"kami gami no yogoreta te " 　Masao Okuno
　　　　奥野正男著『神々の汚れた手』プロローグ（梓書院刊）

Prologue Culture

The announcement of the result of the reinvestigation by the Japan Archaeological Association(end note 1) into the forgery of early Stone Age relics has come to an end. On 25th July, 2002 the association respectively said that all the relics related to Mr. Shinichi Fujimura were "not permitted to be used as academic resources". From now on the association has made the movement to measure the reconstruction for research of the old stone age(as in below, the full name is abbreviated). In other words, the reinvestigation of the relics related to Fujimura can only be taken to mean that the criminal responsible was solely Fujimura himself. In the cooling off period after the reinvestigation of over a little over a year, it has been said that the Agency of Cultural Affairs and archeological academic world has been deceived and are the victims and it has created a mood in which the responsibility has not been questioned. The Miyagi Prefecture Educational Committee, which is most caught up with the forgery of the relics says, "the forgery was carried out by a civil group and refused to cooperate with the association's reinvestigation. Those participating in the leading group of the reinvestigation, before the emergence of the forgery, were related to the advertising of the forged relics, and used the forged relics as resources, and "related academics" wrote thesis about it. The leaders of the association who used so much money in the reinvestigation to avoid responsibility of those related in the Agency of Culutural Affairs and to avoid a Diet Debate.


The history of forgery of old stone age relics has actually has continued for over twenty years. In the twenty years up to the end of the last century, the society of Japan's high economic growth has seen the growth disappear. The success of the excavations has created a boom in archeology, and has pulled back a layer of skin, and in "the reconstruction of Japan" has started a large scale development and cultural treasures, with many government funded excavations. The boom of government funded excavation's yearly survey cost is 1,30000000000 yen, and university excavations (its budget)have been stopped, and it has been given over to privatized section of the Agency for Cultural Affair's Buried Culture and other subsidiaries. Government Researchers(public servants charged with government excavations, and association members) form half of the members of the Archeological Association, which forms a new situation for an academic association structure. The Ministry of Education and the intervention of the bureaucrats from the Agency for Cultural Affairs is using up the survey and research funds for the archeological world, and on an every day basis taking the lead of the scholarship.

The history of forgery of old stone age relics started with the Buried Culture Association and the Agency for Cultural Affairs stating that forged relics were real historical relics, and the affiliated National Folk History Museum advertised the news to the large newspapers and publishing houses. Also the forged relics had no formal report, and were put into school history textbooks. It was that kind of "incident". However, it was just an "incident" for the legal world. If such an incident happened abroad, then a resignation from the Ministry of Education or Director of the Agency for Cultural Affairs would be natural. The result of nobody taking responsibility from the Agency of Cultural Affairs, has only seen the archeological world support the Agency of Cultural Affairs financially as not to lose face, and seen it become an association with no will to argue.

When we look back at the history of forgery of old stone age relics, in archeological history it is best to say we have lost four and half centuries, which a dark era of scholarship. One thing that is not stated, with forged relics nowadays is that to the extent that society is aware of this, so the Agency of Cultural Affairs, National Folk History Museum, Buried Culture Centre, Prefecture Museums, Local Agencies and famous archeologists are all related to this, therefore people should not be surprised. The anthropologist Masao Baba pointed out the archeologist directly related to the incident that it was, "psychologically complicit crime" (Bunkoshunka, August Edition, 2002). From the incident the Japanese archeological World has learnt about humility, and to really restore trust, and to measure the reconstruction of research, firstly the culpable academics must themselves come forward, making the incident public in order to get their understanding.

3. When the archeological World first heard about Zasaragi and Babadan relics, and great discoveries, already from young archeologists such honest arguments as "why only was it found in Miyagi Prefecture?" and "From the middle of magma area, stone wear being found was strange". The attitude from the leaders of the archeological association was not to listen to it at all. This argument thesis was not published in an archeological magazine but in an anthropological magazine. Moreover, only one archeological magazine, "Old Stone Age Archeology" in a discussion about Old Stone Age Culture, (The Chairman, Kazuto Matsufuji, Associate Professor Doshia University) said that Toshiki Takeoka's argument thesis would be a personal insult to Mr. Fujimura, so this part must be removed, and afterwards it was re-written.

On the other hand, Michio Okamura (at the time was a member of Miyagi Prefecture History Museum) was directing the excavation of the Zasaragi and Babadan A relics, and Okumura who was described as the "God of the discovery of the Pottery". The existence of old stone age in Miyagi Prefecture and its discovery was totally accredited to Fujimura. Okamura did not even get official or archeologically recognition (relics excavation report). He used this to improve his performance record, and transferred to the Agency for Cultural Affairs, where he was responsible for both departments excavations, and also for making site a historical ruin. Moreover, he surprised the criticism from the bureaucrats of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, the Director of the National Folk History Museum, professors, and researchers. He used the unpublished report as new materials, and used it freely as an author for large publishing houses and it became included in old stone age works. He also wrote the forged relics into textbooks.

