Evolutionary Anthropologist Yousuke Kaifu in Conversation with Contemporary Artists:
“Why did our early ancestors voyage across the open seas?”

On November 10^th, the UENOYES art event reconvened for a second day of festivities, headlined by a unique talk event bringing together artist Katsuhiko Hibino, fashion designer Yoshikazu Yamagata, and evolutionary anthropologist Yousuke Kaifu. Head of the Division of Human Evolution at the National Museum of Nature and Science, Dr. Kaifu has researched how early Homo sapiens managed to cross large oceans to populate remote islands over 30,000 years ago. As founding director of the “Holistic Reenactment Project,” Dr. Kaifu oversaw a team of international researchers who succeded in an experimental journey from Taiwan to Okinawa’s Yonaguni Island, using only primitive, hand-paddled dugout canoes. Backgrounded by the actual canoe used in the researcher’s arduous voyage, the three panelists engaged in an engrossing conversation, ranging from a discussion of the experimental voyage to the historical origins of art and fashion, as well as the anthropological significance of such creative pursuits.

Why did early Homo sapiens take to the sea?

Katsuhiko Hibino: I think “Floating Nomad” shares many of the same themes as Dr. Kaifu’s research. But to begin, perhaps the professor could talk about the dugout canoe that he brought with him today?

Yousuke Kaifu: This canoe was built as part of the “Holistic Reenactment Project,” which I launched in 2013 to explore what maritime voyages would have entailed 30,000 years ago. Piloted by a team of four men and one woman, the canoe successfully traveled from Taiwan to Yonaguni Island in Okinawa over a period of two days, leaving on July 7^th and arriving on July 9^th, 2019.

30,000 years ago corresponds to the Old Stone Age. Paleolithic ancestors who we might call “primitive” walked the earth. Based on archaeological sites, we know that early humans first took to the sea around this time. Why did they set sail? Certainly not for a reckless, swashbuckling adventure on the high seas. Rather, their motivation was migration. However, in order to establish a new community in another land, these migrants would have needed to travel in coed groups of people unrelated by blood. These maritime expeditions would have been extremely dangerous. Why would they take such a large, and perhaps unnecessary, risk? We wanted to experience for ourselves how these early migrants might have felt on their journey. We also wanted to learn more about the technologies which may have been available at the time. So, we decided to build a boat, and actually make the journey for ourselves.

Yoshikazu Yamagata: What was the biggest question you hoped to answer through this project?

Kaifu: “Why did they do it? Why did they set out across the sea?” It’s a great mystery. I’m still searching for an answer, even now.

Hibino: Couldn’t it be as simple as needing to find some other place to go? Perhaps life became untenable in their former home, and the only choice was to brave the sea.

Kaifu: Sails were developed in the New Stone Age, roughly 5,000 years ago. This new technology facilitated travel all the way to Polynesia, Micronesia, and Hawaii. But it goes without saying that such technology and information did not exist 30,000 years ago. These people had no way of knowing what plants and animals awaited on even the next island over from theirs. Even so, they took to the water. They showed incredible initiative. What forces could possibly have driven their migration?

Hibino: They obviously didn’t keep written records explaining their mindset. The closest you will get to understanding their experience is by trying it yourself.

Kaifu: Exactly. First, we wanted to confirm whether or not Yonaguni Island is even visible from Taiwan. I ended up climbing a mountain to make sure about it. All the locals said they’d never seen Yonaguni. But I camped out on the mountain, and on the evening of the third day, I was finally able to discern the island off in the distance. It turns out the island is visible when the conditions are just right, in the morning and evening.

Commercial trade as the mother of invention

Yamagata: I’ve been researching the various ethnic migrations in Japan’s history, and recently learned about the so-called “Shell Road.” Apparently, there was an ancient route that ferried shells from Okinawa up to Kyushu, where they were processed into decorative objects.

