Takashima Underwater Site
The
Report of Takashima-cho Cultural Asset
Survey
by
Takashima-cho Board of
Education
1992
@This
report deals with the underwater excavation researches carried out at the
Tokonami harbor of Takashima Island during 1988 and 1989. The Tokonami site is a
depth of 8m at the high tide level. We had to concern that the underwater survey
method should be similar to that applied on the land survey;therefore, uncovered
artifacts were recorded as precisely as possible at the sea bottom so that we
could show the location of every artifact in situ on the map. As a result, some
of the artifacts lying in the silt were found in piece separately more than 10m.
Not only artifacts belonging to war fleet of the great Mongol emperor Kublai
Khan, but also those belonging to the Jomon through Edo period were found in the
same stratum. Artifacts of various periods lying in the same context (silt) can
prove that stratigraphy were disturbed.
@It is 3m thick of the sediment of sand and
silt at the excavation area. In 1989, a 3.6x3.6m wooden caisson was
experimentally used for excavating the sediment, but this experiment did not get
any satisfied result.
@
@The underwater research at the Tokonami harbor was
carried out by as follow: 1. establishing the survey area, 2. using air-lifts,
3. recording and measuring uncovered artifacts and remains, and 4. recording
with cameras and a video camera. Simultaneously,land works were done by such as
5. maintenance and repair of tools for diving, 6. recovering artifacts which
were accidentally sucked up to rafts, 7. filing and numbering artifacts, 8.
maintenance and repair of instruments on a pontoon, 9. scheduling working hours
at the sea bottom for safety diving, and 10. communicating with a diverphone
system between sea bottom and the surface.
@
@There has been so far a large amount of artifacts found at the
southern coast of Takashima Island; however, these all artifacts do not belong
to those of the remains of Mongol invasion. Looking into the artifacts relating
to Mongol invasion, the number of unearthed Korean artifacts is quite little as
comparing with Chinese artifacts. Most of Chinese ceramics of Middle Age
unearthed at the Takashima underwater site mainly belong to several types of
brown grazed vases, and this tendency is quite different from the diversity of
Chinese ceramics as consumer goods unearthed at the other sites of Middle Age.
The quality of Chinese ceramics unearthed at the site are not good enough; this
implies that those vases were produced in a hurry. It must be an indirect
evidence to show an unusual situation of
war.
Takashima Underwater Site
U
The First Report of Takashima-cho Cultural Asset
Survey
by
Kyushu and Okinawa Society for Underwater
Archaeology
Takashima-cho Board of
Education
1993
@We had expected to find the remains relating to Mongol
invasion at an submerged site of the Tokonami harbor. The Early Jomon pottery
were found at the bottom of 25m of water instead.
@The site was not submerged by the cause of natural disaster like the
landslide but was established on the seashore as a land site in the Early Jomon
period. Pottery and stone implements without any further damage on their surface
can imply that they hardly moved from the original contexts of the land
site.
@Pieces of silt sampled from the stratum U was examined by the
pollen analysis and the analysis of silica body. As a result, plants which are
contained in this stratum indicate that the climatic change existed; therefore,
there might have been the duration of the time in the stratum U. The analysis of
shells also shows the same result. In fact, variation of pottery types indicates
to some extent the duration of the time. In other words, there is a possibility
that this stratum
may be dvided into the
contexts of two phases. However, during the excavation there could hardly be any
visibility to subdivide the stratum U into two strata at the bottom of 25m of
water.
@
@The shells
found in the stratum U have been examined by Carbon-14 dating. Two of the
results are as follows: 8630}105 yB.P. (8380}105 yB.P.) and 8410}105 yB.P.
(8170}105 yB.P.).
@
@It is the
first time for the pottery belonging to the Early Jomon period to have been
found at the bottom of 25m of water by an archaeological excavation. There are
88 submerged sites having been known so far in Nagasaki prefecture (Fig. 47).
