ABSTRACT
In Chapter 3, we glimpsed the prestige-good system that was established in North Kyishi during Middle-Late Yayoi. Although the Mounded Tomb Culture (MTC) has not yet specifically been cast in the mould of a prestigegood system, it is possible to do so. The Early Kofun grave goods repertoire is comprised mainly of items made of precious resources (iron, bronze, beadstone) and created by specialist craftspeople exclusively for elite use (Figure 7.1). Our understanding of this sytem is incomplete, since we have as yet little information on the organization of production and mechanisms of distribution. It is possible, though, to compare the MTC system with the earlier Yayoi prestige-good system, enhancing the interpretation of these societies as set firmly at the ‘Edge of Empire’.
