Examining quarry sites of the late Heian period stone statutes made of tuff at Anrakuju-in Temple in Kyoto City, Japan

Abstract

The late Heian period stone statues at Anraku-ju-in Temple in Kyoto City are made of tuff that is believed to be sourced from Mt. Hiyama, Sanuki City, Kagawa Prefecture. The authors conducted lithological observations and magnetic susceptibility measurements at tuff quarry sites in the Sanuki Group to compare the stone with the stone of the statues at Anrakuju-in Temple. The results show that the stone statutes of Anrakuju-in Temple were not quarried from tuff at the known quarry sites. Therefore, the stone was sourced from unknown quarries in Kagawa Prefecture or quarries outside of Kagawa Prefecture.