Research on place-of-production presumption of the vermilion in ancient Japan

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2. SUMMARY OF RESEARCH RESULTSThe funerary use of vermillion for decorating the physical remains and the inner surfaces of bur ial facilities goes back to the Yayoi period, as vermillion is known from cemeteries throughout no rthern Kyushu and the Japan Sea coast of the northern Kinki region dating from the first century B. C. to the second century A. D. Thus, the custom of using vermillion in burials presumably diffus ed to Japan from China, where it has a longer history, prior to the emergence of the ancient Yama to dynasty. In the third century, large quantities of vermillion came to be included among the gray e goods, with some mounds containing over 10kg. Where did this vermillion come from? Who sp read the custom? Cinnabar is abundant in Japan, and potsherds painted with cinnabar are known from Jmon period sites. In addition, several cinnabar mines recorded in Japanese history still exist in areas that were accessible to the Yamato dynasty (Oku,1998). As the period when vermillion was used in burial mounds witnessed the emergence and subsequent expansion of the ancient Yamato dynasty, determining its sources has significance for the study of ancient Japanese history.