1973 Volume 20 Pages 14-20
This paper is concerned with the re-examination of the role of toponymy in academic field of research. The writer selected the place-names ; tani and sawa. both of which mean valley, and investigate their distribution on the toposheets. As a result, a clear line may be safely drawn from Oyashirazu to Kuwana in Central Japan. This line may fittingly be named as O-K line which divides Japan into two parts;the southwestern and northeastern. The former corresponds to tani and to the Yamato clan, and the latter to sawa and to the Azuma clan. The historical data and the results of the fields of history and archaeology are not contradiction to the facts mentioned above. It is hoped that the toponymy will contribute to the fields of history and archaeology in the development of the study in ancient (history in) Japan. To this and, it is further hoped that the place name will be studied from the lights of historical-and archaeological geography.