‘Kiseki’ from Hyūga Province as recorded by Sekitei Kinouchi

An example of the recognition of geological specimens from Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan in the Edo Period

Abstract

Sekitei Kinouchi/Kiuchi (木内石亭) was a naturalist and geological specimen enthusiast in the middle of the Edo period (middle to late 18th century). Sekitei collected and classified minerals, rocks, fossils, and archeological artifacts, called ‘Kiseki’ (奇石), and wrote a record of them. This study introduces geological specimens found in Miyazaki Prefecture (then called Hyūga Province in the Edo period) and their localities. Sekitei’s works recorded 18 types of ‘Kiseki’ (e.g. minerals such as quartz, sulfur, gold, silver, and copper; concretions; fossils of mollusks, decapods, and fishes). Many of these specimens and their localities are known today and were recognized at least as early as the middle 18th century.