Ryota Nakakado

Ryota Nakakado is an Associate Professor at the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Waseda University. His academic journey includes positions at institutions such as the Aomori Prefectural Archaeological Artifacts Research Center (2018-2022) and Waseda University's Aizu Yaichi Memorial Museum (Assistant position, 2011-2014). As a member of academic societies like the Japanese Archaeological Association and the Jomon Cultural Research Society, he contributes to the field through interdisciplinary approaches.

• Current affiliation: Waseda University (2024-present)
• Director of the Institute of Prehistoric Archaeology (2024-2026)
• Teaching areas: Japanese Archaeology, Cultural Heritage, Ancient Asian Societies

His research focuses on ethnoarchaeology, particularly examining Jomon pottery typology through comparative studies with Papua New Guinea traditions. Fieldwork in Milne Bay and Sepik River regions has informed theoretical frameworks for understanding Jomon ceramic evolution. Recent projects include "Jomon Pottery Typology and Cultural Property Administration" (2022-2026) and cross-regional ceramic distribution analysis.

Key publication trends reveal geographic ceramic distribution patterns (2010-2024), technological transmission in pottery making (2012-2016), and cultural cosmological aspects in Wari Island pottery (2012-2015). His work bridges Oceania ethnography with Jomon cultural analysis, emphasizing stylistic change mechanisms and material cultural significance.

Teaching responsibilities encompass courses like Introduction to Japanese Archaeology, Methods of Field Archaeology, and Archaeology Seminars at both undergraduate and graduate levels. He previously taught Cultural Heritage Preservation at Tsukuba University (2022) and Waseda University (2018-2023).