THE WOODEN TABLETS FROM THE FUJIWARA PALACE SITEⅢ

Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties

Independent Administrative Institution

National Institute for Cultural Heritage

 

THE WOODEN TABLETS FROM THE FUJIWARA PALACE SITE III

 

English Summary

 

NARA, January 2012

 

PUBLICATIONS ON HISTORICAL MATERIALS

VOLUME 88, SUPPLEMENTUM

 

1. Foreword

　This report is the third volume of The Wooden Tablets from the Fujiwara Pal ace Site. This volume contains wooden tablets (mokkan) recovered from t he location of the Northern East Gate of the Fujiwara Pal ace site investigated by Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties. The mokkan were obtained at three archaeological features; the outer moat SD 170 and the inner moat SD 2300 in the east of the palace, and the pit SK 2801 located in the east side of SD 2300. There were 2,968 mokkan (including 442 shavings) recovered from the excavations. This volume includes 611 mokkan (including 19 shavings) in the plates, for any items with illegible characters are excluded. In addition, one item with Buddha's image and another item with a picture of mo cloth are included as supplement material nos. 1 and 2 in the plates.

 

2. Features yielding wooden tablets (mokkan)

Outer moat SD 170

　SD 170 is a northward-flowing simple ditch of a north-south orientation located in approximately 20 meters east of the Eastern Great Wall SA 175. It served as the eastern outer moat of the palace. The moat was excavated in the 27th investigation for about 50 meters, in the 29th investigation for about 47 meters, and the 75th-13 investigation for about 2 meters. The moat measured 5.5 to 6.0 meters in width, with approximately 1.2 meters in depth. The deposition of the moat was divided into four layers stratigraphically, and the third layer yielded mokkan. There were 857 mokkan (including 34 shavings) recovered by the 27th investigation, 1,387 mokkan (including 26 shavings) recovered by the 29th investigation, and 282 mokkan (including 25 shavings) recovered by the 75th-13 investigation. In total, there were 2,969 mokkan (including 104 shavings) recovered from SD 170, including other items that have already been reported.

 

Inner moat SD 2300

　SD 2300 is a northward flowing simple ditch of a north-south orientation located in approximately 12 meters west of the Eastern Great Wall SA 175. It served as the eastern inner moat of the palace. The moat was excavated in the 27th investigation for about 37 meters, in the 29th investigation for about 36 meters, and the 75th-13 investigation for about 2 meters. The moat measured 2.5 to 3.0 meters in width, with approximately 0.7 to 0.9 meters in depth. The moats profile was inverted trapezoid in shape. The deposition of the moat was divided into three layers stratigraphically, and the third layer yielded mokkan in the 27th investigation and both the second and third layers yielded mokkan in the 29th investigation. There were 2 mokkan recovered by 27th investigation, 68 mokkan (including 12 shaving) recovered by the 29th investigation, and 6 mokkan (including 4 shavings) recovered by the 75th-13 investigation. In addition, there were 573 mokkan (including 509 shavings) recovered by the 24th investigation, which have already been reported. In total, there were 649 mokkan (including 525 shavings) recovered from SD 2300.

 

Pit SK 2801

　SK 2801 is a pit located in the east side of SD 2300. It measured 1.1 meters in the north-south direction and 3.6 meters in the east-west direction, with approximately 0.6 meters in depth. There were 357 mokkan (including 340 shavings) recovered from the pit.

 

　Additionally, there were 9 mokkan (including 1 shaving) recovered from uncertain context in the 29th investigation.

 

3. Mokkan recovered around the Northern East Gate and their association with the Ministry of Imperial Household and the Ministry of Imperial Affairs

　In this chapter we examined the mokkan recovered from the archaeological contexts around the Northern East Gate of the Fujiwara Palace. A number of mokkan associated with the Ministry of Imperial Household, the Ministry of Imperial Affairs, and their related administrative offices were recovered from the precinct. Examining these materials, we inferred the layout of administrative facilities and offices in the Fujiwara Palace.

　In the 24th investigation a number of mokkan associated with slavery were recovered and the report was published in The Wooden Tablets from the Fujiwara Palace Site II in 1980. In this study we examined adjacent precincts and indicated high probability that an office of the Overseer of Slaves that was in charge of the management of royal slaves was positioned near the location where the mokkan recovered.

