HOME ＞ Introduction to The Permanent Collection   Search for The Origins of Wet-Paddy Rice Agriculture   The processes and the factors of soil formation are recorded in the soil profile. By observing the characteristics of the soil profile, such as its shape, color, and granule size, one can determine what the soil derived from and how it got there. The museum displays the yellowish-brown forest soil that is distributed throughout Miyazaki Prefecture and is the most common type of soil in Japan, as well as Ando soil. It also houses a wet-paddy soil monolith (cross-section of soil profiles that has been fixed in place with a composite resin). The photo on the right shows the Ando soil cross-section monolith, taken at a depth of about 5 meters.   Search for The Origins of Wet-Paddy Rice Agriculture   The development of wet-paddy rice agriculture was a truly epoch-making event in the history of agriculture, and has had an enormous impact on the formation of ancient societies. This area of the museum offers an explanation of the method of plant opal analysis developed at the Miyazaki University Faculty of Agriculture, and provides a description of how this analytical method is used to search for ancient rice paddies. To help visitors better understand this topic, a microscope has been installed to allow visitors to view the plant opal for themselves. This area of the museum also houses exhibits that introduce the traditional Slash and Burn farming of ShiibaVillage in Miyazaki Prefecture and displays various agricultural implements, such as wooden plows.   Skeletal Remains and Stuffed and Mounted Specimens of Local Animals   The skeleton is the foundation of the animal body, and observing the shape of skeletal remains can be useful for examining the processes of evolution and degeneration, and the history of these animals. They raise interesting questions: How are they different from human skeletons? Which parts have degenerated and which parts have evolved. The first floor lobby of the main building houses an exhibit of a human skeleton alongside the skeletons of various animals, such as carnivores, artiodactyls (which have an even number of toes), perissodactyls (which have an odd number of toes), and birds. An extremely rare skeleton of the Misaki horse, an indigenous Japanese horse species, is also on display.   The Abundance of Forest   This section of the museum contains photo panels showing famous forests of the world, Japan, and MiyazakiPrefecture. It shows visitors how timber resources and fungi are used, and shows sections of different types of trees and bamboo. This exhibit tries to introduce an awareness of how the forest is connected to the everyday lives of visitors. The exhibit includes a rare fungus called Kirinomitake, which wasrediscovered in Miyazaki University's Tano Forest, wood collections and micrographs of hardwoods and softwoods, and valuable specimens of various kinds of unusual bamboo.   Agriculture in Miyazaki   Miyazaki Prefecture is an agricultural prefecture typical of southern Kyushu, and has various agricultural and livestock industries. The museum has exhibits on Tano-cho pickling radishes and Hyuganatsu orange production methods, as well as onMiyazaki beef, Hamayu pork (a Miyazaki pedigree breed of pork renowned for its pink, tasty meat), and other agricultural and livestock products. It also presents findings on wet-paddy weed and pest control from research conducted at the Miyazaki University Faculty of Agriculture.   Fish in Miyazaki   Many species of fish also inhabit in the waters of Miyazaki Prefecture,being prreseumably over 1,000 species. From early to late autumn, manydifferent kinds of fish can be seen here, especially along the shallowwaters, as tropical and subtropical fishes are carried in by the currentas known to "Kuroshiwo Current." The exibition in the museum classifiesthe four fish categories in the Miyazaki waters: 1) found throughoutMiyazaki Prefecture as freshwater fish, 2) non-indigenous freshwaterfish, 3) brackish water fish, and saltwater fish, and 4) representivecommon species in our area.   c2006　Miyazaki University Faculty of Agriculture　Agricultural Museum. All rights reserved.