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@amasugiru.bsky.social
2.5K followers 166 following 149 posts

★ art, comics, games, archaeology, heritage, & museums ★ research fellow at hokkaido university all views are my own

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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
When clickbait matters more than accuracy, there is little that holding out a hand can accomplish. The content also borrows legitimacy from an archaeology creator, who shares responsibility for checking what they help produce. All the more reason to get out and make time to create my own content.
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
UPDATE:The creator invited me to explain my concerns about her content on Instagram. I gave a sourced, point-by-point response. Most issues were dismissed as necessary brevity, while she doubled down on her claim about excavations. She then blocked me and deleted the exchange. Both videos remain up.
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
(If you are a
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
such as the tensions in rescue archaeology, the creation of misleading historical reconstructions, and the promotion of nationalist narratives (In 2006 "Archaeology, Society and Identity in Modern Japan").
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Great question! It was a poor word choice, but there are 2 points that I didn't have space to address. First, as you said, it's engaged in the debates about the location of Yamatai. The other surrounds contemporary issues that Koji Mizoguchi discusses....
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Thanks for the share, friend <3
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Thank you for reading! I wish I had more to offer you than a response to a video. If you want similar-themed content, I recommend my dear friend @noxon.bsky.social
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
I understand that English-language scholarship on the Kofun period can be less accessible than content on social media. So I appreciate the attempt, but the framing lacked care. I hope these issues are addressed thoughtfully and without harassment. I’m happy to talk, consult, or share sources.
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Finally, Yayoi communities were not nomadic. The period is associated with increasingly sedentary agricultural communities, the expansion of wet-rice cultivation, and migration and cultural exchange from East Asia. While some consider it controversial, Yoshinogari is a good visual resource.
yoshinogari.jp
YOSHINOGARI HISTORICAL PARK
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
The video would benefit from a broader account of Kofun-period politics. Shamanism is part of it, but prevailing narratives emphasize shifting elite ideologies, regional polities, and the consolidation of authority that gave way to state formation. Barnes and Mizoguchi offer good starting points.
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Regarding restrictions: Kofun designated as imperial mausolea make up a fraction of the total number of kofun. The Imperial Household Agency restricts access as they are attributed to the imperial line (discussed by Kidder 2007). Most kofun are investigated under Japan’s cultural-property system.
naganomaibun.or.jp
埋蔵文化財センター 長野県遺跡
財団法人長野県文化振興事業団長野県埋蔵文化財センターは、長野県内の埋蔵文化財の調査・研究および保護思想の啓発と普及を図り、県民文化の向上に寄与することを目的として、1982年4月1日に設立されました。
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Stone coffins were not limited to a specific region nor rare. Their distribution reflects changing funerary practices and connections among emerging elites. A 2023 review brings together approximately 4,000 reported examples, although it does not necessarily represent the number still intact today.
online.bunka.go.jp
石棺の検索結果 文化遺産オンライン
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Haniwa were not exclusively figural. The earliest forms were cylindrical and developed from practices associated with the late Yayoi period. Representational haniwa appeared later in the Kofun period. I produced a Twitter series in 2000, “Haniwa Helper,” sharing existing archaeological literature.
a digital banner with a mint green background. Text at the top reads Haniwa Helper, then May 2020. Below it, there are two human haniwa in the style of the dancing haniwa.
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
First, kofun are regularly excavated around Japan. In fact, there was one in Nagano this year. The Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties provides access to hundreds of reports, though considerably more are in Japanese than in English. There are no blanket restrictions on kofun.
nabunken.go.jp
Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties
■2025 ■2024 ■2023 ...
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
The response below offers corrections and resources. I hope it is received in the constructive spirit intended. Japanese archaeology is close to my heart, and I am glad to see it reach a wider audience. Still, the video contains inaccuracies, and I am concerned that it is misleading viewers.
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
It takes a lot to rouse me from the deep depression of the past year. Apparently, misrepresenting Japanese archaeology will do it...rivaled only by deleting comments, which I’ll share the gist of below. Who knows? Maybe this has incited me to finally start creating content again.
youtube.com
The Ancient Japanese Tombs Even Archaeologists Can't Touch
YouTube video by For The Love of History
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
I’ve been quiet this past year, mostly because of the thesis grind. But the year has also been marked by loss, health issues, and an erosion from verbal abuse, neglect, and a lack of support. I’m torn about staying in academia and whether I’m “enough.” Mostly, I just want somewhere safe to land.
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Laura Grace Weldon @lauragraceweldon.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
One out of 12 rams is uninterested in females. Deemed “non-procreative" by farmers, they're typically sent to slaughter. German farmer Michael Stücke rescues the gay rams. His company Rainbow Wool, sells fabulous wool products from his flock of gay sheep. rainbow-wool.com
Man standing in field of sheep holding rainbow flag.
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Honestly, it isn't easy. I don't think it's just you. But I also didn't grow up online. If anything, I've learned that people have very different personas as well as means of interacting with people online. Bonds feel flimsy at best. I've got your back, fren.
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鳥住ヨモ @birdmofu.bsky.social · 01/01/2026
2026🎠🎍
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Artologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · 01/01/2026
Just making sure that 2025 is definitely over
14th century painting of St. Margaret of Antioch attacking a devil woman in a virid dress hitting a demon with a hammer
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Dr Florence Smith Nicholls @florencesn.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
Jamin Warren interviewed me for Killscreen about my background as a field archaeologist, my current video game archaeology research, and why we should preserve contemporary play experiences for the future! 🏺 www.killscreen.com/mapping-the-...
killscreen.com
How I Use Archaeology to Map Your Favorite Videogames
Archaeologist Florence Smith Nicholls discusses "archaeogaming," mapping the digital traces of Elden Ring, and the hopeful act of "anticipatory archaeology."
