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Bulletin of Abai KazNPU. Series of Historical and social-political sciences

A PRELIMINARY STUDY ON THE COMPARISON BETWEEN THE PETROGLYPHS OF TEMIYA AND FUGOPPE CAVES IN JAPAN AND THE PETROGLYPHS OF TANBALY IN KAZAKHSTAN

Published June 2026

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Казахский Национальный университет имени аль-Фараби
Abstract

This paper aims to compare the motifs of the petroglyphs from Temiya Cave and Fugoppe Cave in Hokkaido, Japan, with those of the Tanbaly petroglyphs in Kazakhstan. Based on previous studies, the rock art of Temiya Cave, Fugoppe Cave, and Tanbaly was examined in order to clarify the similarities and differences between the two cultural spheres. A Japanese archaeologist previously classified the motifs of the Fugoppe Cave rock art in order to compare them with rock art from sites in Northeast Asia. The author of this study has incorporated the motifs of the Tanbaly rock art into that typology. The results of the comparative analysis reveal that both traditions share common representations of human figures, animals, fish, and shamans. There are differences in the symbols or representations associated with shamans. Although boats are not depicted at Tanbaly, where there is no sea nearby, unlike in Japan, deities are represented there, and a greater variety of animals is depicted. The absence of boats at Tanbaly may be explained by its inland location, while the abundance of animal representations likely reflects the animals that were familiar and present in the surrounding environment. Although animals must also have existed in Japan, they may not have been as closely connected to the daily lives of the inhabitants of Temiya and Fugoppe. There are differences in the symbols or representations associated with shamans. Although boats are not depicted at Tanbaly, where there is no sea nearby, unlike in Japan, deities are represented there, and a greater variety of animals is depicted. The absence of boats at Tanbaly may be explained by its inland location, while the abundance of animal representations likely reflects the animals that were familiar and present in the surrounding environment. Although animals must also have existed in Japan, they may not have been as closely connected to the daily lives of the inhabitants of Temiya and Fugoppe. This comparison further highlights cultural adaptation, symbolic diversity, and environmental perception in prehistoric communities, suggesting that rock art functioned as both spiritual expression and a reflection of everyday subsistence practices shaped by geography and regional ecological conditions and environmental context.

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Language

Русский

How to Cite

[1]
Ниномия , Т., Базарбай, Ж. and Ғабитов , Т. 2026. A PRELIMINARY STUDY ON THE COMPARISON BETWEEN THE PETROGLYPHS OF TEMIYA AND FUGOPPE CAVES IN JAPAN AND THE PETROGLYPHS OF TANBALY IN KAZAKHSTAN. Bulletin of Abai KazNPU. Series of Historical and social-political sciences. 2, 89 (Jun. 2026). DOI:https://doi.org/10.51889/2959-6017.2026.89.2.010.