EXCAVATION REPORT ON THE SIXTH BLOCK IN SECOND WARD ON THIRD STREET,ANCIENT NARA CAPITAL

CONTENTS

Chapter I Introduction                                                 Page

1. The survey of Ancient Nara Capital                     1

2. Publication of the report                                      3

Chapter II Outline of Excavation                                 4

1. Progress of research work                     4

2. Excavation areas                                    5

3. General discription of research work                   7

4. Excavation diary                                    9

A. Preliminary excavation of NO. 96                    9

B. Excavation NO. 96                             10

C. Excavation NO. 109                           12

D. Excavation NO. 121                           12

E. Excavation with the conservation works                        13

5. Remarks on photogrammetry                14

Chapter III The Site                                      16

1. Overview 16

2. Features 18

A. Features of Phase A (prior to the Nara period)             18

B. Features of Phase B (early Nara period)                       19

C. Features of Phase C (middle Nara period)                     23

D. Features of Phase D (late Nara period)                         31

E. Features of phase E (early Heian period)                      33

F. Features after the abandonement of the Palace and other indefinable ones                        34

Chapter IV Artifacts                        36

1. Wooden tablets                       36

2. Roof tiles and bricks                 43

A. Rounded eaves-tiles                          43

B. Flat eaves-tiles                                   49

C. Rounded and flat rooftiles                  54

D. Rounded and flat rooftiles with written character                        60

E. Special rooftiles and bricks                 62

F. Some arguments                                64

3. Pottery                                     69

A. from garden SG1504                          69

B. from ditches SD1465･SD1466                         70

C. from ditch SD1545                             71

D. from ditch SD1525                             72

E. from ditch SD1560                              74

F. from ditch SD1451                             74

G. from ditch SD1475                             74

H. from wells SE1511･SE1547･SE1611                75

I. from disposal pits SK1516･SK1983･SK1993                   75

J. from buildings SB1510･SB1540･SB1552･SB1570                        76

K. from cultural layers                            76

L. Special earthenwares                         76

M. Some arguments                               78

4. Wooden objects                                    86

A. Wooden objects                                 80

B. Fibers and textiles                83

C. Observation of lacquer membrane by microscope                       83

5. Stone and metal objects                       83

A. Stone objects                                     83

B. Metal objects and casting remains                  83

6. Plant remains                           84

A. Plant remains                       84

B. Pollen Analysis                     85

Chapter V Articles                           86

1. Changing configurations at the 6th block site                   86

A. Phase B features                  87

B. Phase C features                  88

C. Phase D features                 90

D. Phase E features                  90

2. A study on the wooden tablets as historic materials                       91

3. Dendrochronological study on the round wooden container from SD1525                 93

4. Garden sites in the Ancient Nara Capital                           94

5. Conclusion                 96

SUPPLEMENT Conservation works of the site after excavation                             97

SUPPLEMENTARY TABLES                             99

ENGLISH SUMMARY                        107

ILLUSTRATIONS IN TEXT

Fig.                      Page

1. List of excavations held in the Ancient Nara Capital                           2

2. The map showing the excavation areas in Ancient Nara                    2

3. Topographical map and excavated areas on the site of east. second ward on third street, Ancient Nara Capital               6

4. Survey map of area 6AFI                          7

5. Area divisions of preliminary excavation of NO. 96 and major

ENGLISH SUMMARY

　The Study of Nara-no-miyako (Heijo-kyo) or ancient Nara city, which had been the capital of Japan during Nara period (710-794 A. D.), was established by Sadamasa Kitaura in the middle of the 19th century. He published a report on the basic plan of the central part of the ancint city ("Heijo-kyu Daidairi Tsubowari no Zu", 1852.) which was the fruit of his precise field investigations and examinations of existing manuscripts. The study on the city was then succeeded and developed by such scholars as Tadashi Sekino in the following Meiji period. And the actual state of the site was firstly revealed by excavation work in 1954. Since then, on account of recent urbanization nearby, the oppotunities of excavation survey preceding the constructions of new structures have been increasing, which declared urban planning of the ancient capital from the viewpoints of road pattern, use of the estates, etc. On the other hand, circumstances such as temples, markets, and government offices in the city have been ascertained.

　This report presents the results of four excavations, numbers 96, 109, 121, and the one with conservation work in order to open this site to the public, carried out between 1975 and 1984. The site located in the 6th block of 2nd ward on 3rd street, the eastern sector of the city (Sa-kyo San-jo Ni-bo Roku-no tsubo). It means that the site situates southeast neighborhood to the Nara Palace. The amount of excavation area was 6, 600 square meters.

　The result of main excavation (96th) uncovered that there was a magnificent garden pond with stone pavement at the center of the block. Preserved quite well, the pond not only has a marvelous value but is a good historic material in order to restore the way of gardening and constructing a pond at that time.

　After Agency for Cultural Affairs had designated this area as a special historic site in 1978, it was owned by Nara municipal authorities with a state subsidy to preserve this precious cultural heritage. Then the site was prepared for the opening to the public, reconstructing a replica above the original pond. It was completed in 1984.

　Topografically, the site is on an alluvial apron. At the center of the block there flowed a stream (SD1525) from north to south until the beginning of the Nara period (phase A). Once it had been a river and was changed its function to a drainage canal of the block at the time of city construction. The buildings to the west of this canal (SB1570, SB1571, SB1571, SB1573, SB1542) then possibly seemed to form an office complex. The direction of them equally based with the planning of the block. (phase B)

　Then at the middle of the Nara period, the stream was filled up and the garden pond (SG1504) was constructed on the trace of it. The pond was enclosed by three sides with wooden fences and buildings. Some new buildings and a well were added. This state shows that the block was fully used as a large residensial estate with a garden. (phase C)

　The next stage was represented by the construction of a large building (SB1540) with base stones. It was accompanied by a small hut (SB1470) and was facing to the pond. The southern side of them and the pond were closed newly with a wooden fence. It was possibly built as a place for official ceremony with the pond in the latter half of the Nara period. (phase D)

　In the end of the Nara period the pond was deserted with the abandonment of the city, but some little houses (SB1471, 1472, 1476, 1975) were still built around it.

　Some of the artifacts found from the site shows the character of the area. For example, a wooden tablet found from SD1525 has letters including 'North Palace' （北宮） which possibly show the name of the place north to the site. And that might relate to the office-like arrangement of the buildings at the early stage of the site. Meanwhile, statistic analysis of the roof-tiles show that here they used the same types of tiles as those used in the Nara Palace in the middle of the Nara period (phase C). That might also add official character to the site at the time.

　For the plant remains, some seeds of such fruits as peach and plum, corns of a sort of pine tree, and leaves of Japanese bead tree etc. were unearthed from the accumulated soil m the pond, which are useful to restore the garden planting around it.

　As the result, it became clear that this block was continuously inhabited whole through Nara period, but the character of it seemed to change fairly concerning the construction and use of the pond. The discovery of the pond which has such a greatness in its scale and design has ever been one and only example at that time in garden history of Japan.