Site Divination Practices in Premodern East Asia

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H05376
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: History of thought
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: Van Goethem Ellen 九州大学, 人文科学研究院, 准教授 (20513196)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 四神相応 / 風水 / 日本 / 中国 / 朝鮮半島

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This is an investigation into the wide variety of site divination practices in premodern China, Korea, and Japan. The project resulted in a better understanding of the transmission process and allowed for a differentiation between practices. The transmission was elucidated by comparing written sources and establishing commonalities and differences in language use, landscape features, and solutions offered in case such features were lacking. It became clear that practices not only varied over time and between regions, but that they were adapted to the local environment or to final usage. It also became clear that practices deemed by some to be unique to Japan, actually find their origins in China.
At the start, the project focused on site divination for capital cities, but then shifted towards private residences. As a result, the research also showed that "correspondence to the four deities" (四神相応) should be linked to private residences rather than to capital cities in ancient Japan.

Free Research Field

日本古代史・思想史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

一次資料のテクスト分析と二次資料の精読を組み合わせることで、本研究課題の結果は、(1)東アジア全般、ならびに特に日本における敷地選定の様々な形態の理解、(2)多様な種類の敷地選定の識別（墓、民家、都市、軍営など）、(3)地理的（中国から朝鮮半島および日本へ）および時間的な（約紀元前3000 年から西暦800 年まで）理論・実践上の知識伝播、という上記3 つである。