A Consideration of the Plantings in Kenchou-ji Temple Garden During the Kamakura Period Through an Analysis of Plant Remains

Abstract

We analyzed the distribution of plant remains in the sedimentary soil of the pond bottom in Kenchou-ji Temple garden at the Kamakura age, and considered the plantings, the environment, and the view at the Kamakura age. Many plant remains were detected in the sedimentary soil which were planted species like Pinus spp., Cryptomeria japonica, which were woody plant like Zelkova serrata, Acer spp., Mallotus japonicus, which were herbaceous plant like Boehmeria spp., Tricyrtis spp. From the relation of the view of Mt. Kofukuyama and the result of this analysis, we guessed that a large tree such as Zelkoua serrata and evergreen conifer that branch and leaf are as thick as Cryptomeria japonica were planted in the place where the view to Mt. Kofukuyama is not interrupted, even if growing on the tsukiyama if the branch and the leaf are sparse tree like Pinus spp.