Most of these sites have been discovered in the area between the high and low
tides; they have lain in a range of -2m through 2m above sea level. They can be
seen in Takashima, Iki, Karatsu, and Nagasu; they have concentrated in the
western region of Kyushu.
@
@After the last
glaciation, the sea level on the continental shelf rose about 9000-8000 B.P. and
reached the peak about 6000-5000 B.P. Consequently the submerged sites in
Northwest Kyushu, dated to the Early Jomon period, were settled 3m lower than
other areas.
@
@Underwater
excavation in a deep water of 25m was not yet done before the Tokonami site was
surveyed; therefore, existence of many submerged sites in a deep water will be
able to be expected in Japan.
by
Kyushu and Okinawa Society
for Underwater Archaeology
Takashima-cho Board of
Education
1996
@Underwater
excavations have been carried out at the Takashima submerged site since 1979.The
underwater excavations as rescue archaeology at the site have taken place eleven
times. This report deals with the latest two campaigns, which were done during
the years of 1994 and 1995. Recording of the underwater surveys was carried out
with the aid of members of the Kyushu Okinawa Society for Underwater Archaeology
and the continued support of the Nagasaki Prefecture and Takashima-cho Board of
Education.
@
@The
excavation site is one hundred fifty meters off the cost of the Kozaki harbor
and is about twenty one meters deep. Before the excavation of 1994 field season
started,four anomalies beneath the seabed at the site had been detected by the
aid of sub-bottom profiler. These anomalies were unable to be identified with
archaeological remains except for a stone anchor stock. However, this season
played a major role in underwater archaeology for history of Takashima Island :
three wooden anchors (wooden anchors 2, 3 and 4, which are made of red oak) with
a pair of stone anchor stocks respectively in situ in sediment between 1 and
1.5m deep. Wooden anchor 3 is dated to 770}90yB.P. by 14C dating. It is one of
the best archaeological documents for which the Mongolian armada invaded
Takashima island in 1281.
@There have been seventy four objects which were unearthed
in the 1994 field season (October 14 through December 12) : three wooden
anchors, seventeen stone anchor stocks, of which is l30cm long for a large size
(two pieces) , 70cm long for a medium size (four pieces) , and 50cm for a small
size (eleven pieces) , wooden objects (fifty pieces) , rope like objects (two
pieces) , and stone objects (two pieces).
@
@The survey of 1995 field
season carried out during July 20 through September 7.During this season, sixty
one wooden objects, four of which are iron nailed wooden pieces, one pottery
fragment, one bamboo piece, and three animal borns were found.
@
@These archaeological objects discovered in the 1994-1995 campaigns
indicate the best documented historic event which took place in Takashima
Island, especially discovery of wooden anchors and a set of two anchor stocks
will play a major role in the archives for a maritime history in east
Asia.
Takashima Underwater Site
W
1st Report of Cultural
Asset Survey at Kozaki Harbo
by
Kyushu and Okinawa Society
for Underwater Archaeology
Takashima-cho Board of
Education
2001
@The first
test trench excavation of Takashima Underwater Site was carried out at Kozaki
Harbor on July 29 through August 7, 2000. The trench is set on the west slope of
sea bottom at Kozaki Harbor and is the 2m by10m long. It orients east-west in
long axis. The east end of the trench is 12.45m deep and 11.70m for the west
end. Its differentiation of the levels between two ends is 0.75m The trench is
divided in five 2 by 2m small grids.
@The excavation started from the
easternmost grid 1-A and moved towards the westernmost grid 1-E. The dredge was
used to remove the sediment inside the trench. The top layer of each grid was
removed completely under the very low visibility, but the layers below the first
layer were finished incomplete except for the grid 1-A.
@The grid 1-A
consists of four strata: the top stratum is very small fine sand in
grayish-brown color, the second stratum is very small fine sand in
yellowish-brown color and contains a small amount of small sized shells, the
third stratum is sand in grayish-brown color and contains a large
amount of relatively larger sized shells, the bottom stratum is gray sand in
large pigment and contains large sized shells as well. Two artifacts were found
in the bottom layer: one is a shard of Chinese brown-grazed earthenware and the
other is a half piece of Chinese brick.
