to the Articles
Contents
This page aims to supply supplemntary articles about what I feel I need to explain or describe more concerning the original items. They are divided into three groups as below.
Additional Descriptions
My Approach to this website
My Purpose and Effect I Aim At
This site pursues a major goal of inviting more people from both home and abroad to Iwase-senzuka by providing information with the potential visitors.
Contents
Articles I write here are totally based on what I have learned in books and others until now. So, the readers need to understand that I may mention something wrong unintentionally from my poor undertsanding. I am not a specialist on history or archelogy at all. I recommend readers to carefully check historical facts by reading reliable publications.
In addition, in this website, I refrain from writing everything I usually talk about with visitors at the historic site and the museum, because writing here should not be a spoiler for them. I hope my articles here will lead readers to become more interested in ancient history of Wakayama and Japan.
Good Results I Can Obtain
Effects I am aiming at are as follows.
- More people will be aware of the wonderful historic site and will come there.
- I can integrate what I have learned into the artcles here in both English and Japanese. And I hope the combination will result in better guiding of mine at Iwase-senzuka.
- I can improve my skiil on writing articles in both English and Japanese. It is still difficult to make myself understood properly as I wish in both languages. My learning will never end.
- I can also refine my techniques for the Internet icluding HTML and CSS.
Consequelty, I think running this website would be beneficial for tourists, the faciltiy and of course, me.
Reasons for my keeping "Handbook" at this website.
One of merits of gathering my knowledge and my views about Iwase-senzaka and other historical events at this website is that I can easily review them at any time and at any place.
While ancient history in East Asia and Japan is too complicated for me to memorize every detail of it, those pieces of information are very helpful for me to make my stories to visitors better.
This page is a handbook of mine which I review before guiding.
Glossary
In this glossary, hintorical terms concerning Iwase-senzuka are explained based on my understanding. Other words which may be unfamiliar to someone are included here. They are arranged in alphabetical order according to its notation in Japanese romaji (the Roman alphabet).
- Oto-ura Site (音浦遺跡)
- This arecheological site is located in just west of Hanayama. I hear that pillar holes for pit dwellings and dug-standing pillar buildings in the Kofun Period were unearthend there.
- Hanayama (花山)
- It is a name of a hill over 77 meters above sea level in Wakayama City. It is located at the most north-western part of the Iwase-senzuka. The Special Historic Sites area, howerver, does not include Hanayama.
- Hanayama in Japanese means "flower hill." In the past, the hill was called "Hani-yama," which was from "haniwa hill."
- The hill of Hanayama faces Oto-ura Site in the west.
- Jomon pottery (縄文土器)
- A general term for earthenware used in the Jomon Period. Dr. Edward. S. Morse (1838-1925) used the word "cord marked pottery" for the first time in his report about Omori Shell Heap in 1879. ("Jo 「縄」" means "cord" and "mon「文」" means "mark.")
- The oldest Jomon pottery dates back to around 12,000 years ago and it was used for around 10,000 years after that. It is one of the oldest pottery in the world.
- Fundamental deep-pot style accounts for about 70 percent. The firing temperature is around 800℃.
- ryobo (陵墓)
- "Ryo," which is usually pronounced "misasagi" as a single word, means "mausoleums for emperors, empresses, emperors' grandmothers, the preceding empresses," and "bo," which is pronounced "haka" as a single word, means "tombs for other imperial family members."
- The Imperial Household Agency of the Japanese national government controls the ryobo, and almost always prohibits common people including archeologists from entering the premises.
- As a result, archeological research has not been conducted as properly as scientists hope for and researchers seem to have no option but to study ryobo based on limited circumstantial evidences.
- Controversy over some of the kofun tomb owners have continued even among Japanese archeologists.
- Yayoi pottery (弥生土器)
- A general term for earthenware used in the Yayoi Period. Yayoi is a name for the place in Tokyo where Yayoi pottery was found for the first time.
- Three different types consisting of storage pots, cooking pots and serving plates are general.
- Potter's wheels were not used. The burning temperature was around 800℃. In most cases, Yayoi pottery is thinner and harder than Jomon pottery.
History of Revision
The page name, "the article name" (the date) is the description order in this section.
May, 2024
- Handbook, "Seven-Branched Sword" (May 3, 2024)
- Handbook, "Geumgwan Gaya" (May 2, 2024)
- Handbook, "The beginning of the Yayoi Period," "Nutritious value of rice and wheat flour," and "Outlines of the Yayoi Period." In addition, "Jomon pottery" and "Yayoi pottery" for the glossary in the page of Supplements.(May 1, 2024)
April, 2024
- Handbook, "Periodization of the Jomon Period" and "My Fundamental understanding of the Jomon Period" (April 30, 2024)
- Handbook, "My Summary" about large-sized kofun (April 29, 2024)
- Supplements, "ryobo, or imeprial mausolea" in the artcle of Glossary (April 28, 2024)
- Handbook, addinal informatiion about "emperors's mausola" in the artcle of large-sized kofun (April 27, 2024)
- Handbook, "Large-sized Kofun in the 5th and 6th centuries" (April 26, 2024)
- Handbook, "Large-sized Kofun in the 4th century" (April 24, 2024)
- Handbook, "Large-sized Kofun in the 3rd century" (April 23, 2024)
- Handbook, "Goguryeo" (April 22, 2024)
- Handbook, "Silla" (April 20, 2024)
- Handbook, "Baekje" (April 19, 2024)
- Handbook, "Gaya Countries"（April 18, 2024)