Title
バード､エクホルム両博士の沖縄考古学調査報告書
Author(s)
安里, 嗣淳
Citation
史料編集室紀要(23): 131-142
Issue Date
1998-03-27
URL
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12001/7486
Rights
沖縄県教育委員会
資料紹介
バ ー ド､エ クホルム両博士の沖縄考古学調査報告書
安 里 嗣 浮 1959年2月11日､米国ニューヨーク州在アメ リカ自然史博物館のJuniusB.Bird とGordonF.Ekholmの二考古学者が沖縄 をお とづれ､ 3月10日まで沖縄 の考古学 的調査 をおこなった｡期間中の多 くは嘉手納村 (現在は町)の野国貝塚の発掘 に費や されたが､沖縄本島や伊江島､伊是名島､古宇利島などのい くつかの遺跡探訪 も実施 している｡その結果について､両氏は英文タイプライターで記 された7頁の調査 コメ ン トを残 している｡また､当時は米国の統治下にあ り､｢琉球列島米国民政府｣ も調 査 に協力 していたことか ら､米国民政府はそのコメン トをもとに記者会見資料 を作成 している｡これらの文書 は当時の歴史 ･文化財関係者 も入手 したもようであ り､ここ に紹介するのは比嘉春潮所蔵 (現沖縄県立図書館蔵)文書 をもとにしている｡記者会 見資料 は英文 とその 日本語訳か らなる｡ここに両資料 を紹介 し､沖縄考古学研究お よ び研究史の参考に供 したい｡ ｢コメン ト｣については､すでに高宮贋衛氏 によってその所在 と一部の邦訳および 野国貝塚発掘状況の写真が紹介 されている (注 1)｡当時､高宮氏 はアメ リカで文化 人類学 を修め､帰郷 したばか りの若 き考古学徒で､通訳 を兼ねて調査に参加協力 をし ていたのである｡高宮氏が指摘するように､このコメン トに発行年の記載はないが､ 1959年の発行であることは明 らかである｡両考古学者の沖縄調査期間はコメン トの本 文にも記 されているほか､米国民政府の記者会見資料や､当時の地元の新聞 『琉球新 報』 と 『沖縄 タイムス』の数度の報道などか らも知ることがで きる｡また､記者会見 資料はこのコメン トをもとに1959年の6月18日付で作成 されてお り､さらに 6月16日 付の 『琉球新報』 に ｢沖縄原人の可能性な し - バー ド･エクホルム報告書-
｣ と報 道 されていることなどか ら､コメン トは同年3月10日以降 6月16日までの間に作成 さ れたことになる｡ この調査で､野国貝塚から中国唐代の賃銭 ｢開元通賓｣が六枚出土 している｡この 貨銭をめ ぐって金関丈夫博士が遣唐使や僧鑑真 との関わ りや､死者への六道銭の可能 性などを想定 した論考を発表 したことはよく知 られている (注2)｡ さらに沖縄貝塚 時代 (新石器時代 )後期のある時期の指標 ともなっている｡また､最近は高宮康衛氏 が琉球列島出土の開元通貨 を再検討 し､これをもとに後期の社会 ･経済の様相をめ ぐ る論 を展開 していることも周知の とお りである｡ バー ド､エクホルム両氏のコメン トはきわめて簡単なもので､野国貝塚の発掘の詳 細や他の遺跡の成果はあまり知 り得ない｡米国に戻ってか ら発掘調査報告書などの記 録 を残 しているか､今後追跡 してみたい｡今回は､開元通賓が関心を高めている学界 の情勢 に応えて､とりあえず文献情報の共有 を目的 として紹介する しだいである｡ なお､掲載の発掘状況写真 は沖縄県公文書館が所蔵 しているものである｡注 1 高宮贋衛 1995 ｢開元通宝 か ら見 た先 史終末期 の沖縄 ｣､『王朝 の考古学』 大川 清博士古 希記 念論 文集,pp267-286 2 金 関丈夫 1959 ｢琉 球野 国貝塚 発見 の開元通宝 につ いて｣､『琉球新報』 3月29･30日号 1960 上記 論文 を 『九州考古学』9号 に転載収録 3 注1に同 じ 野 国 貝 塚 発 掘 風 景 i 九 五 九 年 三 月 四 日 (沖 縄 県 公 文 書 館 蔵 )
COMENTS ON THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES OF OKINAWA
by Junius B. Bird and Gordon F. Ekholm American Museum of Natural History New York
Through the kindness of the Government of the Ryukyu Islands, the cooperation of the United States Army, and the Support of the National Science Foundation and the American Museum of Natural History, we were able recently to make a month-long archaeological reconnaissance of the Island of Okinawa (February 11 to March 10, 1959). The undertaking was not intended as a full-scale survey; rather, its purpose was to invest-igate the problems and potential resources of the island, as it had been suggested that the American Museum of Natural History might possibly extend its archaeological field program to this area and such an appraisal was deemed advisable.
