日本列島の起源 : 新しい概論

Archaeologists and historians working on topics such as agricultural technology, resource distribution, settlement patterns, raw materials procurement, artifact analysis and natural disasters are automatically involved in geological questions. The geologic history of the Japanese Islands is, therefore, of basic importance to our enquiries, but those interests are poorly served by the current literature available. It is difficult to find an overview that is up to date and whose contents are both comprehensive and understandable to lay readers who are not geologists. Some texts of recent publication still subscribe, in whole or in part, to the discarded paradigm of Geosyncline Theory rather than the current Global (Plate) Tectonics Theory. Even Japanese school texts of the 1990s still used a hodge-podge of geosyncline and plate tectonics theory. The time lag in adopting the framework of plate tectonics can perhaps be laid at the feet of Confucian-style scholarship, but it has not served Japanese geology well. Nevertheless, persistent scholarship by the progressive plate tectonicists and their protégés—the group of young geophysicists calling themselves the “geokids”—have now revolutionized views on the formation of the Japanese landmass. This article attempts to put Japanese Studies researchers in touch with these exciting new developments, paving the way for an increased understanding of the nature of Japanese geology and how it has affected lifestyles throughout the ages