DOI Artikel:
Iinuma, Jirō: The development of ploughs in Japan
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49001#0148
140
J. IINUMA
Fig. 1. Wooden toy unearthed at Wuwei (Gansu)
of the Han period, China.
Holzernes Spielzeug der /Atw-Periode in China,
ausgraben in Wuwei (Gansu).
plough share was attached to the wooden
sole of the plough parallel to the surface of
the ground. With this type of plough the soil
cannot be tilled deeply and turned, but only
shallowly mixed. It is suitable for the dry
zone only. This plough of the Han period
closely resembles the plough which was until
recently used in Okinawa, (the most south-
ern part of Japan), in the Yaeyama archi-
pelago (fig. 4). According to an old man
spoken to me at Hateruma island in the
Yaeyama archipelago, the plough share was
bought from a blacksmith and the rest of the
plough was made in wood by the farmer
himself to his own size. This type of plough
with a long sole is now generally classified as
a “long-sole plough”. From the Han period
until the present time, all Chinese ploughs
have been of this long-sole type (Amano
1962, 836).
In my earlier study I wrote: “Two early
examples have been found, one in an ancient
mound in the Shimane district of Northwest
Japan. The mound seems to have been made
in the sixth or seventh century. The other
share was found in a mound in Miyazaki city
in Southwest Japan. This mound seems to
have been made in the seventh century.”
(fig. 5) (linuma 1969, 11 fig. 11, 12). But,
according to Tadashi Kinoshita’s recent re-
search, the first plough share cannot be
traced back earlier than the Muromachi
period (1392-1568) (Kinoshita 648), and the
second blade was probably not for a plough
but a large spade.1 As these two examples are
a little doubtful, the oldest known example
of a plough in Japan is the Ne-no-hi-kara-
suki of Shosoin, as earlier described (linuma
1969, 106).
As we have seen, in China from the Han
period onwards, all ploughs were of the
long-sole type. In East Asia the earliest ex-
amples of iron shares came from north Chi-
na, then they seem to have been introduced
from North China to Japan via Korea.
However, what I would like to make clear
J. IINUMA
Fig. 1. Wooden toy unearthed at Wuwei (Gansu)
of the Han period, China.
Holzernes Spielzeug der /Atw-Periode in China,
ausgraben in Wuwei (Gansu).
plough share was attached to the wooden
sole of the plough parallel to the surface of
the ground. With this type of plough the soil
cannot be tilled deeply and turned, but only
shallowly mixed. It is suitable for the dry
zone only. This plough of the Han period
closely resembles the plough which was until
recently used in Okinawa, (the most south-
ern part of Japan), in the Yaeyama archi-
pelago (fig. 4). According to an old man
spoken to me at Hateruma island in the
Yaeyama archipelago, the plough share was
bought from a blacksmith and the rest of the
plough was made in wood by the farmer
himself to his own size. This type of plough
with a long sole is now generally classified as
a “long-sole plough”. From the Han period
until the present time, all Chinese ploughs
have been of this long-sole type (Amano
1962, 836).
In my earlier study I wrote: “Two early
examples have been found, one in an ancient
mound in the Shimane district of Northwest
Japan. The mound seems to have been made
in the sixth or seventh century. The other
share was found in a mound in Miyazaki city
in Southwest Japan. This mound seems to
have been made in the seventh century.”
(fig. 5) (linuma 1969, 11 fig. 11, 12). But,
according to Tadashi Kinoshita’s recent re-
search, the first plough share cannot be
traced back earlier than the Muromachi
period (1392-1568) (Kinoshita 648), and the
second blade was probably not for a plough
but a large spade.1 As these two examples are
a little doubtful, the oldest known example
of a plough in Japan is the Ne-no-hi-kara-
suki of Shosoin, as earlier described (linuma
1969, 106).
As we have seen, in China from the Han
period onwards, all ploughs were of the
long-sole type. In East Asia the earliest ex-
amples of iron shares came from north Chi-
na, then they seem to have been introduced
from North China to Japan via Korea.
However, what I would like to make clear