THE “JORI”-TYPE PADDY FIELDS IN THE EASTERN HARIMA PLAIN

Abstract

We have investigated the distribution of the “Jori”-type pattern in the paddy fields, with an intention of examining historically exploitation and reclamation in the eastern Harima Plain, southern part of Hyogo Prefecture. And also this treatise is aimed at the reconstruction of the “Jori”-system as a system of agricultural village planning in ancient times. In this region, a vast area is occupied by the hills of Miocene Series and the uplands of the Plio-Pleistocene Series, the alluvial plain is relatively narrow. Consequently, the development of the exploitation in the plain is not very old and the process was rather slow. In this plain, the “Jori”-type system is not universal and is discontinuous, as seen in Fig. 1-3. The “Jori”-system was a system established in 652 to divide the cultivated land in a mesh of 6-cho squares, (a 6-cho square is equal to about 650 metres square in area.) These squares were called “Sato”. A “Sato”, in turn, was divide dinto 36 equal parts, a part being 1-cho square, this was called a “Tsu.bo”. The allotments of the paddy fields based on the “Jori”-system in Kato -gun (county) have a direction of N 43°E (Fig. 3) along the lengthwise lines. But, in many other areas, the lengthwise lines of the allotments of the paddy fields run about N 18°E or N 22°E, and resemble those in the Shikama-gun (Himeji district), In Taka-gun which is situated along the upper stream of the Kakogawa, the lengthwise lines of the “Jori” pattern run nearly N-S, or approximately N 6°W; the latter is similar to those of the “Jori” pattern in Tajima and Tamba areas (northern part of Hyogo Prefecture). In the eastern Harima plain, the distribution of the “Jori”-type pattern is limited to the valleys which have had no recent inundation or to the older deltas. In the valley plains, the older settlements have been located at the foot of the uplands. But, the “Jori” pattern is not found in mountainous districts, hilly lands, uplands flood plains and the newer deltas. On the delta of the Kakogawa, the “Jori” -system exists in the areas more than 2 kilometers inland from the coast line. But, on the delta of the Akashigawa, it is found also in the areas near the coast line. We have tried to reconstruct the site of the “Joel”-system, the ancient administrative system, in Kako-gun (Fig. 2.) and Akashi-gun (Fig. 3.), basing the reconstruction on the lots, place names, cadastral maps and ancient documents. In these two counties, the east-west line of “Sato” of the “Jori” pattern which divided the cultivated lands into 6-cho squares was called the “Bo”, and the north-south line was called the “Jo”, the former counting from the southern border line to the northern, the latter counting from the western border line to the eastern. This system, in this province, was called the “Jobo”, but in other provinces, was called the “Jori”. In these areas, the cadastral number in the “Jori”-system makes a continuous series, that is, from the south-eastern corner to the south-western corner, next, from the west to the east and so on, thus to arrive at the north-eastern corner.