会议名称：第一届木文化国际研讨会

会议时间：2006年2月18日-19日

会议地点：中国·哈尔滨

 

报告嘉宾：Takao Itoh

 

A number of scientists and the speaker have been studying the wood species of cultural properties in Japan. The speaker will give a brief review on the studies of wood culture in Japan from the aspect of wood identification. The cases of the following wooden cultural properties will be reviewed on this occasion: ① traditional wooden buildings of temples and shrine, ② Buddhist sculptures, ③ wooden remains unearthed from historic sites. The aims to understand how the ancient peoples selected wood species. Furthermore, the importance of wood identification will be stressed for understanding the cultural exchange from one country to another one.

Keywords: Wood artifacts, wood culture , wood identification, unearthed wooden remains,

1. TRADITIONAL WOODEN BUILDINGS
The following wood species have been used for traditional wooden buildings from ancient times: :hinoki cypress, two leaved-pine, Zelkova, Japanese chestnut, Hiba arbor-vitae, Japanese cedar, and Japanese hemlock.
Hinoki cypress was the most abundantly used species. It was used for constructing the emperor’s palace, temples and shrine. After exhausting hinoki cypress, two leaved-pine and zelkova have been used for this purpose.

2. BUDDHIST SCULPTURES
Jiro Kohara is a pioneer for wood identification of Buddhist sculptures in Japan. He had identified 612 buddhist sculptures and gave hypothetical presentation on the evolution of wood species used for Buddhist sculptures in Japan.

3. WOODEN REMAINS UNEARTHED FROM HISTORIC SITES
The data from a number of references related to the wood identification of unearthed wood was put into computer and rearranged to get statistical implication of the relation between tree species and wood artifacts. These efforts resulted in the publication of a book entitled, "the comprehensive list of wood artifacts unearthed from historic sites in Japan" (1). The list includes the group names of the wood artifacts, the individual name of the wood artifacts, tree species name, the number of sample, era, historic site, prefecture, and reference number. The followings are the representatives showing the relation between the wood artifacts and tree species they are made of.

a. posts: the coniferous species were used much more than the broad-leaved trees. The most abundant species was hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) and amounted to 266 cases among 804 sample. The second important species for posts was umbrella pine (Sciadopitys verticillata) with 113 cases. These two species are followed by Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) with 62 cases, Momi Fir (Abies firma) with 32 cases, Japanese Nutmeg (Torreya nucifera) with 22 cases, diploxylon pine with 16 cases, and Podocarp (Podocarpus macrophyllus) with 14 cases. To the contrary, deciduous oak was most abundantly used for the post with 48 cases, which was followed by Castanopsis sp. with 34 cases, evergreen oak with 33 cases,  Chestnut (Castanea crenata) and Camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora) with 24 cases.

b. farmer's tools:The evergreen oak was exclusively used for farmer's tool with ca 90% among 771 cases in total. A small exception can be seen in the Shinbo historic site, in the Kanto district where the deciduous oak was rather commonly used for farmer's tool.

c. combs and clogs: The most precious species for the comb is box wood (Buxus microphylla) at present. However, Distylium racemosum was unearthed in most abundance with 31 cases and box was the second-most abundant species with 11 cases, which were followed by Lyonia ovalifolia with 6 cases, bamboo with 5 cases, Photinia (Photinia glabra), Ternstroemia gymnanthera, and Illicium anisatum with 3 cases respectively. The clogs have been unearthed from the 8th century onward. In conifers, Hinoki cypress and Japanese cedar were used for the clogs with 32 and 23 cases respectively. In broad-leaved trees, Keyaki was most abundantly used with 32 cases, followed by Magnolia (Magnolia obovata) with 16 cases. The most precious species for the clogs has been Paulownia (Paulownia tomentosa) at present and/or just last 50 years. However, no clogs made of Paulownia have been unearthed yet according to our data.

d. wooden ritual objects: A variety of wooden ritual objects used for religious service have been unearthed with the amount of 605 samples. Hinoki cypress was most frequently used for the wood artifacts with 344 cases, followed by Japanese cedar with 80 cases. These two species cover ca 90% of the wooden ritual objects used for religious service. Japanese red pine was used in only 3 cases.

e. coffins: The number of unearthed coffins amounted to 232 cases. The umbrella pine was the most frequently used species for coffins with 123 cases. It has been written in “Nihon-shoki”, the Chronicles of Japan, that the umbrella pine should be used for coffins. Our data support this description. Hinoki cypress and Japanese cedar were used for coffins with 53 and 9 cases, respectively.
A number of wooden temples and shrines as well as wooden Buddhist sculptures in different era have been conserved by Japanese government with full or partial support.
These evidences support that our ancestors have developed a unique “wood culture”.

4. CULTURAL EXCHANGE EVIDENCED BY WOOD IDENTIFICATION
On this occasion, the author would like to describe some cases of wood identification of artifacts brought from Korea that have been done by former Japanese scientist.

a. Unearthed wood from the ancient tomb in Nakrang樂浪古墳出土材 (BC108-AD313) (2)：
The building materials of the ancient tomb（Mokgwak木槨）, unearthed from the tombs, Jungbaekri No.4貞柏里4號墳 and Sokamri No.257石巖里257號墳, were made of Quercus mongolica Fisch. The coffin in the tomb, Jungbaekri No.4貞柏里4號墳was made of Hwalryeob Sam広葉杉 (Cunninghamia lanceolata Hook). The natural distribution of this species can not be seen in Korea, but in China. There is a high possibility that the species was imported from China. Two other coffins unearthed from the tomb, Sokamri No.257石巖里257號墳 were made of Taxus cuspidata Sieb. et Zucc.

b. Coffin wood unearthened from a moundin Man Zhou満州輯安縣環文塚棺材 (3)：
The coffin wood was made of Taxus cuspidata Sieb. et Zucc.

c. The building materials of the Kumgwanchong mound in Kyeongju慶州金冠塚木槨 (3)：
This belongs to the old tomb of the king of Shiragi, Silla (新羅) dated from ca 1400 years ago.
The coffin was made of Taxus cuspidata, while the building materials of the tomb（Mokgwak木槨）were made of Castanea cuspidata and Cinnamomum camphora. The latter species is not distributed in Shiragi, Silla (新羅), so that the species must have been imported from other country at that era.

d. Coffin wood in Wangrung of Baekjae in Nunsanri, Buyeo扶餘陵山里百濟王陵棺材 (3)：
Buyeo扶餘 is located in Chungchung Namdo忠清南道 and the coffin wood unearthed from the tomb was made of Sciadopitys verticillata. The species is not distributed in Korea but only in Japan. So that it is presumed that the coffin wood was imported from Japan at that time. It is noted that the other 10 cases of coffin wood were also identified as Sciadopitys verticillata. Some of these evidences show that the wood identification contributes significantly to the understanding of the exchange of wood culture between Korea and Japan, or Kore and China.

References

Shimaji Ken and Itoh Takao. 1988. The list of wood artifacts unearthed from historic sites in Japan, Yuzankaku press, 1-296 (in Japanese)..
Onaka Fumihiko. 1936. Wood pieces unearthed from the historic sites of ancient tomb and others, Journal of the Japanese Forestry Society, 18(8), 588-602 (in Japanese).
Onaka Fumihiko. 1939. wood unearthed from the historic sites of ancient tomb and others, Wood preservation, 7(4),115-123 (in Japanese).

 

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