The Construction of the Fujiwara Palace and the Source of its Roof Tiles

Abstract

The Fujiwara Palace was the first ancient city in Japan to be built on a full grid system. It was also the first imperial palace to use roof tiles for the palace buildings and surrounding walls. In order to tile the roofs of the palace and walls, a large quantity of tiles, ten times that needed for ancient temples, had to be produced over a limited period.
From differences in production techniques and temper, the tiles excavated from the Fujiwara Palace can be divided into 15 groups. These groups comprise tiles from the Hidakayama, Kodai- Minedera, Uchiyama-Nishidanaka and Anyoji kilns within the Yamato Basin, as well as the following kilns outside the Basin: Munayoshi in Omi/west Sanuki, Doshoji in east Sanuki/Awaji, and a kiln or kilns in the Izumi region. A clear difference in the production technique of these tiles can be seen with tiles produced outside the Yamato Basin being made by bucket molding and those in the Basin made by clay coils.
Of the roof tiles produced outside the Yamato Basin, those excavated from the Hanatsumedera and Kokushoji temples in Omi suggest that tile production was carried out in the proximity of Sue kilns and on state land in locations where water transport to the Fujiwara Palace would have been easily accomplished using Lake Biwa and the Seta River. Further analysis of the other roof tile production centers outside the Yamato Basin suggests similar conditions to Omi whereby tiles were produced on state-owned land and transported by water to Fujiwara.
Of the kilns within the Yamato Basin, Hidakayama was located in the hills just south of the Fujiwara Palace and Kodai-Minedera was found along the Kose-ji Road a little distant from Asuka. Both of these kilns can be considered as roof tile production centers on state land. Likewise, the Uchiyama-Nishidanaka kiln on the Tomiosu River and the Anyoji kiln on the Tatta River can be assumed to have been located on land owned by the state.
The author thus concludes that a system of state-controlled large-scale roof tile production was arranged in association with the construction of the Fujiwara Palace. Tile kilns outside the Yamato Basin were located on state land near to Sue kilns and utilized routes of maritime transport, whereas tile kilns within the Basin where found close to Fujiwara on official land and used water transport along rivers.