Atsushi Matsunaga

Affiliation: Kanazawa University Museum
Job Class: Assistant Professor
Specialty: Japanese Archaeology, museology
*Kanazawa University

Research Topic

For more than 20 years since I was a student at Kanazawa University, I have been studying basketry and mat impressions, mainly from the Jomon and Chinese Neolithic periods.

Basketry is flat or three-dimensional items formed by plaiting, twining, or coiling with long and thin materials, such as baskets, mats, and cloths. Although they may seem plain at first glance, they were important tools used for clothing, food, shelter, and all other aspects of daily life in past eras, and are indispensable in reconstructing the lifestyles of people of past times.

Mat impressions are indirect materials of basketry and plants, so I have focused on them since my graduation thesis and master's thesis as valuable clues to pottery production, weaving techniques, and the paleoenvironment of vegetation.

In recent years, I have expanded the scope of my research to include textiles and weaving tools, and have incorporated three-dimensional measurements and folkloric/ethnographic research in an effort to elucidate the weaving techniques and culture of prehistoric East Asia more realistically.

Regardless of the period, I am also engaged in excavations at about 30 sites in the Hokuriku and Tokai regions. At the Takaramachi site, I discovered the remains and relics of an early modern castle town and a modern hospital.

As a native of the Hokuriku region and a curator of the Kanazawa University Museum, I would like to promote community-based archaeology while disseminating the results of these surveys and research to the citizens of the Hokuriku region through exhibitions and other means.

Selected Publications

• Matsusnaga, A. 2023. Modernization Heritage and Modern Archaeological Sites in Kanazawa University. In Kanazawa University Museum (ed.), 2022 Kanazawa Symposium on Modernization Heritage Research Report, pp. 29-42. Kanazawa, Kanazawa University Museum.