Omori shell mound ruins

"We rode to Omori, six miles from Tokyo, and then walked up the [train] line half a mile to the embankment. In the meantime I told my students what we should find: ancient hand-made pottery, worked bones, and possibly a few crude stone implements, and then gave a brief account of Steenstrup's discovery of shell heaps along the Baltic and also the shell heaps in New England and Florida."

– Japan Day by Day

Excerpt: "Japan Day by Day" by Edward S. Morse

The very first time I rode to Tokyo, a few days after I landed, I noticed from the car windows in a railway cut through which we passed, a deposit of shells which I knew at once to be a true Kjoekkenmoedding. I had studied too many shell heaps on the coast of Maine not to recognize its character at once. I had waited for months for an opportunity to visit it, fearing all the time that somebody would get there before me. Dr. Murray, the Superintendent of Education, was the only one to whom I told the nature of the deposit. Now with matters started in my work at the University I made arrangements to examine the deposit. First I had to get permission from the director of the railway to invade the property; this I got through the Educational Department. Soon a letter came from the principal engineer of the railway, as follows:—

To all platelayers &c, &c, &c,

Allow the bearer (one of the professors of the Educational Department) accompanied by his pupils to walk along the line and examine any works they may wish, on Sunday, 16 inst.

They will keep clear of the trains and in no way interfere with any of the works.

L. England,

Principal Eng. See, I.G.C.

With Mr. Matsumura and two of my special students I started early in the morning, carrying a small basket but no implements with which to dig, as from the letter I knew we should not be allowed on the line with shovels and picks. We rode to Omori, six miles from Tokyo, and then walked up the line half a mile to the embankment. In the mean time I told my students what we should find — ancient hand-made pottery, worked bones, and possibly a few crude stone implements, and then gave a brief account of Steenstrup’s discovery of shell heaps along the Baltic and also the shell heaps in New England and Florida. When we finally reached the place we began immediately to pick up remarkable fragments of ancient pottery and the students insisted that I must have been there before. I was quite frantic with delight and the students shared in my enthusiasm. We dug with our hands and examined the detritus that had rolled down and got a large collection of unique forms of pottery, three worked bones, and a curious baked-clay tablet. As there has always been a great interest as to the character of the aborigines of the country, and as this subject has never before been studied, it is considered an important discovery. I shall prepare a general paper for the “Popular Science Monthly,” 1 and then more carefully work up some memoir.

pg. 288~289

...

Today Dr. Murray, with his interpreter, and I visited the shell heaps at Omori, taking with us two coolies to bring back whatever we collected. A short walk from Omori station brought us to the place, and we began immediately to dig, the coolies with their hoes and we with trowels. In the course of two hours we had dug down an immense mass of stuff, quite filling the deep ditch beside the track and getting a good many fragments of pottery and other things. While eating our lunch, feeling dirty and hot, we told the coolies that unless we dug the stuff back again we should be arrested, and they immediately set to work, and not only cleared out the ditch,

but hoed it all back again up the embankment, smoothed it down perfectly, and set out a number of small trees and bushes; indeed, there was no evidence that we had disturbed anything. I have never learned of the condition of the place after a good downpour of rain. I was fortunate enough to find two perfect pots and one rude stone implement at the top of the deposit; also three horn implements and one of bone.

For the last few days I have been making drawings of the fragments of the pottery, and the diversity of ornamentation is remarkable. All the pots and fragments are drawn half-size unless otherwise marked. Figure 246 was found at the bottom of the deposit. Traces of bright red cinnabar were found on the inner side of this piece; outside it was black and burnt and the interspaces were cord-marked. Figure 247 represents a bowl with black walls, the base being gone; figure 248, another bowl, the base marked with matting of simple weave; figures 249 and 250 show other pieces, some of them rims, handles or knobs. The two pieces at the bottom of figure 250 represent a curious clay tablet and the only stone implement; figure 251, the bone and deer-horn implements. I am told by Japanese antiquarians, who take great interest in the matter, that nothing like these objects has ever been found in Japan. As the University has a number of lithographic stones I purpose to draw whatever we may get and the University promises to publish any memoir I may make on the subject and send it to various societies abroad. I hope in this way to start a set of scientific publications, which may be sent in exchange to institutions, and thus build up a scientific library. With this material I have started a little room at the University as a beginning of an archaeological museum.

pg. 308~311

Last Tuesday I started with a lot of workmen to make a thorough exploration of the Omori shell mounds. I hired the two laborers who went with me before and the University sent four laborers, who work about the grounds, to help me. They all carried hoes, shovels, etc., and an immense square basket to bring back whatever we might find. My two special students, Mr. Sasaki and Mr. Matsura, as well as Professor Toyama and Professor Yatabe and Mr. Fukuyo, accompanied me. I also had with me General Le Gendre, a gentleman who is connected with the War Department. He is greatly inter¬ ested in the subject of the origin of the Japanese. On a later train Dr. Murray and Professor Parsons came to help us and with this large force we dug many trenches and deep channels. The result of our day’s work filled the big square basket and I had a freight bill for three hundred pounds in smaller pack¬ ages besides, while the more precious specimens I carried in a handbag. Figure 290 is the appearance of the workmen re¬ turning along the railroad track with the big basket filled with shell-heap pottery. As in our visit before, the workmen hoed and shoveled back the material dug over, filled the trenches, planted bushes and even small trees, and left it about as we found it. They are most persistent workers and never seem to tire. With the addition of this day’s work the University will have one of the most valuable collections of ancient pot¬ tery in Japan. The collection already arranged in a room at the University is attracting a great deal of attention and almost every day learned Japanese ask permission to see the pottery. It is delightful to observe their intelligent apprecia¬ tion, their careful manner in handling the objects, and their politeness in expressing their interest. The “Nichi Nichi Shin- bun,” the principal newspaper of Tokyo, has an appreciative notice of my discovery...

I present a few figures of some of the curious shapes of Omori pottery that we found. Figure 292 is a curious form; a hole in the side indicating either a place to pour from or an aperture in which a tube might be introduced to suck the con¬ tents. Fig. 293 is a bowl eleven inches in diameter. Fig. 294 is a foot in height; fragments of a similar rim are not uncommon. All this pottery is modeled by hand, no evidence of lathe- work having ever been found.

pg. 352~354