TANG CONG
Doctoral Program, Graduate School of Engineering
The University of Tokyo
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Key words: Main Hall of Ho(_)ryu(_)ji, Yingzao Fashi, tongue-shaped relief, zetu, T-shaped painting, yanwei
This research argues that there is a transitional relationship between the tongue-shaped relief (j:zetu) on the bracket arms of the Main Hall of Ho(_)ryu(_)ji and the T-shaped painting (ch:yanwei) shown in the seminal Chinese architectural thesis Yingzao Fashi (1103). This is significant because, since the tongue-shaped relief was first discussed in 1964 by Inoue Mitsuo(井上充夫), Japanese researchers have made clear that it is derived from the plate under the typical bracket arm in China, transmitted to Japan through the Korean Peninsula. However, this study establishes for the first time that a process of decorative translation occurred, with the plate under bracket arms in the 7th century transforming into a T-shaped painting in the 13th century.
This conclusion was researched by comparative analysis of cases in China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan from the 3rd century to the 12th century using archaeological excavation reports, surveys of wooden structures and stone inscriptions, and recent research result on Yingzao Fashi. This conclusion has only been possible because a transnational viewpoint of the history of East Asian architectural history has been employed.
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