Ganban
Ganban (岩版), sometimes translated as "stone tablets",[3] are a type of archaeological artefact known from Jōmon Japan. They are the counterparts in stone to the clay doban.
Overview
[edit]Ganban were first named as such, by analogy with the ceramic doban, in 1896, after Satō Denzō discovered an example at Kamegaoka Site (initially it was labelled 岩盤).[4]: 62 Ganban take the form of a rectangular or oval tablet that, like gangū stone figurines, are typically carved from stone that is relatively soft and easy to work, such as tuff, mudstone, and sandstone.[3] They are mostly known from Tōhoku, with few examples found west of the Kantō region.[2] Like the clay doban, some ganban have representations of the human body.[4] They are thought to have served some role in the rituals and beliefs of the time.[3][5]
Important Cultural Properties
[edit]Three ganban have been designated Important Cultural Properties:
- Ganban from Kitayoneoka Site, Gunma Prefecture (Gunma Prefectural Museum of History)[2]
- Ganban from Tome, Miyagi Prefecture (Ishinomaki City Museum)[6]
- Ganban from Kosaka, Akita Prefecture (Keio University)[3][5]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ 北米岡縄文文化遺跡 [Kitayoneoka Jōmon Culture Site] (in Japanese). Isesaki City. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
- ^ a b c 岩版 [Ganban] (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
- ^ a b c d "The Cultural Properties of Keio University". Keio University. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
- ^ a b Saitō, Kazuko (2000). 岩版•土版の身体表現について [The study of the representation of the human body in tablets and parallels with clay figurines]. Anthropological Science (in Japanese). 108 (2): 61–79. doi:10.1537/asj1998.108.61. ISSN 1344-3992.
- ^ a b 岩版 [Ganban] (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 5 March 2025.
- ^ 岩版 [Ganban] (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 5 March 2025.