| Abstract: |
The early part of the Late Shellmidden period in Okinawa ran parallel with the Yayoi to Kofun periods in Japan (about 300 BC to 7th century AD). At this time, various non-local items reached the Okinawa Islands from Kyushu. During the Yayoi period, about 300 BC to AD 300, shell bracelets were exported from Okinawa to Japan (Figure 1). Therefore, it is argued that Okinawa and Kyushu were linked by a shell bracelet trading system during the Yayoi period (Kinoshita 1989, 2003). This paper attempts to interpret the inflow of Yayoi objects into the Okinawa Islands by examining the distributional networks for each artefact type, utilising a model of base and branch settlement sites.
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