Building a high-resolution chronology for northern Hokkaido – A case study of the Late Holocene Hamanaka 2 site on Rebun Island, Hokkaido (Japan)

Reconstruction of diachronic changes in human fishing activity and marine ecosystems from carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of archaeological fish remains

“…Although the latter relates to the Satsumon culture rather than the Okhotsk culture, remains excavated from the layer II were assigned to Final Okhotsk in this study. It is difficult to separate the Motochi and Satsumon sublayers in layer II due to the disturbance (Junno et al 2021). The previously published radiocarbon dates of charred plant materials from the Nakatani location of Hamanaka 2 (Junno et al 2021;Leipe et al 2017Leipe et al , 2018Müller et al 2016) show generally consistent ages for each period, compared with the ages assigned by pottery typology.…”

“…Several excavation campaigns have been conducted (e.g., Rebun Town 1992;Nishimoto 2000) with materials from the most recent excavations since 2011 at the Nakatani location (45°43′26′′N, 141°00′96′′E) forming the focus of this study (e.g., Kato 2015; Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies 2017; Leipe et al 2017Leipe et al , 2018Lynch et al 2018;Müller et al 2016;Okamoto et al 2016;Tsutaya et al 2019). The Nakatani location of Hamanaka 2 yielded thin occupation layers dating to the Late/Final Jomon and Epi-Jomon periods (layers VII and VIII, dated to 299-258 cal BC: Junno et al 2021) and thick fish bone layers in the Okhotsk period, separated by a thick sand layer with few cultural remains (Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies 2017). Okhotsk layers at Hamanaka 2 can be divided further into three phases: Initial, Middle, and Final.…”

“…There was limited human activity during the Initial Okhotsk (489-573 cal AD: Junno et al 2021) and the amount of excavated remains including fish bones was less than for the later phases (Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies 2017; Sato et al 2015). The thick sand layers IV, V, and VI can be assigned to the Initial Okhotsk and yield Towada pottery.…”

“…The thick sand layers IV, V, and VI can be assigned to the Initial Okhotsk and yield Towada pottery. The quantity of excavated remains increase and a thick fish bone layer was formed during the Middle Okhotsk, corresponding to layer III (573-850 cal AD: Center for Ainu and Indigenous Studies 2017; Junno et al 2021;Sato et al 2015). This layer yields Kokumon, Chinsenmon, and Motochi pottery.…”

Pediatric mandibular osteomyelitis: a probable case from Okhotsk period (5th–13th century AD) northern Japan

“…The Okhotsk were marine-adapted foragers inhabiting Sakhalin, Hokkaido, and the Kuril Islands during the 5th-13th centuries AD (Amano, 2003;Hudson, 2004;Naito et al, 2010;Tsutaya et al, 2015;Junno et al, 2021). Their early occupation (5th-6th century) of Sakhalin and north Hokkaido was followed by rapid eastward expansion into east Hokkaido and the Kuril Islands during middle (7th-9th century) period (Yamaura and Ushiro, 1999;Hudson, 2004;Tsutaya et al, 2015).…”