Dairoku Harada


Dairoku Harada was a Japanese archaeologist who studied in the Fukuoka area.

Life

Dairoku's name comes from the fact that he was born in the 6th year of the Taishō period at Itoshima, Fukuoka. Dairoku learned archaeology when he was a student at Itoshima Middle School in Fukuoka and surveyed archaeological sites within Itoshima Gun. After graduation, Dairoku worked in manufacturing polishing instruments. He was drafted and became a soldier in China. In 1946, he was repatriated, but was purged from public office by Occupation of Japan authorities because he was a member of the Kempeitai or army police. After repatriation, he became an archaeologist, and named himself Hachimusai. Starting in the spring of 1947, he learned archaeology from Heijiro Nakayama, a noted archaeologist living in Fukuoka; this lasted for nine years. Through investigations and excavations, Dairoku came to the conviction that the family of Japanese emperors originated in this area. In early 1950 he first wrote a paper entitled The origin of Japan; studies on the development of kofun culture. In 1965, he discovered the Hirabaru archaeological kofun; he declared that it was the tomb of Amaterasu. In 1966, he wrote another book, Mythology Which Has Really Existed. Later he joined the investigation of Okinoshima, Munakata. He died before the completion of Ito Koku Historical Museum, which houses his work.

Books