the historical and environmental research for change of ancient course in Huanghe

Research Project

Project/Area Number	09610369
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	Asian history
Research Institution	GAKUSHUIN UNIVERSITY
Principal Investigator	TSURUMA Kazuyuki Gakushuin University, Faculty of letters, Professor, 文学部, 教授 (50143144)
Project Period (FY)	1997 – 1998
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 1998)
Budget Amount *help	¥1,700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,700,000) Fiscal Year 1998: ¥700,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000) Fiscal Year 1997: ¥1,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000)
Keywords	China / ancient / Yellow River / Flood control / river course / Landsat / 禹 / 中国古代 / 禹貢 / 『史記』河渠書 / 『漢書』溝洫志 / 黄河河道 / ランドサット衛星写真 / 漢代郡県地図
Research Abstract	I have advanced the four following research subjects in the first year. 1. I have read the basic three texts of the ancient China, "Shangshu Yugong" "Shiji Hequshu" and "Hanshu Gouxuzhi", by the comparative method. 2. I have bought Landsat satellite photograph to make a comparative research of the quantity of water in the lower reaches of the Huanghe flowing in the northernmost and the place where the Huanghe changes a course from eastern direction to northern direction. 3. I have tried to dispose of portraits and examine how to analyze portreits by computer. 4. I have drawn the map of counties in Han dynasty. I can give the following satisfactory results in the second year, after researching Landsat satellite photograph of the lower reaches of the Huanghe. 1. The Huanghe flows in a vast plain through the Huangtu (Loess) Plateau. The Huanghe flows for the north, changing a course at the east of Kaifeng extremely. 2. The Huanghe flowed in the course of Yu period who was said to be engaged in flood prevention works. According to Landsat photographs we can see an black soil area different from surrounding area. If the Huanghe flowed though this area, there would piled up muddy soil different from surrounding areas. We can see a scrollwork which may be traces of the past river in the northern coast of the Huanghe at Zhengzhou. 3. We can see a white spot which may be a course in Chunqiu Zhanguo period and Qin-Han period after 602B.C. at Puyang, where the Huanghe collapsed and flowed for the north in Wu Emperor period of the former Han.