#Yuntanza
And this is the end of the "photographic file" to go with Saturday's conference.
And I could not finish this report without showing the rest of the shell implements that are in the permanent collections of #Yuntanza Museum, because.
(Incidentally, I already posted them here last year, but you can't get enough of them...)
#Yuntanza
Spoons again, useful ones and very big ones, presented with the turban shells they come from.
#Yuntanza
Another thing that made an appearance during the conference, the famous kettles (fourth pic, because masto won't listen to what I want and put the pics in whatever order...)
And at least the main protagonists of Okinawan shell implements, the shell bracelets.
#Yuntanza #Okinawa #KaizukaPeriod
The exhibition started with presentation of the raw materials, bones (not much) and shells. Lots of shells.
And what was made with all those shells : fishing net sinkers and spoons. No, look at the spoons, aren't they cute ?
#yuntanza
no question this time.
i'll go and take pictures upstairs.
#yuntanza
nnachikanee (nna = shell, chikanee = to grow), shell culture is developed during the kingdom period. also used as expensive food when chinese ambassador come. there are place named nnachikanee, ou nnakura (shell warehouse)
in many islands.
there is after all a 「shell minister」in the ryukyu government…
in the 19th century, mother-of-pearl is traded with europe as well, in the 20th century, it is used to make buttons.
that's the end of the conference.
#yuntanza
in late kaizuka phase 2, there are caches of okinawan *turban shells*in amami (can't find those shells in amami)
not for bracelets, found also as fragments → it's for the shining mother-of-pearl that you find inside. this trade for mother-of-pearl exists with japan and china and goes on in the gusuku period (and it's not in the conf, but also during the kingdom period, especially with china). mother-of-pearl is also used by ryukyuan crafters (ryukyu lacquer).
#yuntanza
in momenbaru in a cache, there are only small cone shells, while in yoshinogari in kyushu, the shell bracelets are made with large ones → the shells left in momenbaru are the ones that did not pass the brokers quality check ?😁
in other caches (ex : anchinoue shellmound) we have some of the good size, so no idea why they were not sold…
in gushibaru too there are caches of small ones only.
okinawan shells are found as far north as hokkaido in japan. and in korea too.
#yuntanza
here.
in fact, there was probably not enough shells to satisfy the trade because after a while, people start to try and make bracelets with shells that look like but are not the right ones. but the kyushu people do not seem to have liked those ersatz… (fun fact, centuries later, not enough chinese porcelain for trade with japan so ryukyuans made false chinese porcelain to reach quotas 😁)