WATANABE Shigeru

For the ancient nation of Japan, the area corresponding to present-day Yamaguchi Prefecture was a major source of copper. Copper produced in this area played an important role in ancient society, being used as material for the Great Buddha statue and coins in Nara. However, the prehistory of the region, i.e., the situation before the related industries were brought under the direct control of the central government in the early 8th century, has not been fully examined. This paper, therefore, first outlines the conditions under which related industries have flourished in the region since the Yayoi period. It will also elucidate that the roots of the technology can be found on the Korean Peninsula. The paper also points out that the existence of such industries in the region was a precondition for the central government to take direct control of the region.

There are many studies on the "Nenchu-Gyoji-Hisho," a representative book on annual events established in late antiquity.However, opinions on the main issues, such as its establishment and subsequent changes, have been divided among the scholars, and there are still no settled theories. In order to improve the current state of the research, this paper will analyze the character of this document from various perspectives based on the results of the original research on the main manuscripts. Nenchu-Gyoji-Hisyo・Annual event books・historical documents・old manuscripts

　The "Sakeiki," the diary of Minamoto no Tsuneyori (985-1039), has attracted attention as a valuable historical document in the mid-Heian period due to his significant role as a practical bureaucrat. However, due to the scarcity of ancient manuscripts and the many problems with the current printed editions, research on this work has not progressed sufficiently. In this paper, we begin with an analysis of how the "Sakeiki" was transmitted after the death of Kyorai, and then examine the characteristics of the major existing manuscripts and collect anecdotes to comprehensively elucidate the various processes from its creation to the present state of this historical material. Minamoto Tsuneyori・Sakeiki・Ancient records・historical records transmission・ancient manuscripts

This paper is the result of a GIS-based analysis of the characteristics of the ancient Ouchi Basin. In the first half of the paper, we began with the characteristics of settlements and burial mounds, and examined the role of flood control works, etc. In the second half of the paper, based on the results of the first half, the actual conditions of the early activities of the Tatara clan (Ouchi clan), which expanded its power based in this area in the early medieval period, were elucidated based on various historical documents.

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Research on the Ouchi clan in the Late Middle Ages has been very active in recent years. However, there are few related studies on the actual activities of the Ouchi clan from ancient times to the early medieval period, and few areas have been elucidated. In this paper, therefore, we analyze the actual activities of the Ouchi clan in their early period by collecting fragmentary related historical documents dating back to the stage when they were called Tatara clan. As a result, it became clear how they expanded their power based on their activities in the central political world in the late antiquity, after the stage when they were active as provincial officials in Suo Province.

Despite the various harmful effects caused by tourism, such as over tourism, there are few concrete measures to promote tourism and community development in an integrated manner. The background to this is that in tourism policies, indicators that are biased toward the evaluation of tourism exchange performance are set, and there is a lack of indicators that question the degree of involvement with the local community. On the other hand, in Europe and other countries, they contribute to the development of sustainable local communities by installing unified indicators (“ETIS” and “DIT-ACHIEV”) for advancing projects while considering tourism and regional formation from multiple perspectives. It should be a great example for Japanese local communities. The purpose of this study: Therefore, in this paper, we will analyze the factors that prevent the establishment and spread of indicators in the current situation, and analyze the method of setting indicators with high versatility based on the current situation. To accomplish these ends, the authors of this paper have tried to do questionnaire survey conducted by mail to 212 DMOs nationwide from November to December 2021. The conclusion of this paper: It was found; 1) Japanese DMOs lack the common purpose of "aiming for sustainable tourism", 2) Data collection for KPI is a burden for each DMO, 3) Relationship between DMOs and local residents is still weak, and in the first place, improvement in this point is desired.

This special issue, Issues Related to Suo Kokufu, consists of the following: Kazumi Tateno’s Traffic around Ancient Suo, Makoto Sato’s Functions and Facilities of Suo Kokufu, Hiroyuki Kanegae’s Kunizonin and Their Duties in Suo Kokufu, Tomoyasu Kato’s Kokushikan in the Kokufu, Shigeru Watanabe’s Suokoku and the Political Arena in Late Antiquity - with a Focus on the Activities of Tamanooya, and Kenji Kurata’s Restoration and Analysis of Historical Landscapes Using GIS Platforms - the Case of Ancient Suo Kokufu. The issue summarizes the results of the five-year joint research project between Yamaguchi Prefectural University and Hofu City titled Comprehensive Research on Suo Kokufu - the Formative Process of City and Hofu. We expect that the findings we present in this special issue will significantly expand the literature findings on and analyses of the latest excavation results.