Shell adornments in Hirota burial complex (Tane island, Japanese archipelago)

Archaeological materials of the Yayoi and Kofun cultures from the Japanese Archipelago are rich in various items and adornments made of bronze and iron (arrow and spear points, details of armor, mirrors, and bells); burned clay (pottery and Haniva figurines); glass and stones (beads, pendants, and bracelets). The adornments made of shells represented a special ornament type ofthat period. The Hirota necropolis on Tane Island is one of the most impressive and representative collection of such ornaments. This article continues the series of works devoted to the analysis of the “Trail of Shells ” phenomenon - ancient trade and exchange network which connected Ryukyu Archipelago with the cultures on Kyushu and Honshu Islands in the North, and Taiwan and the Philippines in the South.