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Reading Medieval Ruins: A Material History of Urban Life in 16th-Century Japan

Reading Medieval Ruins: A Material History of Urban Life in 16th-Century Japan

Paper by Morgan Pitelka

Given at the University of Michigan on February 20, 2020

Abstract: The city of Ichijôdani served as the capital of Echizen Province for approximately one century during Japan’s late medieval period. It was a vibrant and successful urban center built around the residential complex of a warlord (daimyo) who had seized power in the civil wars of the late 15th century. This presentation will introduce the history and archaeology of the city and its residents, then consider the implications of its complete destruction in 1573 as part of Japan’s “unification” process.

Morgan Pitelka is Professor of History and Asian Studies at UNC-Chapel Hill. Click here to view his faculty web page or follow him on Twitter @mpitelka

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Top Image: Asakura Yakata of Ichijōdani Asakura Family Historic Ruins in Fukui, Fukui prefecture, Japan. Photo by 663highland / Wikimedia Commons

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