Research of Yueh-Related Cultures in Terms of Comparative Folklore in Circum-East-China-Sea Area.

研究东亚人类学和历史学的学者普遍认为，越文化对日本史前弥生文化的形成具有决定性影响。对环东中国海域发生的实际文化过程的认识，需要从比较民俗学的角度进行深入的澄清，这只是因为历史文献和考古遗存对各民族及其独特文化的了解很少。我们的假设是：大陆中国东南沿海地区的汉族和非汉族的民俗仍然以“文化遗存”的形式保留着那些从古代越文化传承下来的文化元素，也就是我们所说的“与越有关的”元素。第一年，我们在福建沿海广泛走访，了解了中国研究人员面临的一些困难，主要是官僚主义方面的不便。在第二年和第三年，我们成功地在浙江北部和中南部地区建立了我们的研究计划，与杭州大学的研究人员进行了令人满意的合作。除了我们中的一些人在日本发表了几篇文章外，我们还将以中文出版两本书，也是中国研究人员来稿的文集。

Scholars concerned with anthropological and historical research of East Asia generally agree on the decisive influence of Yueh culture on the formation of Yayoi Culture in pre-historic Japan. Knowledgc of actual cultural process occurred in the Circum-East-China-Sea area needs, however, an in -depth clarification in terms of Comparative Folklore ; it is simply because historical documents and archeological remains tell us little about various ethnic groups and their distinctive cultures.Our assumption is : folk customs found among Han and non-Han peoples in the southeastern coastal area of China mainland still keep, in the form of "cultural survivals," those cultural elements which are descended from ancient Yueh culture, that is to say, what we call "Yueh-related" elements. We tried to find them through intensive field research of villages as well as rather extensive looking into the geographical distribution of various folk customs.In the 1st year, we walked around widely along the coastal area of Fujian Province, which helped us to get acquainted with some difficulties, mainly bureaucratic inconveniences, confronting foreign researchers of China. In the 2nd and 3rd years, we successfully managed to construct our research plan in northern and middle-southern districts of Zhejiang Province with satisfactory cooperation with men from Hangzhou UniversityBesides several articles published in Japan by some of us, we will soon publish in Chinese two books, collections of articles contributed also by Chinese researchers.