Kaifu: The “Shell Road” was a fascinating example of maritime trade, an early form of economic activity. In order to travel back and forth between Okinawa and Kyushu, of the transporters even got over the Kuroshio ocean current. History tends to favor the rich and powerful men and women. But I’m more interested in the “couriers,” so to speak, who did the actual grunt work and transported their wares.

Hibino: When there’s demand for a product, you’ll need people to transport said product. The endeavor would have required some ingenuity, too. In order to make the round-trip journey, they would have needed to figure out how to sail against the Kuroshio current.

Yamagata: Coincidentally, last night’s fashion show ended with the models proceeding in a single-file line over the fountain, saddling large parcels. The scene quite literally represented this act of transport and migration.

Kaifu: I think our ancient ancestors had a much different understanding of navigation. I suspect their concept of direction and orientation would be different than what we’re familiar with in modern times.

Hibino: In the absence of 3D globes or even 2D maps, I would imagine they had a completely different understanding of space.

Yamagata: I would love to experience a world without maps. I wonder what senses and skills would end up being honed instead.

Hibino: In the afternoon, you would use the sun. At night, you would navigate by the moon and stars.

Kaifu: They almost certainly would have relied on the celestial bodies. However, as I can tell you from experience, the stars aren’t always visible when you’re out on the water. Instead, you have to use the wind direction, as well as the heave of the sea, to make sure you’re staying on course. Whereas the stars are relatively constant, these other indices are in constant flux, and can only be trusted for a few hours at a time. Sailboats had yet to be invented 30,000 years ago. Manpower was still the sole source of forward thrust. We speculated that, even in the absence of more advanced technology, they would have been able to travel quite a distance on manpower alone. We were interested in proving this theory.

The unbridled creativity of Homo sapiens

Hibino: I’m also interested in answering another age-old conundrum: Why did humans first start creating art? I even went to see the oldest known cave paintings in person. I was able to spend an hour in the caves after the site closed, with the electric lights shut off. Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I thought I might be able to detect the faint outlines of the paintings. But honestly, I couldn’t see anything at all. It was pitch black. Immersed in darkness, I realized that perhaps the imagery was instead something seen in the mind’s eye. These ancient humans might not have understood that what they were “seeing” was a figment of their imagination, a purely creative phenomenon. Perhaps they started to paint out of confused fear, simply to make sense of the moment.

Kaifu: “Imagination” is a topic that archaeologists are now exploring in depth, as such visualizations lead to the creation of symbols. Some researchers think that this ability to create symbolic representations is what defines Homo sapiens, and makes us human. For example, language is symbolic. We attribute meaning to sounds, which allows us to share an agreed understanding of meaning.

Hibino: Perhaps darkness was an essential element in acquiring the power of imagination. Once humans harnessed this mental imagery, they were able to create paintings, which in tandem gave birth to language as a means of communication.

Kaifu: Maritime travel and art share many similarities. Neither is strictly necessary, yet we continue to embark on the challenge. Humans are strange creatures in this sense, and are constantly doing things that aren’t necessary for survival. This is what makes humans interesting, and separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom. Yet, we don’t understand why we do it.

Hibino: Humans have an innate urge to create. Well, I guess we are all a case in point. You could very well ask what compelled us to tinker around with our cardboard box sculpture these past two days. (Laughter).

Kaifu: That’s an excellent example. (Laughter). No matter where you travel in the world, you’ll find music, language, and artists. Despite our differences in terms of ethnicity or lifestyle, we all share much in common. For this, we can thank our Homo sapiens ancestors in Africa, who developed the foundational evolutionary abilities that we still enjoy today. This notion of an evolutionary “basis” is a keyword in biology. Essentially, it refers to a basic ability that produces a specific behavior, and is shared amongst all members of the human race. The sort of thing that allows all humans to have an emotional response to sports, such as when watching a rugby match. By the same token, you could say that we are unable to communicate on a deeper level with chimpanzees, precisely because our hardware is different.

Yamagata: What are your thoughts on the origin of clothing?

Kaifu: The Neanderthals are said to have been processing animal pelts, and they lived as far back as 40,000 to 300,000 years ago. We’ve discovered sewing needles from Homo sapiens archaeological sites. Presumably, Homo sapiens were a bit more fashion-forward.

