

• Shinto

  Thomas P Kasulis•Shinto•2004

  Incluir item

• Himiko and Japan's Elusive Chiefdom of Yamatai

  J Edward Kidder•Himiko and Japan's Elusive…•2017

  Incluir item

• A Social History of the Ise Shrines

  Mark Teeuwen, John Breen•A Social History of the Ise Shrines•2017

  Incluir item

• Shinto

  Helen Hardacre•Shinto•2016

  Incluir item

• The beginnings of rice and millet agriculture in prehistoric Japan

  Open Access•Hiroo Nasu, Arata Momohara•Quaternary International•2016

  Incluir item

• Rice, bronze, and chieftains

  Open Access•M Hudson•Japanese Journal of Religious…•1992

  Incluir item

• Rites and rituals of the Kofun period

  Open Access•Hironobu Ishino•Japanese Journal of Religious…•1992

  Incluir item

• A Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon dates from prehistoric sites in the Haidai Region, East China, for evaluation of the archaeological chronology

  Open Access•Tengwen Long, Mayke Wagner et al.•Journal of Archaeological Science…•2017

  Incluir item

• Isotopic evidence for the expansion of wheat consumption in northern China

  Open Access•Ligang Zhou, Sandra Garvie‐lok•Archaeological Research in Asia•2015

  Incluir item

• An Illustrated Companion to Japanese Archaeology

  Y V Kuzmin•The Journal of Island and Coastal…•2017

  Incluir item

• Emperor, rice, and commoners

  Yoshihiko Amino•Japanese Studies•1994

  Incluir item

• Crop cultivation of Middle Yayoi culture communities (fourth century bce–first century ce) in the Kanto region, eastern Japan, inferred from a radiocarbon-dated archaeobotanical record

  Open Access•Christian Leipe, Eiko Endo et al.•Vegetation History and…•2020

  Incluir item

• The “routine‐scape” and social structuralization in the formation of japanese agricultural societies

  Leo Aoi Hosoya•Geografiska Annaler Series B…•2014

  Incluir item

• Evidence of Small-Scale Feasting from the Woodland Period Site of Kolomoki, Georgia

  Thomas J Pluckhahn, J Matthew Compton et al.•Journal of Field Archaeology•2006

  Incluir item

• Provincial Administration in Early Japan

  Bruce L Batten•Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies•1993

  Incluir item

• Rice as Self

  Ann Waswo, Emiko Ohnuki‐tierney et al.•Monumenta Nipponica•1994

  Incluir item

• A Popular Dictionary of Shinto

  Karen A Smyers, Brian Bocking•Monumenta Nipponica•1997

  Incluir item

• Prehistoric Japan

  Gina L Barnes, Gina Barnes et al.•Monumenta Nipponica•1997

  Incluir item

• The Routledge Handbook of Archaeology and Globalization

  Tamar Hodos, Robbie Robertson et al.•Routledge Handbook of Archaeology…•2016

  Incluir item

• IntCal13 and Marine13 Radiocarbon Age Calibration Curves 0–50,000 Years cal BP

  Open Access•Paula J Reimer, Edouard Bard et al.•Radiocarbon•2013

  Incluir item

• Radiocarbon Calibration and Analysis of Stratigraphy

  Open Access•Christopher B Ramsey•Radiocarbon•1995

  Incluir item

• Prehistoric Japan

  Sasaki Ken''Ichi, Sasaki Ken'Ichi et al.•Journal of Japanese Studies•1998

  Incluir item

• Rice and Social Differentiation on a Volcanic Island

  Open Access•Minkoo Kim, Ranyeong Oh et al.•Cambridge Archaeological Journal•2018

  Incluir item

• Feasting and Fasting

  Michael Dietler•The Oxford handbook of the…•2011

  Incluir item

• Investigating Neolithization of Cultural Landscapes in East Asia

  Open Access•Junzo Uchiyama, J Christopher Gillam et al.•Journal of World Prehistory•2014

  Incluir item

• Let's Drink Together

  Open Access•Amanda L Logan, C A Hastorf et al.•Latin American Antiquity•2012

  Incluir item

• Rice in ancient Korea

  Open Access•Minkoo Kim•Antiquity•2015

  Incluir item

• Rice as Self

  Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney•Rice As Self•1994

  Incluir item