　A large part of the mokkan recovered from the area is associated with particular administrative offices of the Ministry of Imperial Household and the Ministry of Imperial Affairs, in charge of collecting, storing and handling of food tributes. Some artifacts associated with the Bureau of Sutra Scripts and Books were also recovered from the area. These evidences suggest that the offices of the ministries and the bureau mentioned above were existed around the Northern East Gate. It takes note, however, that there were few mokkan associated with the offices of the Ministry of Imperial Household and the Ministry of Imperial Affairs in charge of palace construction and management of goods other than food.

　In conclusion, archaeological context of mokkan provides a significant clue to understand the layout of administrative facilities and offices in the Fujiwara Palace, considering together with the development of administration system by the Ritsuryo Code and the division of the roles of administrative offices.

Appendix: Identification of tree species for mokkan materials

　This is a report for identification of tree species for mokkan materials by biological microscopic observation. This is the second trial of the identification for mokkan recovered, by the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties, following the report in The Wooden Tablets from the Nara Pal ace Site VII published in 2010.

　We had long carried out identification for mokkan materials recovered from the excavation by eye observation in the principle of non-destructive method; however, this method was essentially inaccurate. Therefore we have carried out identification by biological microscope since the publication of the previous volume in 2010, in order to achieve precise descriptions as much as possible without damaging historical value of the materials. We carried out microscopic observation on 140 selected mokkan samples, more than twenty percent of the total number in this volume. The method was

identical to that of the previous volume in 2010.

　The analysis identified several species such as fir (Abies sp.), cedar (Cryptomeria japonica), Japanese umbrella pine (Sciadopitys verticillata), Hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa), and Sawara cypress (Chamaecyparis plsifera). No broad- leaf tree was identified. Hinoki cypress was the species with the highest number of identified samples, followed by cedar, Sawara cypress, fir, and Japanese umbrella pine. The number of identified cedar samples was considerably short in comparison to the result of the previous report of the Nara Palace site in 2010. Unfortunately, the half of the selected samples was not identified by species level, due to deterioration of wood texture.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

General Text

　Chapter 1: Introduction               3

　Chapter 2: Archaeological features yielding mokkan                          8

　　1 Results of archaeological excavations                             8

　　2 Archaeological features yielding mokkan                        12

　Chapter 3: Mokkan recovered around the Northern East Gate and their association with the Ministry of Imperial Household and the Ministry of Imperial Affairs                          22

Appendix: Identification of tree species for mokkan materials                           30

 

Transcriptions

　　Sectors 6AJA, 6AJB, and 5AJB

　Mokkan recovered from the ditch SD 170                37

　Mokkan recovered from the ditch SD 2300                            192

　Mokkan recovered from the pit SK 2801                                203

　Mokkan recovered from uncertain context                            205

　Index                                           xiii

　English summary                          iii

 

ILLUSTRATIONS

1. Mokkan recovery locations at the Fujiwara Palace site                      6

2. Plan and archaeological excavation precincts around the Northern East Gate of the Fujiwara Palace                                  9

3. Plan and archaeological excavation precincts in the 27th, 29th, and 75th-13 investigations                    11

4. Cross-section of the ditch SD 170                           13

5. Feature of the ditch SD 170                                    14

6. Distribution of mokkan in the ditch SD 170                           15

7. Cross-section of the ditch SD 2300                         16

8. Feature of the ditch SD 2300                                  17

9. Distribution of mokkan in the ditch SD 2300                                       18

10. Plan and cross-section of the pit SK 2801                                         19

11. Feature of the pit SK 2801                                    19

12. Pottery with ink and incised inscriptions recovered in the 27th and 29th investigations                           20

13. Pictures of microscope photographs                                   36

14. Drawing of the mokkan 1211                                82

15. Drawing of the mokkan 1276                               97

16. Drawing of the mokkan 1582                               177

17. Drawings of the mokkan 1630- 1632                   190

18. Drawings of the mokkan 1633, supplement material nos. 1 and 2                 191

 

TABLES

1. Numbers and types of mokkan reported in this volume, by archaeological feature where recovered                     7

2. Inventory of identified tree species for mokkan material (identified species / types)                   34

3. Tree species and methods of taking boards from timber (by biological microscope)                    35

4. Tree species and methods of taking boards from timber (by stereoscopic microscope) 35