Modern Prehistory: A Contemporary Presenttion of Japanese Prehistory in JŌmonzine

Abstract

In this Honours thesis, I analyse JōmonZINE, a popularly produced magazine focused on the Jōmon period. I analyse the first eleven issues of JōmonZINE, as well as online content released by JōmonZINE and writings of the editors and contributors of JōmonZINE that have been published outside the publication. Situating my analysis against existing discussions of Japanese prehistory, nationalism in Japan and the state of Japan in the 2010s when JōmonZINE was published, I argue that the portrayal of the Jōmon period in JōmonZINE is more influenced by commercial interests than a desire to foster a Jōmon community as claimed by JōmonZINE’s editor-in-chief. Utilising Levinger and Lytle’s theory of the triad structure in nationalist narratives, I argue that JōmonZINE attempts to establish the Jōmon period as a “glorious past” in order to resolve the “degraded present” that contemporary Japanese society has become due to the misvaluing of wealth, consumer goods and interpersonal relationships. However, no actions towards an “utopic future” are provided by JōmonZINE. Instead, these actions are replaced by humorous entertainment and appeals to readers to consume more goods. From this observation, I conclude that rather than a shift away from contemporary Japanese society as suggested by JōmonZINE’s editor-in chief, JōmonZINE perpetuates the current consumerist state of Japanese society. In this way, JōmonZINE continues a pre-existing trend of Japanese prehistory being used to reflect the concerns and interests of contemporary Japanese society.