The Transitional Zone of the Ancient State in the Northwestern Japan

Abstract

At its extention to the North-eastern part of Japan, the Japanese Ancient State came into contact with the power of Ezo (a tribe in the ancient history of Japan). The auther would like to call the region, where both powers met with, as the transitional zone of the Ritsuryo State or the State ruled by the Code. The purpose of this treatise is to analyse the regional structure at the transitional zone, related to the Shinto shrine and the settlement.Before the Ritsuryo State started to wield its authority to promote reclamation, the Yaoi culture, which was based on paddy farming in Western Japan, had already penetrated into the northern part of North-eastern Japan; the Kofun (the ancient tomb) culture, which originally had its central domain in Kinai provinces (Yamato, Yamashiro, Kawachi and Izumi), had propagated to the Sendai plain.In examing the Kofun cultural sphere in the Sendai plain, it turned out that Takatsuka Kofun (the great tomb of ancient mould) culture had attained to the basins of the River Naruse and the River Eai. Its succeeding Gunshufun (ancient gathered tomb) culture had been at a standstill in the lower reaches of the River Abukuma. But the Yokoana-kofun (the tunnel tomb of ancient mould) culture had advanced to the basin of the River Hazama, which runs through the northern fringe of the Sempoku zone (northern half part of the Sendai plain). Some Yokoana-Kofun culture were still for a while to be seen in this zone even in the Nara Era.The author has an intention to analyse the regional structure of the Sendai plain which located in the transitional zone of the Rtisuryo State, in following after the integrating process of the Ezo district into its organization. At the same time he would like to grasp the shifting aspects of regional structure at the Sendai plain from the Pre-Nara Era to the Nara Era at the angle of the authoritative penetration from the Ancient State's side.Geographical feature of the Sempoku plain is its alternative range of hill and plain. At the plain there were found a lot of low and damp spots which infiltrated from the coast to the innermost of the land. At the places where are above more than 10m. of contour line, their abrupt and sharp inclination often brought deluge to the low land at rainfalls. Thus there were supposed to be confirmed flood areas. Promotion of developing policy of the Ancient State had been greatly affected by this natural condition.In consideration of village organization, now, it is to be pointed out that administrative villages, which were incorporated in the provincial system of the Ritsuryo State, were far more fully established in the Sen'nan zone (southern part of Sendai plain) than in the Sempoku zone.In ancient times a Shinto shrine was usually built at each village, so it is natural to suppose that there should had been more Shinto shrines in the Sen'nan zone than in the Sempoku zone. On the contrary, in fact there were more of Shikinai shrines in the Sempoku zone than in the sen'nan zone, in taking note of the village organization ratio. To confirm the Shinto shrines of ancient times, it seems there is no other way but studying of the Shikinai Shinto shrines: i.e. the legalized ones in the Ancient Japanese Law “Engishiki”. They had been usually set up around the forts at the frontiers or along the relaying route linking them with each other.Most of Shikinai Shinto shrines were ordinarily located at the position above more than 10m. contour line, facing down the low lying land or low marshy ground. Broad spread of Grey soil were to be found at such low plains.