Our first move after arriving on Okinawa was to meet with and seek the approval of the Cultural Property Protection Commission under the direction of Mr. Eikichi Yamazato. A member of this Commission, Mr. Shinjun Tawada who has published the location of many of the archaeolo-gical sites on the islands, then aaccompanied us by car on visits to a number of the more important locations. Further direct help of this kind was received from the archaeologist, Mr. Hiroe Takamiya, and from Mr. James M. Watson, an amateur collector, both of whom were familiar with the island and gladly shared with us their knowledge and experience.
Once familiar with the nature and appearance of the known sites, air flights were made by helicopter and observation plane over most of the main island and the nearby islands of Ie, Izena, and Kouri. Subsequently many other trips were made by car to check specific points and areas.
Conditions for observation were, for our purposes, virtually ideal. At this season much of the farm land is being prepared for planting so that
a minimum of the land surface is obscured or hidden by crops. It is truet
hat the dense population of the island and the intensive kind of agriculture practiced have greatly modified much of the terrain. In the construction of rice paddies wherever adequate water is available and in the extensive terracing done in the preparation of garden plots, a great deal of soil has been moved and some archaeological sites must inevitably have been destr oyed or covered. At the same time, this system of field preparation when
carried out on sloping ground, as most of it is, provides a valuable check on the subsoil and should expose to view traces of former occupation tha t might normally be hidden beneath the surface. At the present time, too, the cultivated areas are being enlarged wherever possible by cutting back into the slopes and previously uncultivated land is being used, both exposing undisturbed soil to observation.
In addition to what can be observed because of land cultivation, many soil sections are exposed by recent road and ditch construction. As happens everywhere, the grading and route requirements for auto travel have cut across and through all types of formations. Such roads on the island have been greatly extended since the war and provide a fairly good, random, cross-sectioning of soil and subsoil profiles. Other excellent points of obse-rvation currently available are the areas exposed about private and military construction projects and at places where erosion has sectioned or laid bare the ground. Given the precipitation and storm pattern of Okinawa, a certain amount of deep erosion is inevitable. Within the cultivated areas erosion seems well controlled; outside of them it is undoubtedly more ext-ensive than before the war and, though regretable from other viewpoints, is an aid to the archaeologist.
All this is mentioned to indicate that we encountered optimum condit-ions for observation. Together with the use of aircraft in our survey, it gave us for the short time spent a remarkably complete view of the situa-tion and, we feel, permits us to arrive at reasonably valid conclusions con-cerning the archaeological potentialities of Okinawa.
We saw nothing to support certain claims that have been made for a great antiquity of man on the island. In large part, this contention was based on typological analogies to simple Paleolithic and other early imple-ment forms among certain selected stone materials gathered on the island. Such mistakes have been made repeatedly in the past and will continue to be made, although as we know, they may occasionally lead to important discoveries.
The prehistoric archaeological materials that do occur on Okinawa
belong to what is generally known locally as the Shell Mound Culture. It
is with sites of this kind that we became mainly concerned, for they repr-esent a simple kind of culture that, as far as we know, was the earliest on the island. We did not have time to take any particular interest in the "castle" sites or the innumerable tomb structures that we suppose can be generally termed historic.
Actually, there is a surprisingly small volume of midden debris on the prehistoric sites. Even on the largest of those located by Mr. Tawada the
134-amount of refuse would be considered negligible in many other parts of the world. Its distribution at most sites suggests isolated, single family dwelling areas--or, at most a place where only a few families lived together. Usually the debris rests on such irregular or rocky ground that clear str-atigraphic separation would be difficult even if the deposits were much thi-cker than they are. One might conclude that these sites are but part of the picture--that they have survived simply because they are on uncultivat-able ground. Some, as mentioned, must have been destroyed, yet no traces of larger or even comparable deposits were seen within the cultivated areas. The occupational debris is largely or dark soil with varying amounts of marine shell admixture. The shell deposits are hardly of sufficient size
or form to warrant, in our experience, the term "shell mound;" they are
simply refuse deposits or middens.
