Monograph No. 49

MEMOIRS of THE NARA NATIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTIES RESEARCH INSTITUTE NUMBER IX(1991)

RESEARCH REPORT OF THE NARA NATIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTIES RESEARCH INSTITUTE No. 49

 

ENGLISH SUMMARY

 

NARA 1991

 

CONTENTS

OWAKI Kiyoshi: Production Techniques of Round Rooftiles 5

YAMAMOTO Tadanao: Origination of Flat Eaves Tiles 57

HANATANI Hiroshi: Thoughts on “Stirrup-Shaped Rooftiles” 95

 

Production Techniques of Round Rooftiles

OWAKI Kiyoshi

 

This paper sheds new light on the production technique of round rooftiles, which has been somewhat ignored in the scholarly community. It covers not only the production technique, especially a few aspects unique to the round rooftiles, but also a history of the use.

 

1. Process of the Bucket Moulding

 The focus of this section is on the process of the bucket moulding, in which a sheet of clay is applied to a cylindrical bucket mould and the clay cylinder is then divided into two halves. I have examined the following aspects of the technique: the terminologies related to the rooftile production (I confirmed that the use of the term mokotsu 模骨 is appropriate for the bucket mold), the morphology, size, structure, and exceptions of the bucket mould, the presence or absence of protruding lines as markers of the division, fixating the bucket mould, and a turn table on which the mould is placed.

 Further, in classification of round rooftiles, the texture of cloth, various needle-works for tying cloth, and the way in which cloth covers a slender section of a round rooftile, called tamabuchi 玉縁, used for interlocking with another round rooftile.

 Emphasis is placed on the steps unique to the round rooftile production, such as 1) shaping of a tamabuchi, 2) the taking off cloth covering the bucket mould; and 3) dividing a clay cylinder into two.

 

II. A History of the Use of Round Rooftiles

 The beginnings of round rooftiles can be dated back to the eleventh century, B.C. (Western Zhou China) in East Asia. The earliest type of rooftiles was made in a way similar to the coiling technique in pottery production, shaped without a mould. The rooftiles were only used to decorate the top and the edge of a roof. In the middle of the Western Zhou Period (ninth century, B.C.), rooftiles covered the entire roof, and the rooftiles bebame functionally specialized into flat rooftiles and round rooftiles. The earliest type of the round rooftiles was already equipped with the slender portion for interlocking with another. The bucket moulding technique and the use of cloth began in some places during the Eastern Zhou Period (770-221, B.C.). These two techniques were adopted as a whole during the Han Period (202, B.C.-A.D.220).

 In the Korean Peninsula, the rooftile production technique of coiling without a mould was first brought with the Han commandery of Lolang. In some areas, however, the bucket moulding technique was applied by the end of the third century, B.C. People started to rely on this technique in Paekche (fourth century - 660) under the influence of the Southern Court of China and in Silla (second century - 935). Since then, Koguryo (the second century - 668) and Yi dynasty (1392-1910) of Korea adopted this technique, and the technique continued until recently.

 In Japan, the bucket moulding technique was introduced by Paekche at the end of the sixth century. At the same time, pottery craftsmen in Kyushu started the rooftile production by coiling technique without utilizing a mould, which was sporadically adopted in other areas of Japan where the standard rooftile production technique was not known. During the Nara and Heian Periods (710-1185), a single concave or convex mould to shape a round rooftile was occasionally used. The bucket moulding continued until the 1920's in Japan, but declined because of the use of modern press machines capable of mass-production. The bucket moulding technique in Okinawa introduced by Koguryo is about to be discontinued any time.

 

Origination of Flat Eaves Tiles

YAMAMOTO Tadanao

 

 This synthetic paper reviews the development of production technique of flat eaves tiles in early historic Japan with special reference to the evolution of designs of the antefix. The paper also touches upon the origins of the antefix and the terminology concerning the designs at the end.

 When tiles covered the roof of the Asuka-dera temple (the construction started in 588) for the first time in Japan, there were no flat eaves tiles because Paekche, which introduced the rooftile production to Japan, originally lacked the flat eaves tiles. A generation later, the production of flat eaves tiles started in Japan. Through various unsuccessful attempts and active involvements of artists, the antefix decoration of Japanese flat eaves tiles evolved from the stage of hand-carved decorations, no decorations, or stamped decorations to the stage of multi-concentric-arcs carved at once by a comb-like tool and of palmette pattern pressed by a mould. The flat eaves tile production and its decoration reached their peak in a matter of fifty years after the initial adoption of the rooftile production in Japan.

