Her Imperial Highness Princess Akiko of Mikasa Attends the Commemorative Ceremony for the Launch of a New Excavation Project

News & Event 2025/10/24

Chiba Tech Begins New Archaeological Excavations at the Aynalar Höyük Site in Şanlıurfa Province, Republic of Türkiye

This year’s excavation team, with Her Imperial Highness Princess Akiko and Chiba Tech staff and researchers.

On September 19th, a ceremony marking the commencement of a new archaeological excavation carried out with the full support of Chiba Institute of Technology (Chiba Tech) was officially held at the Aynalar Höyük site（*1）in Şanlıurfa Province, Republic of Türkiye. The event began with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by Her Imperial Highness Princess Akiko of Mikasa.

This excavation is part of the large-scale archaeological project "Taş Tepeler" （*2）being promoted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Türkiye. The project focuses on a pivotal period in human history roughly 12,000 years ago, just before the emergence of agriculture and animal husbandry. As exemplified by the UNESCO World Heritage Site Göbekli Tepe, this region is a cradle of the monumental stone culture created by hunter-gatherer societies. The region is crucial for understanding the interrelationship between cultural change, technological innovation, and environmental transformation. The excavation is being jointly conducted by Chiba Institute of Technology and the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology (JIAA) of the Middle Eastern Culture Center in Japan (MECCJ), positioning Japan at the forefront of Neolithic research in one of the most significant archaeological regions in the world.

The academic relationship between Chiba Tech and Türkiye began when the late Professor Takafumi Matsui, former Chiba Tech President and then Director of the Planetary Exploration Research Center (PERC), initiated joint research with the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology (JIAA). The JIAA was founded under the initiative of Prince Takahito Mikasa, grandfather of Princess Akiko, and developed under the guidance of his son, Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, father of Princess Akiko. Through collaborative research on the Kaman-Kalehöyük site in the Anatolia region, Professor Matsui deepened ties with the institute and established a connection with the Mikasa family.

In September 2018, when attending the ceremony celebrating Princess Akiko's appointment as President of the Mikasa Memorial Foundation, Chiba Tech Chairman Osamu Setokuma and Professor Matsui were formally introduced to Her Imperial Highness by the late Director Yukihiro Ohmura of the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology. This encounter became the foundation for deepening academic collaboration.

Since then, Princess Akiko has served as a Special Professor and Principal Research Scientist at Chiba Tech, sharing her extensive knowledge and insights with students. In recognition of her academic and educational contributions, Chiba Tech conferred upon her the title of Honorary Doctor, the first ever awarded by the university, on October 29, 2023.

This recent visit and the groundbreaking ceremony were realized through years of sustained academic collaboration and friendship.

Groundbreaking Ceremony Attended by Her Imperial Highness Princess Akiko

Groundbreaking ceremony conducted by Her Imperial Highness Princess Akiko
Her Imperial Highness Princess Akiko with Chiba Tech staff

On the afternoon of September 19, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the Aynalar Höyük site. The ceremonial hoe used by Her Imperial Highness Princess Akiko was the same one wielded by her grandfather, Prince Takahito, Prince Mikasa, during the groundbreaking at the Kaman-Kalehöyük site conducted by the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology, a symbolic gesture connecting three generations of commitment to Japanese-Turkish archaeological cooperation.

From Chiba Tech, Chairman Osamu Setokuma, President Joi Ito, Executive Director Akito Someya, Advisor Hiroshi Yokoi (former Ambassador of Japan to Türkiye), and Secretary-General Satoshi Fukue attended the event, along with researchers Kenhiro Tada, Kazuya Shimokama, and Wataru Satake from the Institute for Geo-Cosmology. The ceremony drew significant attention from Turkish media, with many reporters present on site, and was widely covered in national news.

Chiba Tech Welcomes Dignitaries at Şanlıurfa Reception

Remarks by President Joi Ito

A reception hosted by Chiba Tech was held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Şanlıurfa Hotel in the evening. Distinguished guests included Her Imperial Highness Princess Akiko, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Minister of Culture and Tourism of Türkiye, the Governor of Şanlıurfa, Ambassador Katsumata of Japan, and the Mayor of Şanlıurfa, among many others.

President Joi Ito, opened his remarks by stating:

"Guided by our founding spirit, 'Contributing to global culture through technology,' Chiba Tech ill continue to support Türkiye's advancement through science and archaeology. It is a great honor to hold this memorable ceremony and reception today in the presence of Her Imperial Highness Princess Akiko."

