Historical Materials No.18
NARA NATIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTIES RESEARCH INSTITUTE WOODEN TABLETS FROM TTE FUJIWARA IMPERIAL PALACE SITE II
English Summary
Nara, 1980
PUBLICATIONS ON HISTORICAL MATERIALS, VOLUME XVIII, SUPPLEMENTUM
CONTENTS
Part 2: Commentary
Page
Preface 1
Table of Contents 5
List of Illustrations and Tables 6
General Text
Chapter I Introduction 3
Chapter II Locations of structural features where wooden tablets were recovered 15
1) Excavation Area 6AJF 15
2) Excavation Area 6AJH 32
3) Excavation Area 6AJB 33
Appendix Remarks on wooden tablets relating to Kannuhi 官奴婢, government slaves 40
Tablet transcriptions and interpretations 40
1) Wooden tablets from feature SD1901-A (drainage ditch) 49
2) Wooden tablets from feature SE2270 (well) 64
3) Wooden tablets from features SD170 (drainage ditch), SD2300 (drainage ditch), and SE2310(well) 65
Index to tablet contents by word category and tablet number xix
English summary i
ILLUSTRATIONS
page
1. Distribution map of Kori 評 (county) names 10·11
2. Map of locations yielding wooden tablets 12
3. Map of the Fujiwara Palace Site 13
4. Map of locations near the Daigokuden 大極殿 Imperial Audience Hall yielding wooden tablets 17
5. Stratigraphic profile of drainage ditch SD1901-A 19
6. Drainage ditch SD1901-A 20
7. Roof tiles inked with county 評 names 21
8. Inked picture of human figure 22
9. Pottery with inked characters 24
10. Map of city divisions Jobo 条坊 in the Fujiwara Capital 28
11. Map of feature locations in the vicinity of the Fujiwara Palace 34
12. Map of wooden tablet distribution in features SD170, SD2300 and SE2310 35
13. Stratigraphic profile of drainage ditch SD170 35
14. Stratigraphic profile of drainage ditch SD2300 37
15. Map of locations yielding wooden tablets concerning slaves, Nuhi 奴婢 38
TABLES
Page
1. Numbers of wooden tablets discovered in each excavation area 8
2. Numbers of wooden tablets from each feature tabulated according to content category 8
3. List of county 評 names 9·10·11
4. Chronological list of wooden tablets from Fujiwara Palace 14
WOODEN TABLETS FROM THE FUJIWARA PALACE SITE II
English Summary
This report is second in a series entitled "Wooden Tablets from the Fujiwara Palace Site". Each report is divided into two parts, the first consisting of plate photographs of the tablets and the second consisting of commentary and interpretation of the tablet inscriptions. The latter contains transcriptions of all the identifiable characters written on the tablets and thus can be used independently of the photographs themselves; however, for original research on character forms, alternate interpretations, and calligraphic styles, the plate photographs are recommended.
The first report in this series dealt with all the wooden tablets excavated from the palace and the surrounding Fujiwara Capital by the Nara National Cultural Properties Research Institute between 1969 and March of 1977 1. This report deals with the wooden tablets excavated from the same area between April 1977 and March 1979. A total of 1132 tablets, including fragments and shavings, were unearthed during that time; excluding those on which little of the inscription remains, the remaining 541, whose inscriptions can be deciphered, are photographed and interpreted in this report. These wooden tablets were excavated from five structural features in three excavation areas (Fig. 1). Area 6AJF adjoins the Daigokuden 大極殿, the Imperial Audience Hall, on the north; Area 6AJH is located in Ukyo Shichijo Ichibo, 右京七条一坊, the West First Ward on Seventh
1 Wooden tablets have also been excavated from Fujiwara Palace Site by the Nara Prefecture Kashihara Archeological Research Institute. These tablets are reported in "Fujiwara Kyuseki Shutsudo Mokkan Gaiho" 『藤原宮跡出土木簡概報』 and "Fujiwarakyu", Naraken Shiseki Meisho Tennen Kinenbutsu Chosa Hokoku V. 25 『藤原宮』〔奈良県史跡名勝天然記念物調査報告〕第25冊 both published by the Nara Prefectural Education Department in 1968 and 1969, respectively.
Fig. 1 Grid Plan of the Fujiwara Capital
