Abstract
During excavation from 1965 to 1985, over three thousand pieces of fossil wood from the Jomon period were found at the Torihama shell midden site, Fukui Prefecture, Japan. Previous identifications of natural woods and wooden artifacts from this site revealed 57 pieces of Castanea crenata wood and eight wooden artifacts that can be placed stratigraphically in the incipient Jomon period. Verification of the absolute ages of these specimens, the oldest known remains of Castanea crenata, is an important issue for resolving human-plant relationships in the Jomon period. Radiocarbon dating of three pieces of natural wood showed that all of them can be placed in 12,740–11,835 cal BP of the crescent and cord-marked (Tumegatamon and Ouatsumon) pottery phase of the incipient Jomon period. Seven artifacts of Castanea crenata were dated at 12,035–11,250 cal BP of the cord-marked (Tajomon) pottery phase of the incipient Jomon or at 7940–7675 cal BP of the later phase of the initial Jomon period. These data provide clear evidence for the occurrence of Castanea crenata around the Torihama shell midden site in the incipient Jomon period as well as the use of this tree by hunter-gatherers.
