THE WOODEN TABLETS FROM THE NARA PALACE SITEⅦ

English Summary

 

NARA, 2010

 

PUBLICATIONS ON HISTORICAL MATERIALS VOLUME 85, SUPPLEMENTUM

 

English Summary

 

1. Introduction

　This report is the seventh volume of The Wooden Tablets from the Nara Palace Site. This volume contains wooden tablets unearthed in the excavation at the Former Imperial Audience Hall and the Central Halls of State Compound in the Nara Imperial Palace site. There were 4,764 mokkan (including 3,299 shavings) recovered from the excavations. Among them, 1,617 mokkan (including 819 shavings) containing one or more legible characters were reported in this volume. The Mokkan were obtained from the 27th, 28th, 41st, 77th, 91st, 92nd, 97th, 102nd, 111th, 117th, 136th, 140th, 150th, 157th, 157th add., 171st, 177th, 315th, 316th, and 337th excavations. The archaeological features in which the mokkan were associated were the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound, two major drain systems located on the eastern and western outer wards to the east and west of the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound, and the Central Halls of State Compound.

 

2. Archaeological features yielding mokkan

　(1) Features and deposits at and around the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound

 

　Ground soil of the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound (337th)

　This ground soil was prepared for the initial construction of the Former Imperial Audience Hall. A baggage tally mokkan which has an inscription of the date of March, Wado 3 (AD 710) was obtained from the ground soil under the south composite corridor. This implies that the corridor was built after AD 710. There were 14 mokkan recovered from the ground soil.

Black silt layer in the lower part of the ground soil at the southwest corner of the outer ward of the Imperial Domicile (91st)

　Before the construction of the palace, the land of the southeast corner of the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound was a swamp, and black clay was accumulated in the deposit. This original ground was covered by thin black silt layer containing broken timbers, wooden chips, barks, and mokkan. There were 212 mokkan (including 142 shavings) recovered from the layer.

 

Buildings SB 8182 and SB 8184 (91st)

　Numbers of small buildings were constructed on the first ground soil (50 cm in depth) in the southwest corner of the outer ward of the Imperial Domicile. There were 18 mokkan (including 16 shavings) recovered from the postholes of the two buildings.

 

Building SB 7802 (77th)

　This was an east-west building with internal pillars measuring 5 by 3 bays located to the east of the south gate SB 7801 in the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound. There were 240 mokkan (including 154 shavings) recovered from the holes that were excavated for salvaging the pillars.

 

Building SB 18500 (337th)

　This was a same size building as the building SB 7802. These two buildings were bilaterally symmetrical about the north-south axis of the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound. There were 1415 mokkan (including 1247 shavings) recovered from the 14 holes that were excavated for salvaging the pillars, and especially numbers of mokkan shavings were obtained from the hole of the northeast corner.

 

Wall SA 3777 (41st)

　This wall was parallel and overlapped with the eastern pillar line of the east composite corridor with earthen wall (SC 5500). This was a temporary wooden wall for the eastern side of the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound, as the buildings of the Former Imperial Audience Hall and the composite corridor with earthen wall were dismantled and relocated to the Kuni Imperial Palace in Phase 1-3, Remains of a pillar with inscription were recovered from the twelfth posthole from the south in the trench of the 41st excavation.

 

Ditch SD 5563 (41st)

　This was a wooden water pipe for drainage passing through the east composite corridor SC 5560, constructed after the dismantlement of the wooden wall SA 3777. There were 2 inscriptions on the wooden drain, which were numbering for timber written on the original timber before being recycled as the water pipe.

 

Well SE 9210 (117th)

　A rectangular two-tiered hole was dug for the construction of the well. The plan of the upper tier measured 7.3 m in the north-south direction with 1.7 m in depth, and the plan of the lower tier that was positioned in the northwest part of the upper step measured 4.5 m in the north-south direction and 4.9 m in the east-west direction with 1.9 m in depth, then the entire hole was with 3.9 m in depth. There were 1 mokkan recovered from the well and 16 ink inscriptions recognized on the frame timbers for the well. The inscriptions were written on the inside of the frame and indicated the direction and order of rows such as "North-1".

