Abstract
The process of the settlement formation can be one of the main themes of historico-geographical study on rural villages in Japan. The agglomerated type of rural settlement surrounded by paddy fields was extensively found in the Heian, Kamakura, and Muromachi periods. In the Nara basin, which is my study area, many manor settlements formed in these periods belong to this type: for instance, Kohigashi-no-sho manor, Ichii-no-sho manor, Ikeda no-sho manor, Wakatsuki-no-sho manor, and Tarumi-no-sho manor. Yet Otogi-no-sho manor which paid a tax to the Kofuku ji temple was the type of the agglomerated settlement during the Bun'ei era of the middle Kamakura period (1264_??_75), but it is fairly unique.
The processes of organization of Otogi-no-sho manor showed at least three stages. The author has already indicated the stages of settlement formation from the late Heian to the early Kamakura periods. Based on the analysis of the parcels for residences, he pointed out that Otogino-no-sho manor was not originally an agglomerated settlement: each parcel for residence included domicile house and attached huts and courtyard or garden. In other words, Otogi-no-sho manor showed the pattern that might better be described as a hamlet or nearly dispersed type of settlement at the first stage. It became an agglomerated settlement through the following stages ;
(1) Firstly, the settlement during the early stage was composed of the ten parcels for residences labelled group (A) (Azukaridokoro, Gesu, Shoji, Goheizo, Zen'en, Zengaku, Zensho, Zokyo, Ryofutsu, and Naramaru) and had two nuclei. The pattern belongs to the type of a hamlet or nearly dispersed type of settlement. Yet we can see that the group (A) -(a) on the east side (Azukaridokoro, Shoji, Goheizo, Zengaku, Zokyo) was the earlier form than the group (A)-(b) between two nuclei.
(2) Secondarily, just as if filling in the area between the two nuclei in the group (A), the seven parcels for residences (Gotoji, Goheita, Sakan, Shiro, ZoSho, Tonai, and Heitaro) were formed. In this stage one can talk of the concentration or agglomeration in this manor settlement.
(3) Further, arround the agglomerated settlement formed by group (A) and (B), the parcels for residences of group (C) (Togoro, and Kaishin) were established. And the landscape of the settlement, as shown in the cadastral map that is called “Tsubotsuke-zu” of Otogi-nosho manor, was formed. It seems that the stage (2) and (3) occured in the late Heian and early Kamakura periods.
As the factors of development of manor settlement at Otogi-no-sho manor, we can point out that the influence of cultivated land was very strong in that periods.
The marks “o” and “_??_” shown on the “Tsubotsuke-zu” are also very interesting. From the analysis of these marks, we can think that Otogi-no-sho as shown in the “Tsubotsuke zu” was nearly completed manor.