@Moreover,
twenty-three artifacts relating to the Mongol invasion were collected between
the rocks on the slope near the trench: three are brown-grazed earthenwares, and
twenty are Chinese bricks.
Takashima Underwater Site
X
The Forth Report of
Takashima-cho Cultural Asset Survey
by
Kyushu and Okinawa Society
for Underwater Archaeology
Takashima-cho Board of
Education
2001
Chapter
I: Procedure of investigation
@
@The
southern coast of Takashima Island has been known as the area where the
Mongolian fleet had received the devastating damage by the typhoon in l281. In
fact, the local fishermen were recovering in nets a lot of artifacts such as
jars and vases, and in 1974 a bronze seal engraved with the Paspa characters was
found at the seashore as well. The area of about 1,500,000u from the coastline
to about 200m offshore was registered as "Nationally Designated Underwater Site"
in l982 (Fig. 1), and five rescue excavations have been carried out. During the
rescue excavation of l994, the large wooden anchors, which seem to have belonged
to the ships of Mongolian fleet, were discovered in situ, and the structure of
these anchors came to light.
@
@This time, a bargaining
table between the developer and the Takashima-cho Board of Education was held
when the offshore breakwater was scheduled to extend, and it reached a
conclusion that a prior investigation was necessary. The excavation was carried
out from October 16 to November 24, 2000. The developed area is 464 u, and the
excavated area is 410u. Kenzo Hayashida and members of the Kyushu and Okinawa
Society for Underwater Archaeology as well as seven commercial divers carried
out the survey.
Chapter U: Survey method and the outline
@
@In the hinterland on the
northeast side of the survey area, there is a small valley placed between two
edges of the hill, and the valley leads to the sea floor southwest (Fig.2 and
5). The survey area is located in the distance of about 60m-90m from the
coastline, and also it is on the gentle slop leading from the wave-cut platform
to the flat sea moor The excavation site is -10 through -l4 meters in elevation,
and the water is l7 meters maximum depth at the high tide. The layer, which
accumulated at the bottom of the sea consists of four layers (Fig.7). T layer:
fine gray sand and about 0.2m in thickness. This layer is part of the sand used
for the foundation of the offshore breakwater. Ulayer: olive black colored silt
including sand and about 0.3m in thickness. This layer is originally surface. V
layer: gray-color sand and about0.2-1.0ml in thickness. The broken pieces of
small shells are contained. W layer: sand mainly composed of the broken pieces
of shells and about 0.7-0m in thickness. V layer: shells and
gravels.
@
@The air-lift was used for the excavation (Fig.6, Pls.6 and 7). The
excavated relics were at first examined by the member staff and then taken
pictures of them in situ, and the relics, which were found intensively, were
measured and drown by using a frame of the grid of 2~2m. Other relics were
recovered after measuring their position and elevation. The visibility in the
water was very low because of the humus-decay accumulative layers contained a
lot of silts in the bay. The visibility is less than 3 meters at the good
condition, but while the air-lift working its visibility lowered by several
centimeters.
Chapter V: Discovered artifacts
@
@The artifacts of the Modern times were found from the first through third
layer, and the artifacts related to the Mongolian forces were found from the
fourth through fifth layer. However, these discovered artifacts were not
associated with the hulls. The total of the excavated artifacts is l95, but
several pottery shards belong to the same artifact. Therefore, a final account
of the excavated artifacts reaches l68; seventy-four ceramics, sixty-one metal
objects, fourteen wooden artifacts with metal objects adhered, fifteen wooden
artifacts, one brick, one obsidian, one natural tree, and one unknown artifact
have been excavated. A lot of artifacts have been found in the shallow water of
the northeast area of the site. The ceramics and pottery have been broken
pieces, but many pieces are relatively large fragments. Moreover, the fragments
of eight groups out of thirteen groups have been found along the axis of roughly
southwest to northeast. These have been almost connected to the isobathic line
at the right angle (Fig.8).