 

　(2) The Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound and eastern side of the Central Halls of State Compound

 

Ditch SD 3765 (41st, 150th, and 171st)

　This was a north-south ditch located in the south part of the eastern outer ward of the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound, measuring 1.6 to 2.6 m in width with 60 cm in depth. There was a mokkan with date inscription recovered from the ditch, indicating that the ditch existed in the period of Wado (AD 708 to AD 715), The ditch existed for a short period, and was buried by silt soil. There were 47 mokkan (including 39 shavings) recovered from the ditch.

 

Pit SK 5535 (41st)

　This was an irregular pit measuring 1.5 m in diameter with 30 cm in depth. North-south ditch SD 3715 intersected the eastern part of the pit There were 11 mokkan (including 6 shavings) recovered from the pit.

 

Ditch SD 3715 and weir feature SX 84-11 (41st, 97th, 102nd, 111th, 136th, 140th, 157th, 157th add. and 171st)

　The ditch SD 3715 was a north-south ditch measuring 2 to 3 m in width with 1 m in depth, which ran along the edge of the eastern outer ward of the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound. The deposit of the ditch can be divided into three, and the evidence of river improvement was revealed, so the feature of the ditch can be divided into at least three phases (SD 3715 A, B, and C). There is also a tendency of spatial distribution of mokkan in the ditch. There were some mokkan that date back to the early part of the Nara period recovered from the location near the center of the palace investigated in the 97th, 102nd, and 111th excavations. The feature of weir SX 8411 measuring 4 by 4 m was connected to the ditch SD 3715, and there were .138 mokkan (including 34 shavings) recovered from the feature associated with remains of piles and wooden materials. Deposit of dark grey clay was recognized both at the bottoms of features in SX 8411 and SD 3715, so it is likely that the deposit was formed simultaneously, and the mokkan recovered from the deposit belong to the same time. There were 1558 mokkan (including 1015 shavings) recovered from the 97th, 102nd, and 111th excavations, including several mokkan with date inscriptions in the period between Jinki 3 (AD 726) and Tenpyo 3 (AD 731), and many mokkan related with the construction of the palace.

 

Ditch SD 5505 (41st)

　The ditch SD 5505 was an east-west ditch measuring 2 m in width with 50 cm in depth, which met the ditch SD 3715 from the east direction. A feature of overflow was observed at the junction. There were 47 mokkan (including 10 shavings) recovered from the ditch.

 

Ditch SD 5564 (41st)

　The ditch SD 5564 was an east-west ditch, which was connected to the wooden pipeline SD 5563 that went through the east composite corridor with earthen wail SC 5500, and drained the water from the court to the eastern major drain system SD 3715. The stratigraphy of deposition indicated that the water was regurgitated from the ditch SD 3715. There were 8 mokkan (including 6 shavings) recovered from the ditch.

 

Ditch SD 5490 (41st)

　The ditch SD 5490 was an east-west ditch measuring 1 m in width with 20 cm in depth, which met the ditch SD 3715 from the east direction. There were 14 mokkan (including 13 shavings) recovered from the ditch.

 

Ditch. SD 8419 (97th)

　The ditch SD 8419 was; an east-west ditch, which connected to the ditch SD 3715 from the east direction. There were 5 mokkan (including 2 shavings) recovered from the ditch.

 

Pit SK 3730 (27th)

　The pit SK 3730 was a pit measuring 2.2 m in length with 60 cm in depth, located to the south of the wooden duct SD 3770. There were ceramics of the Heijyo V and IV types, large amount of cypress barks, and 4 mokkan recovered from the pit.

 

Ditch SD 10325 (140th)

　The ditch SD 10325 was a north-south ditch measuring 2.4 to 5 m in width with 70 cm in depth. The ditch was overlapped with the middle phase of the SD 3715, and the feature of SD 10325 B was the earliest. The relation with the ditches SD 10705, SD 10706, SD 10707 (including no mokkan) indicated that the ditch was existed in the period of the Heijyo III type ceramics. There were 291 mokkan (including 215 shavings) recovered from the ditch.

 

Ditch SD 10705 (Phase A) (140th)

　The ditch SD 10705 was an east-west ditch measuring 2 to 3 m in width with 50 cm in depth, which was branched off from the ditch SD 3715 to the west direction. The deposition was divided into two phases. There were ceramics of the Heijyo III type recovered from the lower feature SD 10705 A. This indicated the feature belongs to the Phases I-3 to 4. There was one mokkan recovered from the ditch.