 Taking into consideration the morphology of the “jaw” of flat eaves tile (the thick portion of an eaves tile at the end for antefix [see Fig.6]), the production technique (see Fig.1 for the contrast between bucket moulding technique and single mould technique), and archaeological context of discoveries, I propose the following chronological order of flat eaves tiles: Among the flat eaves tiles with hand-carved palmette design on the antefix discovered in the Wakakusa complex (now ruined) of the Horyuji temple (see Fig.2), type A characterized by a single concave or convex mould production, straight jaw, and the use of a pattern to apply the design is the earliest. The next stage is represented by type B I, characterized by a single mould production, straight jaw, and freehand application of the design. A somewhat later type is Type B II characterized by a bucket moulding technique, curved jaw, and freehand application of the design. This order with type A as the earliest can be endorsed by the following: flat eaves tiles with hand-carved palmette design on the antefix discovered at the site of the Sakata-dera temple (Fig.3) share features resulted from the same production technique with the Wakakusa type BII and flat eaves tiles with double-concentric arc on the antefix and a curved jaw which were discovered at the Shiten’no-ji temple. Plain flat eaves tiles of the Shiten’no-ji temple (Fig.5) are associated with round eaves tiles which are considered typologically later than the Wakakusa type A.

 In addition, the following chronological relationship is likely: In the course of evolution from hand-carved decoration to moulded one, stamped decoration appeared for a short while. As to antefix of multi-concentric arc pattern, the pattern evolved from the stage of hand-carving to application of multi-concentric arc by a comb like tool at once. At the same time, the morphology changed from double-arc with straight jaw to curved jaw, and further to four-arcs with double-jaw, which became the standard later.

 I have also discussed the concept, some issues related to the production technique, and chronology of the Horyu-ji type eaves tiles (Fig.9), which is the earliest type of flat eaves tile with moulded decoration on the antefix. Among the Horyu-ji type eave s tiles, sub-type 215A is considered to be the oldest. This particular sub-type has been discovered in the lower statum of the Horyu-ji Eastern Complex, which is attributed to be the Ikaruga Palace. The next stage is the sub-type 216A, used for the Image Hall (Golden Hall) of the Western Complex of the Horyu-ji temple, which is followed by the sub-type 216C used for the pagoda in the Western Complex. Typologically, the earliest type of design consists of a circle in the center and buds as the second node from the center. This develops to the design consisting of a heart in the center and without buds. This continued until the Heian Period.

 The assignments of absolute dates are done by attributing sites of discoveries to historically known structures. The Wakakusa type A is considered to be of the beginning of the seventh century, type 213A characterized by stamped decorations to be prior to 639, and 215A to be prior to 643.

 At the end, I have examined the origins of the design of antefix, including hand-carved and stamped ones, as well as the validity of terminologies related to the design. Although the design of very early flat eaves tiles used to be labeled as “honey suckle”, “palmette”, or may even be the zoomorphic pattern, the design is instead “lotus palmette.” As in the cases of the seat of Buddha or Buddha’s halo, this lotus palmette is meant to enrich and signify the world of Buddhism along with the lotus decoration of round eaves tiles.

 

Thoughts on “Stirrup-Shaped Rooftiles”

HANATANI Hiroshi

 

 I have examined the origins of the terminology “stirrup-shaped rooftile” which is a historic term meaning round eaves tile. It has been traditionally believed that, when a round eaves tile is flipped over, it looks like a tongued stirrup. I argue, however, that the term stirrup-shaped comes from the similarity of a round eaves tile to the morphology of conical stirrup commonly used after the sixth century (Fig.6). My argument is based on that the use of the term stirrup-shaped predates the appearance of a tongued stirrup for three or four hundred years. It is also difficult for me to see the morphological similarity between the round rooftile and a tongued stirrup.

 The earliest dated use of the term is during the Yoro era (717-724) of the Early Nara Period; it may well be the case that the beginning of the use was already in the seventh century and this term had been used since the rooftile production was adopted in Japan in the middle sixth century.

 After the sixth century, the predominant type of stirrups was of a half-jar shape. The majority of them were of conical shape made of wood and sometimes covered with a metal sheet. This was the case until the early half of the seventh century. Moreover, half-jar shaped iron stirrup of the Nara Period (710-794) evolved from the Kofun Period one (fifth century and after [Figs.4 and 5]), Therefore, it is quite likely that conical stirrups were in use throughout the seventh century, and this type was the majority of half-jar shaped stirrups. I suspect that at that time the term stirrup automatically indicated a conical half-jar shaped stirrup.

 The morphology of a conical half-jar shaped stirrup is a circular base to which a half cone is fixed, and a semi-circle jots out like a tongue, on which foot rests. When a round eaves tile is placed with the antefix on the ground, it is almost identical to a conical half-jar shaped stirrup (Fig.6). Therefore, the origin of the term stirrup-shaped is considered to come from the similarity to conical half-jar shaped one which was most commonly used in the seventh century.

 

1991年3月30日 発行

研究論集IX

奈良国立文化財研究所学報 第49冊

 

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