@
@Forty-four ceramics among seventy-four
earthenwares and ceramics have been shown; two Hizen porcelains1 (Fig. l3: 1 and
2), one Koryo celadon (Fig.13: 3) and rest of them, forty-one are Chinese
ceramics. These Chinese ceramics consist of seven bowls such as white porcelain
(Fig.l3: 6- 8), blue celadon (Fig.13: 3 -5), black grazed ware (Fig. l3.9), and
thirty-four are brown grazed vases. Twenty-four among these vases have a long
body and four lug-handles and are the largest group in quantity (Figs.14 and
15:13-36). The similar type has been found at the Sinan shipwreck site, South
Korea and the Hakata sites, Fukuoka City. Bowls of many types and standardized
types of vases are characteristic pottery, which have been found at Takashima.
In other words, it can be said that an assemblage of bowls, which personally
belonged, and eleven vases, which stored war supply, can reflect the aspect of
the ceramics that the Mongolian force (the South Route Force) carried. In
addition, it seems as suggestion of the difference of the damage met at
Takashima that the number of the Koryo ceramics is far less compared with that
of the Chinese ceramics, and this is corresponding also to the chronicles
written in the Middle Ages.
@Moreover, there are unglazed bricks as one
of the distinctive artifacts having been found at the Takashima underwater site
(Fig.16: 45). It is not excavated voluminously in the country though they are
seen uncommonly in the Hakata sites. As for them, there are neither an amount
nor a standard of the idea as use as ballast of the ship and materials for
buildings, and the possibility to be used as part of the kitchen oven is high.
As to the variety of the classification, it should consider a regional diversity
by the different regions where the unglazed bricks were made (Figs.17 and l8,
Tab.8). In other words, they can represent the regional differences of the ships
with the kitchen ovens installed (Pls.20 and 2l).
@Two large wooden
artifacts nearly 2 m in length have been excavated though all wooden artifacts
had been infested by the shipworms: one of them has a curved projection with a
square hole pierced from the side (Fig.20: 47). This feature is similar to one
belonging to the dugout canoe which has been found in the Anapci pond of South
Korea (Fig.22). Another wooden board, which seems to be belonging to part of a
bulkhead (Fig.20: 49), has been found in the same pond.
@
@As for bronze
artifacts, seven brass made-fittings of the belt and one bronze mirror have been
recovered (Fig.23, Pls.25-27). Iron artifacts have been corroded and the state
of condition is not good and swollen (Fig.24). Moreover, one relic which seems
to be a bundle of the arrows has been excavated, and X-ray photo was used to
examine the inside of the arrows, but the state of condition as well as other
iron artifacts is not good, and the original shape does not remain. A shaft of
the arrow is about 8mm in diameter. The arrows seem to be kept in the bundled
state or in the quiver (Pls.28 and 29).
Chapter W: Scientific analysis of artifacts
14C dating of large woods was
measured by using No.2 tandem accelerator mass spectrometer with cooperation of
the Nagoya University Center for Chronological Research (Fig.25). Sample (no.
l5) dates 838}20 yB.P., and sample (no.18) dates 864} l8 yB.P. Moreover, the
artifacts found in 1994, such as the bamboo rope of no.3 anchor and the shaft of
the anchor (no.24) are dated 747}l9 yB.P. and 77l}19 yB.P.
respectively.
@
@Seven samples of wood for identification of pieces of trees
was examined with the cooperation of Takumi Mitsutani (Nara National Cultural
Asset Laboratory), and they turned out that all were the Cinnamomum camphorsa
Presl (Pl.30). They naturally grows in the central and southern regions of the
Mainland, Shikoku, and Kyushu, furthermore, they are distributed in South Korea
(Jeju Island), Taiwan, the central through southern region of China, and
Vietnam. Many examples having been used as the dugout canoe are confirmed from
ancient times, and they have been used as timbers for Chinese plunk-built
ships.
