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｡

- 13 1 -

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. EkholmAmerican Museum of Natural History

New York

Through the kindness of the Government of the Ryukyu Islands, thecooperation of the United States Army, and the Support of the National

Science Foundation and the American Museum of Natural History, wewere able recently to make a month-long archaeological reconnaissance ofthe Island of Okinawa (February 11 to March 10, 1959). The undertakingwas 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 beensuggested that the American Museum of Natural History might possiblyextend 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 thedirection of Mr. Eikichi Yamazato. A member of this Commission, Mr.Shinjun Tawada who has published the location of many of the archaeolo­gical sites on the islands, then aaccompanied us by car on visits to anumber of the more important locations. Further direct help of this kindwas received from the archaeologist, Mr. Hiroe Takamiya, and from Mr.

James M. Watson, an amateur collector, both of whom were familiar withthe island and gladly shared with us their knowledge and experience.

Once familiar with the nature and appearance of the known sites, airflights were made by helicopter and observation plane over most of themain 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. Atthis 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

- 133-

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 that 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 exposingundisturbed 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 cutacross and through all types of formations. Such roads on the island havebeen greatly extended since the war and provide a fairly good, random,

cross-sectioning of soil and subsoil profiles. Other excellent points of obse­rvation currently available are the areas exposed about private and militaryconstruction projects and at places where erosion has sectioned or laidbare the ground. Given the precipitation and storm pattern of Okinawa, acertain amount of deep erosion is inevitable. Within the cultivated areaserosion seems well controlled; outside of them it is undoubtedly more ext­ensive 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 condit­ions for observation. Together with the use of aircraft in our survey, itgave us for the short time spent a remarkably complete view of the situa­tion and, we feel, permits us to arrive at reasonably valid conclusions con­cerning the archaeological potentialities of Okinawa.

We saw nothing to support certain claims that have been made for agreat antiquity of man on the island. In large part, this contention was

based on typological analogies to simple Paleolithic and other early imple­ment forms among certain selected stone materials gathered on the island.Such mistakes have been made repeatedly in the past and will continue tobe 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. Itis 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 str­atigraphic 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 uncultivat­able 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 sizeor form to warrant, in our experience, the term "shell mound;" they aresimply 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 tidalconditions are most suitable. While the number of species on the island islarge, only a few can be readily collected and the yield in terms of foodsupply is very meager. There is little doubt that at present, and apparentlyfor many years past, the shores have been over-fished. Yet as this couldnot 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 thatMr. Shinjun Tawada has been able to postulate a certain chronological ordering. 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. Suspecting that all sites situated in convenient relation to the present beaches

and shoreline might for that reason be too recent, a search was made forsites 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

- 135 -

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 con­clude 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 forthe 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 beadequate. The one situation seen which appeared to be promising for this

purpose was on the western shore, near the northwest corner of the Kadena Air Base, and incidentally, on the principal invasion beach of WorldWar II. This was a part of the Noguni Site, No. 31 in Mr. Tawada's publ­ished list, and was on and in a coral limestone outcrop exposed by theremoval of beach sand for airfield construction. In the south side of thisoutcrop 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 hadaccumulated on the floor. Above the fallen roof, black earth containingshells, sherds and implements had accumulated during subsequent occupat­ion. In this upper zone two small tombs had been constructed in quite rec­ent times: one, by hollowing a small chamber in the rock; the other, undera natural overhang. These and the upper debris had been very much distu­rbed during the war, but as this did not affect the material below the fallenroof, we decided to make our one excavation on Okinawa at this spot. TheCultural Property Protection Commission provided workmen and obtained

permission from the former owner for this project, and the Army engineershelped 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 stoneimplements, 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 thistime. 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 corro­ded 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 Japanand to the historic materials of Okinawa are interesting problems, butthey are problems that are of a fairly local nature. They should and willbe 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 occurat various places on the island, would be a welcome addition to Okinawanhistorical studies. Such investigations should be done with the purpose ofpreserving such sites as historical monuments.

One intriguing opportunity for research in the field of historic andprehistoric archaeology exists in the now deserted village of Heshicha, loc­ated near the end of the Katchin peninsula. The land occupied by thiscommunity 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 andwhen this is done considerable changes are inevitable . At the moment it

is a deserted village that might well provide a record of continuous occup­ation from the prehistoric period to the present.

- 137-

archaeological research of

They were aided in their

[jU42 ]

OFFICE OF PUBLIC INFORMATIONU.S. Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands

Naha, Okinawa

June 18, 1959PRESS RELEASE: # 459FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

DRS. BIRD, EKHOLM REPORT ON ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS

Man and his culture are relative newcomers to Okinawa. They dateback 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 islandshowed "nothing to support claims that have been made for great antiqu­ity of man on the island."

The two members of the American Museoum of Natural History inNew York said prehistoric archaeological materials do occur on Okinawabut that they belong to "what is generally known locally as the ShellMound 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 cultureon 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-sc­ale 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 typefirst 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 refusewould 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 havetrue, one wonders what conditions may have prevailed when the humanpopulation 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 exa­minations showed no evidence of ancient use.

The report concluded that Okinawa is not a likely place "for finding

of significantly early human remains."

- 139-

[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)

- 141-

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｡

- 142 1