A Polished Stone Axe Surface Collected at the Shinzato Site in Motobu Town

本部町新里遺跡表採の磨製石斧

This paper reports a stone axe found during surface survey at the Shinzato site in Motobu Town. It is identified as an axe because the blade has an asymmetrical edge and use-wear damage consisting of diagonal lines. The axe is made of green schist and is elaborately polished. When the axe is compared with other polished stone axes, it is similar to axes that are classified as “refined”. It is further classified into the corner square tubular-shaped type. This is one of types in the refined stone axe style. A chip off at the base might have been produced as a result of its use or it might imply that the axe was in the process of morphological modification from a refined form to a crudely made form. At the present time. we do not have enough data to examine these suggestions.
We think it is urgent to establish a stone tool typology, including axes, for the Ryukyu archipelago. We also suggest that it is necessary to conduct field research, reexamine previously excavated stone tools, and compare data obtained from other regions. We also insist that it is important to adopt analytical methods developed in other parts of Japan.