@
@The fluorescent X-ray analyses for bronze objects have been done by the
cooperation of Yoichiro Hisa and Masaki Katata (Fukuoka City Archaeological
Center); a bronze mirror (Song dynasty) contains very small amount of Fe, Ni,
Zn, As, Bi, Ag, and Sb as an element and is most likely aroid by tin (Figs.26
and 27). Metal fittings of the belt are thought to be brass because of
containing zinc and copper to be a main ingredient (Figs.29 and
30).
Chapter X: Result of survey and some issues in the
future
@During the l994 season, it became possible to presume the sea floor of
the time of the Mongolian invasion in the silt layer accumulated one meter
beneath the bottom, and for this time, it became to be one of the major issues
to verify intact condition of artifacts in the sandy layer mainly accumulated
along the seashore. Most artifacts have been found in the W layer composing
mainly the pieces of shells or in the upper section of the V
layer.
@
@The pieces of shells in the sandy layers become gradually larger when
comes to deeper sediment, and the V layer is a layer which contained gravels and
originally shaped-shells. Therefore, the V layer through the V layer received
the influence of the wave under bottom of the sea by the change in non-daily
oceanographic condition and shows the situation which accumulated again. In
other words, it seems that the artifacts piled up again as the shell and gravel
did so. The movement of the artifacts by the action of the wave was elucidated
from connecting broken pieces together.
@
@As for the accumulating
process of artifacts, the relic was able to be elucidated according to the
distribution density of the artifacts. Moreover, each section of connected
relics is the reasons why shellfishes adhere, and the change in non-daily
oceanographic condition is high the possibility of there is several-time.
Shellfishes' adhering ages and mixing the relic after the Mongolian invasion
will become keys to elucidate the formation process of the Takashima underwater
site in the future. In addition, it is the one to suggest the possibility of
keeping the state when the hull sinks in the point which has depth in which the
influence of the wave is not received easily.
@
@The brown-glazed vase with
four lug handles, which occupy more than a half the number of the recovered
ceramics and pottery, are produced in a large scale at a time, and the region
where they were produced is assigned to Yixing, Jiangsu province of China
(pp.60-63)1) Yixing is located near Qingyuan, from which the Southern Rout meet
started to sail for Japan. A large amount of these vases might be on board as
container of storage vessels, moreover, the granite anchor stock of the wooden
anchor found in 1994 assumed that there is a possibility that granite found
around Guangzhou, Fujian province (pp.64-69)2). As for the bowls of crude
celadon and white porcelain which seem to have been produced in the southern
provinces of China, circulation as the trade ceramics seems to be small, and
these bowls are most likely the personal belongings of the southern route
army.
@
@The provinces where these bowls were fired seem to be correspondent with
the places where the ships were requisited in some degree. Therefore, it is
necessary for the ceramics to take account of the circulation in China.
@In
addition, the ship materials, which three is a possibility that a technical
genealogy belongs to the Korean peninsula, have been found. It seems that it
will be possible to contribute the research of the ceramics including Chinese
ceramics according to the situation in which the artifacts are excavated in the
future though the Koryo ceramic bowls assumed to be dated late in the present
study. Moreover, it is thought to have been able to offer historical specimens
to the elucidation of Asian history what the arrows and bronze fittings of the
belt have been found.
1) Based on the research of
Tatsuya Mori.
2) Based on the
research of Kazuhiro Suzuki, Yoshifumi Karakida, and Yasuhiko
Kamada.
