Lagoon as a port: reconstructing topography and seascape of the past
Dublin Core
Title
Lagoon as a port: reconstructing topography and seascape of the past
Description
In this study I demonstrate that lagoons were generally used as ports in ancient Japan. A lagoon is not suitable for anchoring large boats because of its shallow water depth; however, it was the best anchorage for shallow draft boats in ancient times. Based on archaeological evidence, it is likely that many of the ancient Japanese boats were dugout canoes, or enlarged ones by adding side boards to the hull of dugout canoes. In the Kofun period, around 4th century, it is often the case that a huge burial mound was built near the lagoon and used as a port. I consider that it was a landmark made visible from boats sailing along the coast.
In the 7th century, the technology to make large plank-made boats was introduced to Japan from the Korean peninsula and used for open sea voyages to the mainland of China. Since these boats require deep water ports, bays were then used as ports. Traditional boats, however, continued to be used in the Japanese archipelago, and many lagoons continued to be used as ports. It was in the Middle Ages after 14th century, the technology of making large ships called wasen developed, so lagoon ports gradually became obsolete. Many of the lagoons thought to have been used as ports in ancient times have been buried and many of them have lost their existence. In this study, I point out the existence of lagoons that are likely to have been used as ports in ancient times by performing topographic reconstruction using GIS. In addition, the GIS 3D model reproduces how the port site looked from the coast and shows that there is a high possibility that the burial mound was made as a landmark.
In the 7th century, the technology to make large plank-made boats was introduced to Japan from the Korean peninsula and used for open sea voyages to the mainland of China. Since these boats require deep water ports, bays were then used as ports. Traditional boats, however, continued to be used in the Japanese archipelago, and many lagoons continued to be used as ports. It was in the Middle Ages after 14th century, the technology of making large ships called wasen developed, so lagoon ports gradually became obsolete. Many of the lagoons thought to have been used as ports in ancient times have been buried and many of them have lost their existence. In this study, I point out the existence of lagoons that are likely to have been used as ports in ancient times by performing topographic reconstruction using GIS. In addition, the GIS 3D model reproduces how the port site looked from the coast and shows that there is a high possibility that the burial mound was made as a landmark.
Creator
Tomo Ishimura
Publisher
The Museum of Underwater Archaeology
Date
November
Language
English
Bibliographic Citation
Ishimura, Tomo. 2021. “Lagoon as a port: reconstructing topography and seascape of the past.” Edited by Brian
Fahy, Hans Van Tilburg, Bill Jeffery, T. Kurt Knoerl, and Riley Smith. In Proceedings of Fourth Asia Pacific Regional
Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage: Keelung,Taiwan, and Virtual, November 1-5, 2021. The Museum of
Underwater Archaeology URL: https://apconf-much.org/proceedings/exhibits/show/apconf-muchproceedings/item/670
Fahy, Hans Van Tilburg, Bill Jeffery, T. Kurt Knoerl, and Riley Smith. In Proceedings of Fourth Asia Pacific Regional
Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage: Keelung,Taiwan, and Virtual, November 1-5, 2021. The Museum of
Underwater Archaeology URL: https://apconf-much.org/proceedings/exhibits/show/apconf-muchproceedings/item/670
Rights Holder
Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Underwater Cultural Heritage
Files
Citation
Tomo Ishimura, “Lagoon as a port: reconstructing topography and seascape of the past,” APCONF-MUCH Proceedings Recently Added Items, accessed October 24, 2026, https://apconf-much.org/proceedings/items/show/670.