Abstract
In Japan, lacquered artifacts and remains of lacquer processing became common items in the early Jomon period beginning at ca. 6300 b.p. (ca. 5300 cal b.c.). However, there was no archaeobotanical evidence that Rhus verniciflua (lacquer tree), which is thought to be a prehistoric introduction from China on botanical grounds, grew in Japan until its distinction in wood structure from those of native Rhus species was clarified in 2004. Based on this new refinement in identification, 573 Rhus fossil woods so far reported from various archaeological sites in Japan were re-identified. The results showed that R. verniciflua commonly grew in middle to northern Honshu since the early Jomon period and that it may have been introduced from China with other cultivated plants before that time. During the Jomon period, R. verniciflua trees were used not just for lacquer collection, but also for building in the lowland which exploited their durability in waterlogged conditions.
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Acknowledgements
We are indebted to M. Mimura of Paleo Labo Co., Ltd., T. Takahashi of Palyno Survey Co., Ltd., and T. Chiba of the Shimo-yakebe site research group for the loan of specimens. This study was supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (No. 17200050 to M. Suzuki) from the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Japan.
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Noshiro, S., Suzuki, M. & Sasaki, Y. Importance of Rhus verniciflua Stokes (lacquer tree) in prehistoric periods in Japan, deduced from identification of its fossil woods. Veget Hist Archaeobot 16, 405–411 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-006-0058-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00334-006-0058-6