Takashima Underwater Site
Y
2nd Report of Cultural
Asset Survey at Kozaki Harbor
by
Kyushu and Okinawa Society
for Underwater Archaeology
Takashima-cho Board of
Education
2002
@The underwater
excavation of the Kozaki harbor was a schedule for ten days and trial excavation
of the survey area of 2 m X 10 m. Because of short term and small area, it is
difficult to look for many results. Eight artifacts have been found at the top
of the 3rd stratum. One of them does not belong to the related object of the
Mongolian fleet. The other objects such as one shard of blue celadon bowl, four
shards, one nearly undamaged earthenware, and a bundle of arrows have been
found. Though there is an example discovered by the rescue excavation of last
year, during the campaign the arrows have been excavated under the condition
that over seventy arrows came to be a rusted and harden bundle. Though X-rays
photography has been used to see the inside condition, but it cannot be
recognized clearly. It is proved that iron almost disappeared.
@The archaeological campaign which carried out
last year helps to understand the strata of the sediment of the Kozaki harbor.
To understanding the accumulation of the sediment, it will be useful and an
important data for the archaeological excavations which will be carried out in
future at Kozaki. An important and key stratum of the accumulation at the Kozaki
harbor could be grasped. The strata, which they should pay attention to in the
accumulation strata, are the third stratum. This stratum includes relics related
to-the Mongol invasion. The characteristic of this stratum is to contain the big
sized shells in large quantities in the gray coarse sand stratum. This stratum
is a comparatively hard sand stratum, and it confirms that relics related to the
Mongol invasion are found on the upper part of this sand stratum.
Takashima Underwater Site Z
The Sixth Report of Takashima-cho Cultural Asset
Survey
By
Kyushu and Okinawa Society
for Underwater Archaeology
Takashima-cho Board of
Education
2002
Chronicle
says that 4400 ships of Mongolian were heavily damaged by a typhoon hit Kyushu
in l28l and that most of them sank off the coast of Takashima Island. The
Ministry of Culture and Science designated the Takashima underwater site as a
nationally designated place for buried cultural property in 1981. Since then,
seven rescue excavations and twelve excavations of institutions have been
carried out. This is a prerimary report of the latest rescuer excavation, which
was taken place at the Kozaki harbor, Takashima Island from August l7th though
October 25th, 2001. A large number of Chinese pottery and ceramics have been
found alongside with plunks and mast step, arms as arrows, swords,and
pottery-made round shells. The rescue excavation of the Kozaki harbor will
resume in summer of 2002.
Takashima Underwater Site
[
The Seventh Report of
Takashima-cho Cultural Asset Survey
by
Kyushu and Okinawa Society
for Underwater Archaeology
Takashima-cho Board of
Education
2003
@This is an interim report of the rescue excavation carried out the Kozaki
harbor of the Takashima underwater site. the survey was conducted on July 11
through December 7, 2002, and the excavated area is 950 square meters. As for
the result of the survey, firstly, the variety of the unearthed artifacts
including the character materials can be seen, the ship material such as hull
planks, part of a watertight bulkhead, and a mast step have been uncovered.
Though the hull has not been discovered, they are the important materials for
the restoration of the ship of Kublai Khan's fleet according the comparison with
the samples discovered in other countries.
@there are over
three hundred shards of Chinese ceramics, and ,most of them are large pieces and
can be restored in a full scale. Most Chinese ceramics are the brown-glazed jars
with four lug handles fired in the Yixing kilns, Jiangsu Province, China. they
seem to be used for container to carry necessities from Ningbo, but there has
been no evidence to be able to confirm contents. As to the Chinese earthenwares,
there are few samples found at the archaeological sites of Japan; therefore,
their type will be able to become a standard to establish chronology.
@As the serving dishes, they can be divided into
major products in quality: relatively well-made bowls fired in the Jun kilns,
Henan Province and celadon bowls and plates fired in the Longquan kilns,
Zhejiang Province, and celadon bowls and plates in poor-quality fired in most
likely Fujian Province, which were not imported as many as commodities into
Japan. This seems to indicate the difference in the use of serving dishes among
the classes of the fleet's member. If the kilns are identified and the
distributed areas in China are studied, it will become a clue to identify the
places of requisition or the harbors of departure.