In the Agency of Cultural Affairs "Excavating the Japanese Archipelago" in which areas are shown around the country, where the museums in various areas are used as places to discuss the main events such as "Kamitakamori" and "Hyotan-ana" which were fake, and have been heavily advertised by the government.

Okamura, continually praised Fujimura, who was the instigator of the forgery, as "the God the discovery of the old stone age", and the press all said he had "the hand of God". Moreover, Okamura in what he wrote himself, emphasized that he and Fujimura together excavated the "pottery from the stone age" and planned the "Second stone house discovery" and "in the history of archeology had a great epoch making success".

After the evidence was submitted in the reinvestigation by the Archeological Society, only Fujimura was cited for forgery. As for the problem of those with related responsibility, Fujimura is in a psychiatric hospital where anyone is prohibited from asking questions.

At the centre of this incident, Michio Okumura who made the false statement of the existence of Old Stone Age, and for this false statement the "discovery" of false pottery, and the mania of Shinichi Fujimura with his continual collections of pottery, shows that it is not necessary to conceal this fact. For more than twenty years the archeological story has continued, however in reality they were false remains, and it was acted out, and it has become obvious that there was not one piece of scholastic truth. Despite this, the Director Toshiaki Kamata(see endnote 2) and others related to this, have locked Fujimura away in Psychiatric Hospital, and Mitsunori Tokorozawa wrote out by hand "Fujimura's Confession" and the result stating that solely Fujimura was criminally involved. After the result of the evidence, all the related academics actions were stated in glorified words as," a problem of scholarly research", so this avoided the truth. As for the academics related to the forgery, I have seen them acting in front of me over time, and I appealed that Fujimura was guilty of professional misplanning, however he was found not guilty. As the media says, everything is now finished.

I strongly feel that now, that while progressing with the preparation for the government prosecution, it is really necessary to look again at the base of the incident.

What is the base of this incident? Under the ground in Miyagi Prefecture, many hundreds of thousands of years ago, there is buried so-called old stone age pottery, and from the prediction of Okamura of the still not excavated Fujimura starts a mania of pottery finds, and as was predicted continually discovers pottery from the old stone age, hundred of thousands of years old. Okamura's predictions that were proven scholarly are the truth of the incident. This was only an occult. This story was only discussed white and black points by the Archeological Association's Evidence Section, and by the organizers of the reinvestigation. The organizers publicly said, "by participating with the evidence that is enough to explain responsibility", and they promised to take away the responsibility from the government researchers(local civil servants) in Miyazaki and Saitama Prefectures, who had silenced the Fujimura forgery. The leader of the organizers joined with everyone else stating that only Fujimura was guilty and that all the other related academics have, "been deceived by Fujimura". After this, even in giving evidence, there was no discussion whatsoever about the responsibility of the related academics in academic meetings or research groups. Such an academic meeting would only see greater distrust in archeology.

The reason for the forgery incident given by the Archeological Association is that "the forgery was solely by Fujimura", and so most voices have been buried. Moreover, the questioning voices over the responsibility of those academics from related museums and the bureaucrats from the Agency of Cultural Affairs who put the forgery into text books, and designated it as historical relics have been silenced. The result of the reinvestigation showed the criminal was only one person- Fujimura, and all the other archeologists had been deceived by Fujimura and they received such a letter of pardon. After that, those concerned, no one spoke about the truth.
Okamura and Fujimura made the forged pottery as materials and wrote "a scientific thesis" about the forged relics and were dismissed, so many archeologists now believe that the curtain has fallen, and maybe quite relieved. However, the real evidence of the forgery incident with start from now on.

Directly after finding it was a forgery in the spring of 2001, I started my own homepage, in which some of the related academics wrote things such thing as, "the ombudsman of the old stone age forged pottery" and "hands soiled by the Gods". There is a also a report on how archeologists have deceived the people for the last twenty years and the drama of the forgery. I have reasons for starting such a homepage about the forgery incident. The Japanese Archeology has suffered great damage from this incident. Those who can restore this are young people. However most young researchers are publics servants at local universities or on education committees, and feel the danger that they will not be able to survive in the world if they say anything against the Agency of Cultural Affairs. After the finding out about the forgery incident, all the related archeologists were exempt from responsibility and wisely do not talk about the incident. In the archeological world there are very few indeed who speak out against the Agency of Cultural Affairs, and those related to the History Museums. However, through the internet these closed mouths of the related archeologists are starting to open their heavy jaws. A new day comes every day, so at least I myself, will continue to write this report and endeavor to put forward the true voice.

Endnotes
1. The Japan Archeological Association- The Special Association for the Investigation of the problems of Middle Old Stone Age Pottery(Director, Mitsunori Tokorozawa).
2. Discussions in Pottery Culture. Tohoku Old Stone Age Pottery Research Centre(Toshiaki Kamata).