Among the five vowels in Modern Japanese, the vowel u is a highcentral unrounded sound [w]. Accordingly, the vowel triangle of Modern Japanese is somewhat anomalous, lacking a rounded high-back vowel [u]. How did this sort of vowel system form historically?
A reconstruction of eight vowels in Old Japanese, the central dialect of the Nara period (710-84), is commonly accepted. Although interpreted otherwise by some, the so-called ko-otsu distinctions must have been due to the vocalic oppositions, i≠ï, e≠ë, and o≠ö. The vowel diagrams of Old Japanese drawn by scholars adopting the eight-vowel theory are, however, in conflict with what some consider to be phonetic universals. In particular, there are only three vowels (i, i, and u) at the high level but four (e, ë, ö, and o) at the mid.
There is no problem with assuming that the sound values of (C) a, (C) i, (C) u, (C) e, and # o were identical with those of the corresponding vowels in Modern Japanese. The problem reduces to determining the sound values of Cï, Cë, Co, and Cö. Judging from the positions of the Chinese Characters, used as man' yogana, in the Ancient Chinese rhyme tables, one may infer that -ö(following a consonant) was phonetically identical with # o (not following a consonant), which was [o], and that the sound value of -o was [u], a high-back vowel. Thus, o with no preceding consonant should be described as ö. Likewise, ï was very likely high-central and ë mid-central. Drawing a diagram based on the inferred sound values, i, ï, u, and o form a high vowel series, front to back; e, ë, and ö form a mid vowel series, front to back; and a is a low-central vowel, just as in the vowel triangles of Altaic languages.
Internal reconstruction on the basis of the verbal stems of Old Japanese indicates that all eight vowels could be coupled with all consonants, including zero, in Archaic (pre-Nara) Japanese. The eighth century was the close of a transitional era, when the ko-otsu distinction remained only in a few environments. At the outset of the Heian period (794-1192), the phonetic changes ï>i, ë>e, and o>ö took place in all environments. The remaining five vowels have continued into the modern period, forming the “anomalous” vowel system of Modern Japanese.

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In this paper, based upon the internal and external evidences, the author assumes that the Nara Period ko-otsu(甲乙) distinction in /i/ and /e/(イ列・エ列)column syllables was not the one of vowels with which it is usually credited, but the one of initial consonants: palatal versus nonpalatal. Verifying that in the Suiko Period the otsu ki (キ乙)and gi (ギ乙) syllables had a labial glide, the author attempts to interpret the otsu velar syllables as having uvular phonemes / q-, G-/. On the basis of this reconstruction, the author gives the following phonemic changes from the Suiko Period to the Nara Period.

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We know that there were buildings called "Ifo", "Kari-Ifo" and "Ifori" in ancient Japan, and that some of "Ifo" buildings were used as dwelling houses. But beyond these points, in the present day, we only have rather vague architectural ideas on them, so we cannot discuss them in the history of Japanese architecture. To get more precise architectural images and characteristics of these buildings, the author throghly researched available facts through the scenes presenting those buildings in the tales and poetry of the following four areas of literature, and tried to reconstruct their images of building forms. "Kojiki". (a history of Japan, completed in 712 A.D., 3 volumes.) "Nippon-Shoki". (a history of Japan, completed in 720 A.D., 30 volumes.) "Manyoshu". (an anthology, edited in the end of the 8th century A.D.) "Fudoki". (5 provincial histories, completed in the middle of the 8th century A.D.) In this short synopsis the author will refer only to "Ifo " building which is the main theme of this paper. In conclusion the author got the following facts and ideas on this type of building. a. In the said four areas of literature, there are only five instances of "Ifo" buildings. b. Of the five instances only two of them were dwelling houses. One of them was for a very poor family, and the building had only one room with dried grass floor. Another one was allegorically used for the house of the crab of Naniwa beach, which was hiding from society. c. In both cases the dwellers of "Ifo" buildings belonged to the lowest class of the society at the time. d. The other two of "Ifo" buildings were built for the funeral rituals of nobles. Though their function in the ritual was not clear, it is very certain that they were temporary buildings. e. The last one of "Ifo" buildings showed its building form as a hillock of grass on the earth. f. Adding to these facts, many "Kari-Ifo" buildings were also temporarily built in the fields for travellers to sleep in. g. Considering these facts, the author thinks that we may take "Ifo" buildings (especially those built in the 7th and the 8th century) as rather temporary buildings with only grass roof (s). We can not take them to mean permanent buildings to live in as they have been vaguely thought of till today.

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