@There are arms such
as helmets, swords, arrows, small armor plates, and the earthen-shelled bombs
"tetsuhau" that show the existence of the army, and other objects like lacquer
bowls, combs, bronze pot, bronze spoons, and bronze coins as the goods of daily
life have been uncovered as well.
@The
Takashima underwater site is a trace of the Mongol invasion as the non-daily
incident, and the uncovered arms indicate the situation under the wartime.
However, other daily goods indicate to be rather close to the daily life of the
second half of the 13th century in China, and this site has an unique character
as an archaeological site of Japan. These finds and the examination of the
uncovered character materials can help various themes emerge in the disciplines
of not only archaeology, but also the Asian history, the history of art, the
history of shipbuilding technology, and the military history. When you will take
account of the evaluation of the relics and the method of the survey in the
future, it is a fruitful result to have been able to confirm not only abundant
relics, but also the sedimentary environments. Due to the effect of
extraordinary wave movement, the sand layer, which piles up along the shore has
been disturbed; therefore, the relics from the Jomon period to the early modern
age have been found above the lower level of the sandy silt layer one meter deep
from the seabed off the shore has been confirmed, but it will be a further issue
to examine whether or not, it indicates the state of condition of the seabed
immediately after the Mongol invasion. If it is confirmed, it can be judged as
the same period to which unearthed objects belong.
@If you confirm and study that several shards of the
ceramics unearthed apart in the sand layer and the sandy silt layer have
relations to be connected each other and the stratigraphy of the wooden objects
has distribution pattern. It seems to be reconstructed the formation process of
the Takashima underwater site. However, it does not mean to limit only the
reconstruction of the formation process. More than hundred objects have been
found on the slop along the shore.
@If the
distribution of objects will be chosen, and trial excavations will be carried
out under the similar circumstance to this excavated area, it is possible that a
sunken vessel itself will be discovered in the future.
Takashima Underwater Site
\
3rd Report of Cultural
Asset Survey at Kozaki Harbor
by
Kyushu and Okinawa Society
for Underwater Archaeology
Takashima-cho Board of
Education
2003
The underwater
archaeology at the Kozaki harbor was carried out by KOSUWA on Dec.9 through
Dec.20, 2002, and the survey area is sixteen square meters(4 X 4 m). As the
result of the excavation, twenty artifacts relating the fleet of Kublai Khan
have been found intact. These artifacts have briefly been described as
follows.
Bronze
Coins (PL.50)
@Eighty-eight pieces (No. l) have been found in situ in the grid of l B.
They have gTai ping tong baoh in Chinese characters on obverse. They were
firstly minted in 976 of the Northern Song.
Ion Nails (PLs.26, 39,40)
@They have been found intact; a rusted flat
nail (No.2) yielded in I B; a cluster of eleven nails (No. 11) found in 1 A, and
a sickle-like object (No. 8) consisting of blade and socket found in 2 A. The
last iron object would have been used as farming instrument after the army of
Kublai Khan occupied and settled in the land of Japan.
Brick (PL. 50)
@No.l9 found in I A has been partly survived; it is
8.55cm long, 7.0cm wide, and 5.4cm thick.
Wooden Artifacts
(PLs.27,28,32,33,35,41,42,47)
@A staff-like object (No.3) found in 2 B
consists of two half-round pieces of wood, and they are bound together by a
polished wooden ring at either end. One end in large diameter is broken off from
the rest, and the other end is survived. A narrow hole on the surface is
engraved by 4.4cm long, 0.4cm wide, and 1.5cm deep. Part of wall or door (No.7)
has been found in 2 B. This object is not seen any nail on the surface, instead
glue was used for binding. The surface of either end is burned. This object
however may have been found in a disturbed layer because of new construction of
a breakwater. This timber (No.9) has been found in 2 A, and no nail has been
found on the surface. The remains of two branches are survived. This small piece
of wood (No.12) has been found in 1 A. Two grooves for the nails are seen in
parallel. This timber (No.13) found in 1 A was cut in half vertically. No.17-1
found in I A is a small piece of board. Two grooves for the nails run parallel.