This relative scarcity of shell is, in itself, curious. One sees many people searching for shellfish along sections of the coast whenever tidal conditions are most suitable. While the number of species on the island is large, only a few can be readily collected and the yield in terms of food supply is very meager. There is little doubt that at present, and apparently for many years past, the shores have been over-fished. Yet as this could not always have been true, one wonders what conditions may have prevailed
when the human population was small. If shellfish were ever abundant.
why are there no real shell mounds to indicate it?
The midden debris yields relatively small quantities of sherds of coarse, crudely-made pottery, varying sufficiently in form and decoration so that Mr. Shinjun Tawada has been able to postulate a certain chronological or dering. Other artifacts of stone, bone, and shell are present but not abun-dant.
Pre-pottery debris has not been isolated, nor is there any complex of artifacts among surface finds to suggest a pre-pottery period. This, of course, was one problem with which we were particularly concerned. Susp ecting that all sites situated in convenient relation to the present beaches and shoreline might for that reason be too recent, a search was made for sites located at higher elevations and in relation to older shore lines. In some places there is evidence for possible land rise in the form of wave-'cut cliffs and rock outcrops marking three, possibly four, successive stages of rather static conditions. Specifically, these are most clearly defined in the north or northwest portion of the Motobu peninsula and along the northwest periphery of Kouri Island. In both areas there are rock shelters and small caves, several of which are well located and are, or were, suita-ble for habitation. On the peninsula these have all been utilized for burial
vaults or mausoleums. Several were examined on Kouri and showed no evidence of ancient use, nor were there any traces of midden deposits on the benches above and between the rock outcrops. From this we may con-clude that if the island was occupied before the present shore line was established, such occupation was of a very limited or sporadic nature.
We had hoped that it might be possible to secure some materials for
the Carbon 14 dating of some phase of the prehistoric occupation. These
to be of real significance must be in clear and unquestioned association with artifacts of a single cultural period or phase. Sites with shallow refuse, or where the deposit has been disturbed by man or nature, would not be adequate. The one situation seen which appeared to be promising for this purpose was on the western shore, near the northwest corner of the Kad ena Air Base, and incidentally, on the principal invasion beach of World War II. This was a part of the Noguni Site, No. 31 in Mr. Tawada's publ-ished list, and was on and in a coral limestone outcrop exposed by the removal of beach sand for airfield construction. In the south side of this outcrop there was evidence of a small wave-cut cave or shelter, the roof
or which had collap~ed after the cave had been occupied and debris had
accumulated on the floor. Above the fallen roof, black earth containing shells, sherds and implements had accumulated during subsequent occupat-ion. In this upper zone two small tombs had been constructed in quite rec-ent times: one, by hollowing a small chamber in the rock; the other, under a natural overhang. These and the upper debris had been very much distu-rbed during the war, but as this did not affect the material below the fallen roof, we decided to make our one excavation on Okinawa at this spot. The Cultural Property Protection Commission provided workmen and obtained permission from the former owner for this project, and the Army engineers helped with survey data and with heavy equipment for the removal of the fallen stone .
Following our clearing of the upper levels and the removal of the large fallen stones. we had, as anticipated, an undisturbed stratified deposit marked by ash lenses and a fair amount of pottery and a number of stone implements, as well as charcoal and shell. Even though Mr. Tawada identi-fied the pottery as a late type, it was with considerable surprise that in the lowest level, right next to the rock floor of the cave, we came upon six
Chinese coins of a type first minted in 621 A.D. These provide a better
maximun age than we could probably obtain by the radiocarbon method, so our carbon samples will be of most value for indicating the minimum age of occupation and for experimental purposes.
The cultural material from this excavation should, of course, be repo
136-rted in detail but it is not yet available and cannot be described at this time. An important implication of our findings is that cultures of the so-called Shell Mound type, with coarse, crudely-formed pottery, stone adzes, but with perhaps some associated iron implements--for several very corro-ded lumps of iron were found--were in use in what is clearly the historic period in Okinawa.
