Fragments of our past: a study of 19th to 20th century Japanese porcelains from Singapore's archaeological assemblages

Abstract

Scholarship on Singapore’s colonial period pertaining to subjects of interest that incorporate archaeological research are limited. Researchers to date have utilised governmental documentation, written materials, oral histories, and other forms of visual and material culture such as art to weave stories of our colonial past into coherent narratives. Historical archaeological research surrounding the 19th to 20th centuries, however, has been a field relatively untapped both in local and regional scholarship, rendering it a promising aspect to address. This thesis provides the first systematic analysis of Japanese Porcelains dating to the 19th to 20th centuries unearthed from Singapore’s archaeological sites. A total of 4 archaeological sites that have yielded these Japanese porcelain sherds were assessed, namely Istana Kampong Gelam (IKG), Pulau Saigon (PSG), Colombo Court (CCT) and Senang Pawai X (SPX). The undertaking of the development of a typology for Japanese porcelains unearthed from Singapore’s sites in this thesis will provide further impetus for effective identification of Japanese porcelains amongst other archaeological sites in Singapore and facilitate comprehensive cross-site analyses in the future. Through the employment of the typology developed in this thesis, the author also addresses the observable differences between the assemblages at the various sites through site-based analyses of these Japanese porcelains to provide a comprehensive understanding of the patterns of consumption, preferences, and accessibility to these Japanese porcelains in Singapore’s market during this period. Through the examination of supply and demand enabled through the analysis of the data illuminates further the lives of communities such as the pre-war Japanese communities in Singapore that have contributed to the networks of demand and supply of these Japanese ceramics that may have otherwise been overlooked. This thesis seeks to provide an example of the potentials of historical archaeological research in providing insight into the lives of Singapore’s inhabitants in the 19th to 20th centuries where written sources may lack.