The Kokufu was built in the 7th century as the results of old Japanese bureaucracy. They were the center cities in old Japanese local countries “Kuni”, but their forms and scales are not so clear now. The only exact relics which had been researched till now are the Kokufu of old Suo country (modern Yamaguchi prefecture). Its scale is measured about 1 square km and in the raids of it there were the central office buildings of Kokucho and the main street run from the north to the south. Surrounding the Kokufu there were also banks, moats and four gates.
In this treatise the author tried to explain the geographical characters of all Japanese Kokufu from the next points.
1. The geographical significances of the Kokufu research.
2. On the reconstructions of the Kokufu from the old Japanese do-cuments, place names, etc.
3. On the problems of local site and geographical distribution of the Kokufu.
4. On the forms and structures of Kokufu.
5. On the relations between Kokufu and old roads, old land plann-ing, Jori system of ancient Japan.
The author thinks that the Kokufu was built on the most favourable place such as the center of alluvial delta or inner basin of old coun-tries. Their relative position was also selected as the focus of old politics and communications. Their forms and structure were similar, to old Japanese capitals, such as Heijokyo (old Nara city) or Heian kyo (old Kyoto city), so that we must understand the Kokufu as the bureaucracial local cities of ancient Japan. Some of the forms of the Kokufu were succeeded long after, but their political functions were. destroyed in the next feudal ages. In this treatise the author re-serched especially about the Kokufu of Ise, (Mie prefecture), Echizen, (Fukui prefecture), etc. The former is situated on the diluvial terrace of old Suzuka river. In that relics the author excavated the ancient tiles and reconstructed the city plan of about 1 sq. km. The Kokufu of Echizen which now existed along the Hino river in then Fukui basin and succeeded by modern Takefu city.
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