In summary, this brief survey of Okinawa prompts us to believe that the island is not a likely place for the finding of significantly early human remains. Such, if they should exist, will be of rare or sporadic occurrence, and it does not appear worth while at the present time to make any spec-ial effort to search for them.
The island does afford opportunities for research on the problems of
human occupation during later periods. The origin of the "shell mound"
culture and its relationships to both the early ceramic horizons of Japan and to the historic materials of Okinawa are interesting problems, but they are problems that are of a fairly local nature. They should and will be the concern of such archaeologists as Tawada and Takamiya for a considerable time into the future.
Archaeological investigations in sites of the full historic period, and we are thinking particularly of the castle or fortified hilltop sites that occur at various places on the island, would be a welcome addition to Okinawan historical studies. Such investigations should be done with the purpose of preserving such sites as historical monuments.
One intriguing opportunity for research in the field of historic and prehistoric archaeology exists in the now deserted village of Heshicha, loc-ated near the end of the Katchin peninsula. The land occupied by this community had to be taken over by the military during the war, and, though the houses were dismantled, the site was not obliterated nor serio-usly damaged. The land will in time be returned to the former owners and when this is done considerable changes are inevitable . At the moment it is a deserted village that might well provide a record of continuous occup-ation from the prehistoric period to the present.
archaeological research of They were aided in their [jU42 ]
OFFICE OF PUBLIC INFORMATION U.S. Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands
Naha, Okinawa
June 18, 1959
PRESS RELEASE:
#
459FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
DRS. BIRD, EKHOLM REPORT ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS
Man and his culture are relative newcomers to Okinawa. They date back only to about 50 B.C.
Junis B. Bird and Gordon F. Ekholm, noted American archaeologists, in a recently issued preliminary report, said a reconnaissance of the island
showed "nothing to support claims that have been made for great
antiqu-ity of man on the island."
The two members of the American Museoum of Natural History in New York said prehistoric archaeological materials do occur on Okinawa
but that they belong to "what is generally known locally as the Shell
Mound Culture."
They said this culture represented "a simple kind of culture that, as
far as we know, was the earliest on the island."
Chairman Eikichi Yamazato of the Government of Ryukyu Island
Cul-tural Property Protection Commission "Guessed" the shell mound culture
on Okinawa dated back some 2000 years. The preliminary report, however,
failed to date this early culture.
Dr. Bird and Dr. Ekholm conducted their the island in February and March this year. study by the GRI and the U.S. Army.
The project, according to the report, was not intended as a
"full-sc-ale survey" but "its purpose was to investigate potential resources of the
island as it had been suggested that the American Museum of Natural History might possibly extend its archaeological field program to this are a.
During their study, the archaeologists conducted one excavation. This
was on the western shore of the island near Kadena airbase. The report
gave this description of the excavation:
"In the south side of this (coral limestone) outcrop, was evidence of a small wave-cut cave or shelter, the roof of which had collapsed after the
138-cave had been occupied and debris had accumulated on the floor.
"Above the fallen roof, black earth containing shells, sherds and implements had accumulated during subsequent occupation.
"These and the upper debris had been very much disturbed during the war but as this did not affect the material below the fallen roof, we decided to make our one excavation on Okinawa at this spot.
"Following our clearing of the upper levels, we had, as anticipated, an undisturbed stratified deposit marked by ash lenses and a fair amount of pottery and a number of stone implements as well as charcoal and shell.
"It was with considerable surprise that in the lowest level, right next to the rock floor of the cave, we came upon six Chinese coins of a type first minted in 621 A.D."
The report said midden debris found on prehistoric sites suggested "isolated, single family dwelling areas--or at most, a place where only a few families lived together."
It said: "Actually, there is a surprisingly small volume of midden
debris on prehistoric sites. Even on the largest ....the amount of refuse
would be considered negligible in many other parts of the world.
"The shell deposits are hardly of sufficient size or form to warrant... the term' shell mound; they are simply refuse deposits or middens."
The archaeologists found this scarcity of shells curious and pointed out.
"There is little doubt that at present, and apparently for many years
past, the shores have been over-fished. Yet as this could not always have
true, one wonders what conditions may have prevailed when the human population was small."
The report said a search for sites at higher elavation and in relation to older shore lines uncovered rock shelters and small caves but that exa-minations showed no evidence of ancient use.