No.l7-2 has been found in 1 A. It seems to have been
burnt.
Sheaths (PLs.6,43,44,48,49)
@A wooden case for a knife (No.6) found in
2 B was lacquered in black. Survived length is l8.5cm, 2.58cm wide, and 0.64cm
thick. A bamboo-made sheath (No.14) found in I A was lacquered in black. It is
27.3cm long, 5.69cm wide, and 2.95cm thick. A bamboo-made sheath (No.l8) found
in l A was lacquered in black. It is l4.2cm long, 5.79-5.97 cm wide, and 1.98cm
thick.
Ropes (PLs.29 and 45)
@No.4 and No.l5 have found in 2 B and 1 A
simultaneously. They are made of hemp-palm and coiled counterclockwise. No.4 is
5.0-5.5mm in diameter, and No.15 is 13cm in diameter.
Lacquer Wares (PLs.30, 36-38)
@No.5 is a shard of bowl. Interior is
lacquered in red, and black for exterior. No.10 is a bowl, and base is missing.
Interior is lacquered in red except for bottom lacquered in black with petal
design, and mouth is lacquered in black 2 cm wide. The mouth of exterior is
lacquered in pure black 1.4cm wide and other area is also lacquered in black.
Mouth is 19.5cm in diameter and 7.0cm high.
Bone (PL.46)
@No.16 is a small piece of bone. It is 11.8cm long, and
joint is 1.4cm wide,0.7cm thick, and 4.65g weights.
Takashima Underwater Site ]
4th Report of Cultural Asset Survey at Kozaki
Harbor
by
Kyushu and Okinawa Society for Underwater
Archaeology
Takashima-cho Board of Education
2004
@The survey was taken place for a small-scale excavation to understand in
detail the vessels of Mongol fleet and their cargo at the Kozaki harbor on July
19 through August 6, 2003. The excavation was carried out at seven small grids
west of the area where was excavated last year; these grids are situated in the
grid 8AA surrounded by W50-60 and N30-40, which is just west of the grid 8A
where the Mongolian-Invasion related artifacts were found in large quantities by
the rescue excavations of 2001 and 2002 seasons, and the excavated grids of the
2003 season were enclosed by W51-W56.5 and N37-N40, and 15.5 square meters were
excavated.
@
@Forty-eight artifacts have been found in six grids of the
excavated area: four timbers in the grid 1A, six timbers, two metal objects, a
piece of bone, one brick, and a piece of Chinese ware in the grid 1B, one
timber, one brick, and a piece of cloth in the grid 2B, twenty-six artifacts
unearthed in the grid 1C: twenty timbers, a piece of bone, one brick, two metal
objects, and two pieces of Chinese wares, two pieces of ropes and one timber in
the grid 2C, two timbers in the grid 1D.
@
@Among thirty-two timbers
unearthed at the excavated area, only three specimens are longer than 1.5m, and
the marks of carving can be seen on two specimens out of three. No. 8 timber is
most likely to belong to part of a vessel; this timber has a rectangular -shaped
niche like "" measuring 25cm wide and 8-8.5cm deep, and No. 50 iron object in
the shape of a very thin and narrow sheet with four small nail holes was found
north closely to the niche. Moreover, two specimens out of all timbers
unearthed, such as No.16 and No.17 timbers have been survived by a small portion
of the original size with a diagonal-cut end. they seem to be parts of the
planks of a small vessel, and they have been connected together by iron nails.
the iron nails, however, were completely lost away, and the nail holes were left
in the timbers.
@
@It is the first time to have such the specimens of the
timbers that have been unearthed at the Takashima underwater site, and we have
understood how two diagonal-cut ends of the planks can firmly be
connected.