 

Ditch SD 10706 (140th)

　The ditch SD 10706 was a north-south ditch measuring 1.2 m in width with 50 cm in depth in the north part and 2.2 m in width with 90 cm in depth in the south part, which was branched from the ditch SD 10705 to the south direction. The deposition was divided into three phases. There were roof tiles of types 6225 C and 6691A that were existed in the period of the Heijyo III type ceramics, and 36 mokkan (including 27 shavings) recovered from the ditch.

 

(3) Features and deposits at the western side of the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound

 

Deposit at the southern bank of pond SG 8190 (92nd)

　The Saki-ike pond (SG 8190) was a feature of the imperial garden. This had originally been remain of a natural river at the time of the palace construction, and was largely modified into an artificial pond in the garden in the period of the modification of the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound in Phase 1-2. There was a number of mokkan that date back to the Nara period, which was discarded at the southern bank of the pond at the time of the pond construction. There were 37 mokkan (including 6 shavings) recovered from the feature.

 

The layers containing wooden chips and charcoal in the lower part of the ground soil of the western edge of the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound (177th and 316th)

　There was a soil preparing for the ground observed in the south of the Saki-ike pond SG 8190 at the western outer ward of the Former Imperial Audience Hall compound. The deposit was divided into three phases; at the lower part of the 1st ground soil, there were thick layers of wooden chips and charcoal, containing a number of mokkan The 1st ground soil dated back to Yoro 6 (AD 722) at the earliest. There were 271 mokkan (including 63 shavings) recovered from the deposit.

 

Ditch SD 3825 (28th, 92nd, 315th, and 316th)

　The ditch SD 3825 was a north-south ditch running along the western edge of the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound western outer ward, The deposit was divided into three phases (Phases A, B, and C). The ditch in the Phase A (SD 3825 A) measured 1.8 m in width with 50 cm in depth, located ca. 36 cm west of the edge of the west composite corridor with earthen wall. It is likely that the water came from the former river of the pond SG 8190, and reached the southern edge of the palace. The north part of the ditch was once buried and modified into the ditch SD 3825 B after the pond SG 8190 was constructed in the period of Phase I-2. The ditch SD 3825 B was connected with the pond at ca. 70 cm east of the location of the former ditch SD 3825 A. The elevation of the ditch SD 3825 B was ca. 60 cm higher than the former ditch, and the western edge of the ditch was destructed by the modification of the south bank of the pond SG 8190. The ditch SD 3825 B was modified into the ditch SD 3825 C when the south bank of the pond SG 8190 was modified in the period after Phase I-4. This ditch was connected with the pond to the east of the former ditches, so the ditch ran from northeast to southwest direction by the junction with the ditch SD 12965,and then ran to south direction. This ditch was excavated after the period of capital relocation from Kuni in Tenpyo 17 (AD 745), and continued to exist by the end of the Nara period. There were 264 mokkan (including 127 shavings) recovered from the feature.

 

Ditch SD 12965 (177th and 316th)

　The ditch SD 12965 was the east-west ditch, connecting to the ditch SD 3B25 B. A mokkan with an inscription of Jinki 3 (AD 726) was unearthed from the lower deposit. There were 11 mokkan recovered from the feature.

 

Ditch SD 18220 (315th)

　The ditch SD 18220 was a north-south ditch measuring 1.5 to 2 m in width with 30 cm in depth. The deposit was divided into two phases. A number of wooden implements and mokkan was recovered from the lower deposit, which dates back to the later part of the Nara period (Phase 2). There were 5 mokkan (including 4 shavings) recovered from the ditch.

 

Pit SK 3833 (28th)

　The pit SK 3833 belongs to uncertain, period. Several pits in different times were overlapped. A roof tile of Type 6663 A in the Phase II-2 of the roof tile chronological sequence was unearthed from the pit. There were 2 mokkan recovered from the pit.