Hibino: A model dressed as an anime character made an appearance at the UENOYES outdoor sketching competition this weekend.

Kaifu: Cosplay is certainly a form of masquerade. This culture of costumes and disguise can be found all over the world. Masks are a universal trope, common across all cultures.

Yamagata: Disguises and masks are imbued with a supernatural meaning. For example, as a means of communicating with God. Our fashion show featured garments that can’t necessarily be worn on a daily basis off the runway. But they are connected to the occult. I like to think that I am creating a modern interpretation of what might traditionally have been classified as ceremonial or festive clothing.

Hibino: Interesting.

Kaifu: I’m not an artist myself. However, I hope that my research can provide the raw materials necessary to facilitate artistic expression. I’m interested in the marriage of art and science.

Yamagata: Fashion has a unique ability to highlight the raw human experience, and really elucidate things that may otherwise seem meaningless. I think this is what makes fashion intriguing, and I feel that our conversation today has planted a new seed, and opened up new avenues for creative exploration.

Hibino: As artists, we often ask ourselves: Why do we make work? What’s the motivation? I think this discussion of a common evolutionary foundation is useful in such moments of introspection. Hearing how our ancestors took the plunge and set off onto the sea, even though there wasn’t a clear necessity, makes one realize how you don’t always need a reason. It is what is it, and all is right. This provides the courage necessary to begin working, to begin creating.

Kaifu: I truly enjoyed our conversation today. I find it very stimulating to have the opportunity to speak with people working in different fields of specialization from my own. I’m currently working on a book that documents our project (Sapiens nihon joriku, from Kodansha), and we’re editing footage captured on the voyage using a 3DVR camera affixed to the dugout canoe. We plan on screening the film next July at the National Museum of Nature and Science’s 360-degree movie theatre. I hope everyone will attend, and experience the voyage from the perspective of the rowers, at sea in our little log boat.

Yousuke Kaifu
Evolutionary anthropologist. Born 1969. DSc. University of Tokyo. Head of the Division of Human Evolution at the National Museum of Nature and Science. Founding director of the experimental research project, “Holistic Reenactment Project of the Voyage 30,000 Years Ago.” Recent publications include: Sapiens nihon joriku (Kodansha 2020), Nihonjin wa doko kara kita no ka (Bungei Shunju 2016, recipient of the Kodai Rekishi Bunka Prize), and Jinrui ga tadottekita michi (NHK Books 2005).

Katsuhiko Hibino　
Born 1958, Gifu. M.A. Tokyo University of the Arts. A highly acclaimed artist, Hibino is the recipient of the 3rd Japan Graphic Exhibition grand prize (1982) and the Minister of Education Art Encouragement Prize (2015), among many other awards. Noted for his cross-disciplinary practice emphasizing community engagement and regional identities, Hibino also participated in the 46th Venice Biennale (1995). He currently serves as Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts and as a professor within the Tokyo University of the Art’s Intermedia Art Department.

Yoshikazu Yamagata
Born 1980, Tottori Prefecture. A 2005 graduate of Central Saint Martins in London. While he was a student, Yamagata interned as a design assistant to John Galliano. Upon returning to Tokyo in 2007, Yamagata launched his own label, written afterwards. In 2015, Yamagata became the first Japanese designer to be nominated for the prestigious LVMH Prize. Committed to the cultivation of future generations of creators, Yamagata created the “coconogacco” program, a unique school offering Japanese students a more free-minded, engaging approach to fashion education.

Text: Naoko Tsunoda (Fillmore East Co., Ltd.)　Photo: Fumitaka Miyoshi

UENOYES 2019／FLOATING NOMAD

Dates: Saturday, November 9th and Sunday, November 10th, 2019
Hours: 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Venue: Ueno Park (Takenodai Plaza adjacent to the Grand Fountain）
Event website: https://uenoyes.ueno-bunka.jp/2019

Note: This event has ended.