(Refer below for full speech)

A Visit to the Harbetsuvan Tepesi Site and Signing Ceremony for the Excavation House

Signing ceremony
Handover of the excavation house keys
Her Imperial Highness Princess Akiko installing the commemorative plaque

On the morning of September 20, Her Imperial Highness visited the Harbetsuvan Tepesi Site（*3）, where Chiba Tech has been conducting excavations. Researchers walked through the progress, findings, and future outlook of the project, and Her Imperial Highness asked many insightful questions on the subject.

In the afternoon, a signing and handover ceremony was held for the new excavation house, which will serve as the project's operational base. Her Imperial Highness unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the occasion. The excavation house will function both as a residence for researchers during fieldwork and as a facility for storing and analyzing excavated artifacts.

The event marked a powerful first step for the project and is expected to provide strong momentum for future activities.

Her Imperial Highness Princess Akiko observing with great interest
Researcher Shimogama explaining to Her Imperial Highness Princess Akiko

Full Speech by President Joi Ito

Altes Prenses Akiko,
Sayın Vali,
Sayın Kültür ve Turizm Bakan Yardımcısı,
Ekselansları Japonya Büyükelçisi,
Sayın Şanlıurfa Büyükşehir Belediye Başkanı
Ve bugün burada toplanan tüm konuklar,

Ayanlar Höyük Ören Yeri İlk Kazma Töreni ve resepsiyonunda bize katıldığınız için çok teşekkür ederiz.

Chiba Teknoloji Enstitüsü, Japonya'nın en eski özel üniversitelerinden biridir ve kuruluşundaki "teknoloji ile dünya kültürüne katkıda bulunmak" ruhuyla ilerlemektedir.

Önceki Chiba Teknoloji Enstitüsü Başkanı ve şu anda göreve devam eden Başkanımızın Türkiye'yi ziyaretinin üzerinden dokuz yıl geçti ve bu süre zarfında, Altes Prenses Akiko Mikasa ile olan ilişkim nedeniyle Üniversitemizde özel profesör ve baş araştırmacı olarak atandım. Ayrıca fahri doktora unvanına layık görüldüm.

Ve şimdi, Altes Prenses Akiko'nun huzurunda bu töreni ve resepsiyonu gerçekleştirebilmekten onur duyuyorum, Başkan olarak çok memnunum.

Ayanlar Höyük'te kazı yapmaya başlayacak olan Chiba Yüksek Teknoloji Enstitüsü, bilim, teknoloji ve arkeoloji yoluyla Türkiye'ye destek olmaya devam edecek.

Son olarak, Mikasa ailesinin üç kuşaktır Türkiye ve Japonya arasındaki dostluğa verdiği destek için Altes Prenses Akiko'ya en kalbi şükranlarımı sunmak isterim.

Ayrıca, T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı'na, Şanlıurfa Valiliği’ne, Şanlıurfa Büyükşehir Belediyesi'ne, Taş Tepeler Projesi'ne, Şanlıurfa Arkeoloji Müzesi'ne, Japonya'nın Türkiye Büyükelçiliği'ne, Japon Anadolu Arkeoloji Enstitüsü'ne ve Tokyo Üniversitesi'ne de şükranlarımı sunuyorum.

Joichi ITO

Chiba Teknoloji Enstitüsü Rektörü

Footnotes

*1　Ayanlar Höyük Site

An archaeological site located approximately 20 kilometers northwest of Şanlıurfa city in southeastern Türkiye, in the upper reaches of the Euphrates River. It is expected to potentially trace the rise and decline of the Göbekli Tepe culture, and has attracted significant attention from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
*2　Large-Scale Excavation Project “Taş Tepeler”

One of the major research projects organized by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, aiming to elucidate Neolithic culture through archaeological investigation, cultural heritage research, paleoenvironmental studies, and ethnographic archaeology. Commonly called Taş Tepeler (“Stone Hill”), it focuses on approximately ten Neolithic settlement sites associated with the Göbekli Tepe culture in Şanlıurfa Province.
*3　Harbetsuvan Tepesi Site

An archaeological site located about 44 kilometers southeast of Şanlıurfa city in southern Türkiye, situated atop a limestone hill. Since 2022, joint excavations have been conducted here by Chiba Institute of Technology's Institute for Geo-Cosmology, the University Museum at the University of Tokyo, and the Şanlıurfa Archaeology Museum, in cooperation with the Japanese Institute of Anatolian Archaeology (JIAA) of the Middle Eastern Culture Center in Japan (MECCJ).

Contact:

Public Relations Office

Chiba Institute of Technology

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