Hakukutsu

Hakukutsu, more properly written as hakkutsu (発掘), is the term for the act of excavating to uncover artifacts, remains, or geological information. In English-language scholarship the standard reading is hakkutsu, but transliterations such as hakukutsu may appear in non-Japanese contexts. The characters mean “to release” or reveal (発) and “to dig” (掘), together conveying the sense of unearthing something buried.

In archaeology and related fields, hakutsu refers to systematic digging at a site to recover material culture and environmental evidence. This typically occurs as part of planned research programs and can include documenting stratigraphy, mapping layers, recording contexts, and conserving finds. The broader activity is often described as hakkutsu chōsa, an archaeological survey and excavation program, which may be funded by universities, museums, cultural heritage agencies, or government bodies. In situations where a site is threatened by development or natural hazards, emergency or salvage hakutsu (kinkyū hakkutsu chōsa) may be conducted to recover information before it is destroyed.

Practices associated with hakutsu emphasize careful methodology. Projects generally involve establishing a grid system, controlled digging, thorough documentation, artifact processing, and post-excavation analysis to interpret past human activity, technology, trade, diet, and environment. Findings are typically curated in museums or research laboratories and published to contribute to historical knowledge.

Aside from archaeology, the term can also describe the broader act of unearthing geological, paleontological, or other buried materials. Related terms include 掘削 (kussaku), meaning general digging, and 発掘調査 (hakutsu chōsa), the full program of discovery and investigation. The exact practices and legal requirements for hakutsu vary by country and are governed by cultural heritage and archaeological regulations.