Abstract
The author examined a section composed of a main hall and two side halls, which is presumed to be located further north of the east-west compound corridor on the north side of the Dairi-kōden (the Rear Main Hall of the Imperial Domicile) of the Former Naniwa Palace Site, based on the result of the preliminary excavation at the Naniwa Palace Site, which is being improved in conjunction with the Osaka-Kansai Expo to be held in the spring of 2025.
The author rejected the simple genealogical theory in which the other main hall to the north of the Dairi-kōden became the inner rear main hall of the later palaces, and the Dairi-zenden (the Front Main Hall of the Imperial Domicile) and Dairi-kōden became the Daigoku-den (the Imperial Audience Hall) and Kōden (the Rear Imperial Audience Hall). The author also confirmed that the public and private spaces of the inner palaces, as well as the Daigoku-den and Kōden, which would later form the core of the palaces, already existed from the Former Naniwa Palace stage, and that they developed while differentiating their functions.
The author also found clues from the excavation results to estimate the extent of the inner area in the Imperial Domicile of Fujiwara Palace Site, and pointed out the possibility that the remains of some central buildings may still be extant.
In examining central parts of palace sites based on reliable excavation results, the earliest palace site that can serve as a starting point for investigation is the Former Naniwa Palace Site. It is extremely significant that the structure of the palace's central part has been further clarified.
