On the fishing net in ancient Peru

In this study we deal with 76 specimens of the fishing net from Mr. Y. Amano and Mr. S. Takahashi in Peru, which excavated in 9 ruins-Paracas, Casma, Lurin, Chancay, Huarmey, Pachacamac, Chaquitanta, Marquez and Salinas, where the civilizations were existed about 400～600 years ago.Fibre of fishing net were used cotton, junco and other fibres. Structure of netting twine were left hand twist and cross hand twist, they were monstly two folded twist, few of them were three fold twist. The size of thread show in Japanese style in cotton 20 count were 6～40, mostly 16～20. Threads of junco were 3～4 mm. in diameter, mesh size were 1.0～6.5 cm.We found that the material of fishing net had four kinds of netting knot, as flat-knot (thief knot, reef knot, square knot), trawler knot (sheet knot, mesh knot, wearveisknot), movable-flat knot and half-knot, last of two were remarkable in Peruvian net, which were mostly used but never used in Japanese net. Movable-flat-knot was made by use of the same technique in knotting of flat-knot, but it was differ only from the finished from. So we thought movable-flat-knot was a modification of flat-knot. Half-knot was alike half-hitch (a method of hitch and bend in seamanship), therefore, it seems that they resemble each other in the form (c.f. text. fig. No.5).It was very different point in present Japanese fish netting that in ancient Peruvian fish netting was very complicated nevertheless as used same knot, as following: 1. Different parts were finished form of knot as shown in text figs. No. 8 (PI. IV, fig. 33), No.9 (PI. IV, fig. 31), No. 10 (PI. II. fig. 14), No. 11 (PI. I, fig. 5) and No. 12 (PI. II. fig. 11).2. Parts of main net and margine net were made by different direction of knotting as shown in text figs. No. 13 (PI. III, fig. 25) and No. 14 (PI. V. fig. 44).3. The singular joining method of netting was used as shown in text figs. No. 15 (PI. IV, fig. 35), No. 16 (PI. I, fig. 8), No. 17 (PI. III, fig, 22), No. 18 (PI. IV, fig. 42) and No. 19 (PI. II, fig. 18).There were founded mesh bar made from a chip of wood and simple needle made from a piece of bone or bamboo that they were used as netting instrument