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Z̷o̸ ̴f̸r̴o̵m̵ ̴O̵h̴ @rbrittonart.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
"This shit isnt going away" is such a moronic thing to say. They are pushing ai in every part of our lives because they NEED their investments to work. The billionaires need ai to work. It's wildly unpopular, they are hoping we roll over and take it.
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小山田浩史 @magonia00.bsky.social · 13/12/2025
もともと「太古の宇宙飛行士」説を提唱していたソ連(当時)のSF作家アレクサンドル・カザンチェフがCBAの遮光器土偶=宇宙服の宇宙人説を自説の最適例として取り上げて世界中に広まっちゃったんだよね 秋に宮城の縄文展でいっぱい遮光器土偶見てきた
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Ro Salarian @rosalarian.bsky.social · 07/04/2025
Writers who use genAI for illustrations are class traitors. We all have to fight this beast TOGETHER. We are not just trying to save SOME of our livelihoods.
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あんまりひどい @hidoianmari.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
土偶好き好き
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Ahhh, all my cortisol tests have been really haphazard-as in, they decide they are going to take them and don’t ask me to do anything special. I’ve given up on that one.
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
The recent 7.6 offshore earthquake near Aomori has impacted the Jōmon World Heritage Sites in the region. I found an article online discussing damage to artifacts from the Futatsunomori Shell Midden (north of Hachinohe). Local staff are working with university partners to respond to the damage.
A collection of reassembled Jomon pottery lies in pieces on the ground of a storage space, while an individual picks through the debris.
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Emily @suika.bsky.social · 14/11/2024
Gender is a performance and I refuse to put on a good show for a bad audience.
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Wait, a nap? How do I get to this hospital.
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Dr. Paula R. Curtis @paularcurtis.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
nothing is more validating than seeing this post from a linguist
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Lol, Mako used to do this all the time. They know.
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Emily @suika.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
My first-ever piece for @unseenjapan.com ⤵
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Emily @suika.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
Despite a disappointing ruling, the crowd yells "we don't give up!" while applauding the plaintiffs and legal team of the second Tokyo High Court case for same-sex marriage.
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Jjinandtonic @jjinandtonic.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
This is how you get that archaeologist you’ve been into to lick you
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Christopher P. Hood @hoodcp.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
Cardiff University has done a short piece about the work that my PhD student, Emily Bush, is doing. The research explores ecocriticism through Japanese disaster narratives. #Japan #DisasterStudies #DisasterNarratives #Ecocriticism You can read the article here: www.cardiff.ac.uk/stories/expl...
cardiff.ac.uk
Exploring ecocriticism through Japanese disaster narratives
PhD student Emily Bush is exploring ecocritical perspectives in media about historical Japanese disasters.
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
I’m dealing with some sudden financial strain, so I’m looking for a bit of freelance work. If you know anyone who needs illustration or design work, I’d really appreciate referrals. I’m also planning to open commissions and update my ko-fi/carrd soon. I appreciate the support! amasugiru.carrd.co
amasugiru.carrd.co
ama
a site to connect all my forms of social media and gallery
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Emily @suika.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
Was just thinking: will future archeologists be able to date human remains based on the amounts of microplastics built up in them?
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
Well, the thing is, it's all connected. Everything sucks because we exist both IRL and OL in the same infrastructure. Maybe I'm naive in thinking that there was a certain sense of ownership and community to the internet up until recently. It felt like it existed just beyond the grasp of capitalism.
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
Truly a vibe. I think this harkens to my last post. I know it's nice to know we aren't alone in this feeling, but it doesn't actually change things.
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
Indeed. I feel like I’m in mourning something that was once…decent. Or at least not owned by tech bros.
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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 19/11/2025
“Closeups show human faces distorted beyond recognition, sprouting extra appendages. The bodies of what appear to be dogs horrifically merge with human figures. Happy holidays indeed.”
futurism.com
Town's Huge Christmas Mural Was Generated Using AI, Resulting in Ghastly Chthonic Horrors
An enormous new mural near London, depicting a crowded Christmas scene, has drawn outrage and mockery from passersby.
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
Trying to decide if it's worth sharing my final thoughts on Ghost of Yotei. Maybe, if anything, it would help contextualize the game somewhat and continue the dialogue. Lately, I've had such a difficult time finding the motivation to post on social media, but I do miss sharing thoughts and art.
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
Yes, good.
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
True to her name. She cannot be contained.
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
Thank you, darling. I shall poke you about it later.
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
I'm feeling gloomy about not sticking to Inktober, but I've been drawing more for myself lately. As much as I enjoy engagement on social media, I've been thinking of trying a different format. How do people feel about mail clubs? I want to draw landscapes... tie it in to archaeology... make friends.
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ama @amasugiru.bsky.social · 05/11/2025
We may occupy different spheres but I am 100% there with you. This kind of persistent liminal space wrecks havoc on your mental and physical wellbeing. It’s pithy, but I feel like I survive out of spite and what few positives I have in my life. You are one of them. I hope I can offer you the same.
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beetle moses @beetlemoses.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
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Steph Halmhofer @cultarchaeo.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
Once again urging archaeologists to critically assess the AI push into archaeology. There is a huge swath of problematic ethical issues that come with the AI tech & tech lords & we don't have to make it easier for them to insert themselves in archaeology by welcoming them in. Don't be complicit. 🏺
thetimes.com
Elon Musk says AI research into ancient Rome will ‘rewrite history’
The world’s richest man is financing a new age of archaeological projects that seek to use artificial intelligence to fill in knowledge gaps
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