The report concluded that Okinawa is not a likely place "for finding
[資料
2
]の和訳資料 琉球列島米国民政府渉外報道局 1959年6月18日 バ- ド､エクホルム両博士の考古学調査報告書 原住民及びその文化が沖縄 に定着 したのは､比較的新 しく､これは僅か西暦五十年 前 にさかのぼるものである｡著名な米考古学者ジュニス･B｡バー ド､ゴー ドン｡ド エ クホルム両博士は最近報告書で発表 し､踏査の結果 ｢沖縄 に太古人がいたとい う主 張 を支持するものは何 もなかった｣ と述べている｡ ニューーヨークの自然科学博物館 に務めている両博士は､考古学上価値ある先史の遺 物は沖縄 にあるが､｢これは一般的に知 られている貝塚文化であ る｣｡ この文化 は､ ｢我々が知っている限 りでは､同島では最 も古い もので､簡単 な文化の一つ｣である｡ 山里文化財保護委貞長は､沖縄での貝塚文化は大体二千年前の もの と ｢推定｣ して いた｡ この報告書では早期の文化 年代 を明 らかに していない｡バー ド博士及びエクホル ム博士 は､今年の二月三月に沖縄各地で考古学調査 をおこなった｡これは琉球政府及 び米陸軍の援助で行われた｡報告書によると､｢大がか りな調査 を意 図 して行 ったの でな く｣､その 目的は米 自然科学博物館の考古学の分野の計画 を沖縄 まで広 げては と 示唆 を受け､沖縄の考古学的資源の調査 をするためである｡調査期間中､考古学者達 嘉手納基地近 くの西方海岸で発掘 を行 った｡ 発掘 については次のように報告 している｡ ｢露出面 (コーラル石灰岩)の南側 に は波 にさらされて出来た小 さな洞 くつ又は隠れ場､洞 くつに人が住みついた後､屋根 が くずれ､床に破片が堆積 された跡があった｡ くずれた屋根の上には貝が ら､破片や 器具が ま じった黒土がその後の居住で堆積 している｡これ ら及びその表面の破片 は戦 争 中非常 にか き乱 されているが､ くずれた屋根下の遺物には影響がなかったので､我々 はその場所で発掘 を行 うことに決めた｡表面 をきれいにはらい とった後､予想 したと お り灰 の土層､かな りの陶器 (土器 編集者)､木炭及び貝 と同様のい くらかの石器等 がその前の状態で層 となっている｡非常に驚いた事 には洞 くつの岩 とこのす ぐ隣の最 も低い所 (か ら)､西暦621
年に初めて鋳造 された型の六つの中国貨幣 を発見 した 事である｡先史の跡に発見 した貝塚の破片は､｢孤立 した一家の住民地域又 は多 くて も数家族が一緒 に住んでいた地域であった事｣ を示 している｡ ｢実際に先史跡の貝塚の破片 は非常 に少 く､最 も多 くて も遺物の数量 は世界の多 く の地域 と比較 してみると､ とるに足 らない ものであると考えられる｣｡ ｢沖縄の貝塚は貝塚であると説明する程充分 な大 きさがな く､形 もととのっていな し｡これ らはただの遺物の跡､又は貝塚である｣｡ 考古学者 は非常 に珍 しい貝が らを少 しで も発見出来なかった (と)述べ､次のよう に記 している｡ ｢現在並び (に)過去長年間､海岸は明 らかに乱獲であ らされている事はほとんど 疑 う余地がない｡が然 し､これは必ず しも事実であるとは云えないが､人口の少なかっ 1140-た時には どの ような状態 にあったか不思議である｡高地の古跡のあ と､古い海岸での 未発見の岩屋､小 さな洞 くつ を調査 したが､古代人の使用 した証拠 となるものは何 も なかった｣｡ 同報告書 は､｢沖縄 は古代人の遺物が残 っているような地域で はない｣ と結 んで い る｡ 野 国 貝 塚 発 掘 風 景 仙 九 五 九 年 三 月 四 日 (沖 縄 県 公 文 書 館 蔵 )
現在の野国貝塚 (1997年撮影)砂丘地 と離れ小島に貝塚がある｡
現在の野国貝塚､石灰岩地域､
バー ド､エクホルム らの発掘 はこの一帯 とみ られる｡