 

(4) Features at the Central Halls of State Compound

 

Wall SA 8410 (102nd)

　The wall SA 8410 was a north-south wooden wall located at ca. 4.5 m west to the eastern major drain system SA 3715. The interval of each post measured ca. 3 m. Each post was embedded in a square pit measuring 1.5 to 2 m in sides with ca. 40- cm in depth. This wall was probably designated as a partition at the eastern edge of the Central Halls of State Compound; however, there was no evidence of existence of the post at each pit. This suggests that the wall was unfinished. There were two mokkan recovered from the 10th and 11th pits counting from the southern edge of the trench.

 

Pit SK 12530 (171st)

　The pit SK 12530 was a pit measuring ca. 3.6 m in north-south direction and ca. 2.4 m in east-west direction with 70 cm in depth. There were 212 mokkan (including 203 shavings) recovered from the bottom of the pit, associated with the Heijyo I type pottery and a large amount of wooden chips.

 

Well SE 11720 (157th)

　The well SE 11720 was a well without any frame. There was no artifact recovered from the bottom, however, there were some artifacts that date back to the period of the palace construction (Phase I-1) and one mokkan shaving recovered from the upper deposit.

 

3. Unearthed mokkan and changes in features at the Former Imperial Audience Hail Compound

　In this chapter, we examine the mokkan associated with temporal transition, function, and characteristic of the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound.

　Phase I-1: The discovery of the baggage tally from Ise （伊勢） with the date inscription of AD 710, recovered from the ground soil of the south composite corridor with earthen wall in the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound, revealed that the Compound was unfinished at the beginning of the relocation of the capital, and urges reconsideration of the history of the Nara Palace. The mokkan from the ground soil form some groups associated with each country. This implies that the duration from arrival to consumption of the goods was short. The number of official document was small in the collection of mokkan recovered from the ground soil. This implies the situation that the administration works using documents had not been commenced at the time of the construction.

　Phase I-2: In the latter part of the Yoro period (from AD 717 to 724), the area around the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound was modified. This modification commenced from the construction of the Saki pond (SG 8190) and ended to the construction of the East' Tower (SB 7802) and West Tower (SB 18500) annexed to the south composite corridor with earthen wall. The mokkan with the inscription of the "office of food service" （膳部所） were recovered from the lower layer containing wooden chips and charcoals. There are some descriptions in historical documents that "the new palace was built near the North pond". It is probable that the "North pond" corresponds to the Saki pond. Some mokkan regarding the construction of "Tower" were recovered from the ditch SD 3715. These mokkan were associated with the mokkan in the period between Jinki 3 (AD 726) and Tenpyo 3 (AD 731). Therefore, it is likely that these mokkan were associated with the constructions of the East Tower (SB 7802) and West Tower (SB 18500).

　Phase I-4: The mokkan recovered from the pillar-removal holes revealed that the East Tower (SB 7802) and West Tower (SB 18500) were dismantled after Tenpyo-Shoho 5 (AD 753). A variety of mokkan was recovered from the pillar-removal holes of the two towers, including the mokkan about the dismantlement and the situation of patrol around the palace. The unearthed mokkan revealed that the Phase I-4 spans from the end of the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound to the construction period of the palace facilities in the Phase II.

　Phase II: The mokkan recovered from the ditch SD 3715 tend to form groups of coherent dates and contents in each precinct in the archaeological feature. The spatial information of unearthed mokkan is important to examine the characteristics of mokkan. Some small tags with inscriptions of foods were recovered from the features in the late Nara period, including precious stuff such as abalone, and rare stuff such as deer's meat and strawberry. It is probable that these mokkan were delived from the Imperial Domicile located to the east and some offices serving the palace facilities in the central area in the Phase II.

 

Appendix: Identification of tree species for mokkan materials

　This is a preliminary report for Identification of tree species for mokkan materials by microscopic observation. This is the first trial of the identification for mokkan recovered by the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties.

　We have long carried out identification for mokkan materials recovered from the Nara palace site by eye observation in the principle of non-destructive method. However, this method is essentially inaccurate, and this issue has been receiving increasing attention in the study of wooden cultural property such as Buddhism sculptures in Japan. Taking into account of this issue, we made a deliberate decision to carry out microscopic observation for 86 mokkan materials, ten percent of the total number in this volume.

