古代美作国の郡家と交通路

In “Engishiki” there is no record of the stage towns of the ancient Mimasaka Province. According to researches made by some scholars, however, Gunga (county-offices in ancient times) played a role of Honjin (officially appointed inns) in the Middle Ages. In this thesis the writer assumed the existence of the Kokufu (ancient capital) and the Guke (ancient county-offices) in the Mimasaka Province, and the roads connecting these with each other.<br>Mimasaka Kokufu The location of Mimasaka Kokufu is supposed by preceding scholars to have been somewhere in or around Soja, Tsuyama City. The office-building of Mimasaka Kokufu may have been on the terrace where Soja now stands, “Minamikobatake” (a place name) which is on the northern end of the terrace and at which the monument of the ruins of Kokufu stands. The area the office building occupied is topographically supposed to have been six cho (about fourteen square acres).<br>Tomahigashi Guke and Tomanishi Guke In the fifth year of “Jogan” (863 A.D.) Tomada County was divided in two, respectively named Tomahigashi County and Tomahishi County. It is very probable that Tomahigashi Guke was to the southeast of Kokufu, where there still remains a place named “Tsubaki-koge” and a site of the ruins of the temple of Tsubaki-koge. There is nothing left to give us a clue by which to locate Tomanishi Guke. The Guke may have beed located in the vicinity of Kokufu.<br>Aita Guke From the excavation of ancient slates, earthen ware with “Kori” written in ink, the writer would like to show that the location of the Gunga was on the terrace along the Yoshino River with such places as “Saimyogaichi” and “Sangenyashimo” in Kawakita, Sakuto Town, as its center.<br>Katta Guke In 1970 some pieces of earthen ware with the stamp of “Kori” on them were discovered in the field of “Odo 10” at Taira, Shoo Town. Some time later, at the site of the office building, “Sueki” and some pieces of iron dust were also found. Three years later, at “Kawanishi” near the Katta Shrine, about four cho south of this field, the old ditches, the foundation stones of the old buildings, and slates were excavated. The former, that is Taira, is assumed to have been the site of the Gunga, because of the discovery of ancient earthen ware, but the writer does not want to accept this as the site of the Gunga, particularly due to the shape of the area and its size. Instead, the writer proposes that the two areas of the terrace on the right band of the Taki River should be accepted as the Gunga site.<br>Kume Guke On the terrace two hundred meters east of the ruins of the Kume Temple in Miyao, Kume Town, the remains of more than twenty buildings and their ditches were found, and so this is assumed as the old site of the Gunga. The Gunga was constructed over four periods, but the first construction was taken as the example for the rest.<br>Oba Guuke On the terrace of Gotan, Kuse Town, are the ruins of Shirainomiyake and the Oba Temple. It is said that the remains of Jori are seen even today in the districts where Miyake was established. In Oba Province the remains of Jori are most remarkable in the area along the Meki River, which is very close to Gotan Terrace. It may be thought that the Guke was situated in the neighbourhood of the ruins of Shirainomiyake. When the fact is taken into account that the location of the monument of Shirainomiyake is that of the ruins of Oba, however, the Gunga should be supposed to have been on the terrace in the western neighbourhood of the site of the temple.