　The result indicates that the species of cypress and cider make up a substantial portion, which is consistent with previous studies. In addition, we also identified various species such as Chamaecyparis, Cupressaceae, Chamaecyparis pisifera, Abies, Sciadopitys verticillata, and Torreya grandis in softwoods and Castanopsis and diffuse-porous woods in hardwoods. This result invites further empirical investigation.

 

CONTENTS

page

Preface                              3

Table of Contents                                          5

List of Illustrations and Tables                       11

Index to Plates                                14

Explanatory Notes                           25

General Text

　Chapter 1: Introduction                             3

　Chapter 2: Archaeological features yielding mokkan                                        11

　　1 Results of archaeological excavations                                           11

　　2 Features and deposits at and around the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound                                        34

　　3 The eastern outer ward of the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound and the Central Halls of State Compound                                           43

　　4 Features and deposits at the western outer ward of the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound                 50

　　5 Features at the Central Halls of State Compound                                       54

　Chapter 3: Unearthed mokkan and changes in features at the Former Imperial Audience Hall                 56

　　1 Mokkan belonging to the initial Nara period (Phase I-1)                            56

　　2 Mokkan belonging to the early Nara period (Phase I-2)                             62

　　3 Mokkan belonging to the middle Nara period (Phase I-4)                           67

　　4 Mokkan belonging to the late Nara period (Phase II)                                 70

　Appendix: Identification of tree species for mokkan materials                          74

　　1 Principle of the identification of tree species                                 74

　　2 Method of the identification of tree species                                  76

　　3 Result                       80

Transcriptions

　Mokkan recovered from the ground soil at the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound                         85

　Mokkan recovered from the black silt layer in the lower part of the ground soil at the southwest corner of the outer ward of the Imperial Domicile                       89

　Mokkan recovered from the building SB 8182                                      112

　Mokkan recovered from the building SB 8184                                     113

　Mokkan recovered from the building SB 7802                                     114

　Mokkan recovered from the building SB 18500                                   139

　Mokkan recovered from the wall SA 3777                                           194

　Mokkan recovered from the ditch SD 5563                                         195

　Mokkan recovered from the well SE 9210                                           196

　Mokkan recovered from the ditch SD 3765                                         199

　Mokkan recovered from the pit SK 5535                                              202

　Mokkan recovered from the ditch SD 3715 and weir SX8411                            204

　Mokkan recovered from the ditch SD 5505                                         338

　Mokkan recovered from the ditch SD 5564                                         345

　Mokkan recovered from the ditch SD 5490                                         347

　Mokkan recovered from the ditch SD 8419                                         347

　Mokkan recovered from the pit SK 3730                                             348

　Mokkan recovered from the ditch SD 10325                                       349

　Mokkan recovered from the ditch SD 10705A                                     365

　Mokkan recovered from the SD 10706                                                366

　Mokkan recovered from the deposit at the southern bank of the pond SG 8190            369

　Mokkan recovered from the layers containing wooden chips and charcoal in the lower part of the ground soil at the western part of the Former Imperial Audience Hall Compound                            377

　Mokkan recovered from the ditch SD 3825A                                       413

　Mokkan recovered from the ditch SD 3825B                                       420

　Mokkan recovered from the ditch SD 3825C                                       424

　Mokkan recovered from the ditch SD 3825B or C                  432

　Mokkan recovered from the ditch SD 3825 (uncertain context)                        439

　Mokkan recovered from the ditch SD 12965                                        441

　Mokkan recovered from the ditch SD 18220                                        444

　Mokkan recovered from the pit SK 3833                                              445

　Mokkan recovered from the wall SA 8410                              445

　Mokkan recovered from the pit SK 12530                              446

　Mokkan recovered from the well SE 11720                                          453

　Mokkan recovered from uncertain context                                          453

Index                                 xxxiii

English summary                iii

 

ILLUSTRATIONS

1. Mokkan recovery locations at the Nara palace site                            8

2. Plan of the Former Imperial. Audience Hail Compound and the Central Halls of State Compound in the early Nara period and locations of trenches                   13

3. Plan and archaeological excavation precincts in the 27th investigation                         15

4. Plan and archaeological excavation precincts in the 28th investigation                         16

5. Plan and archaeological excavation precincts in the 41st investigation                          17

6. Plan and archaeological excavation precincts in the 77th