| Abstract |
From ancient times, as well as in the medieval ages, Hakata city carried on prosperous trade as an inter-national harbor in Far East. Shofukuji (聖福寺) was one of the greatest temples in Hakata, founded... in the 12th century by the famous Chinese priest Eisai (栄西). In the precinct of the temple, through the medieval ages, there was a town belonging to Shofukuji, and hundreds of rented houses gathered in the town. The inhabitants payed taxes, and those taxes enlarged the economic power of the temple. The town in the temple was surrounded by walls and ditches, some gates also open around the town. The plan of the town was divided into some square plots, and every plot subdivided into rectangular sections. In each section, many narrow hausing strips lined up side by side. Most inhabitants were poor artisans. Some larger houses belonged to the bosses of artisans. The square plot of the town, with one side of 100 meters (60ken), originates from jori plot, (Jori is the Japanese ancient field system like the Roman Centuriatio.) and the direction of the town roads, classing at right angle, also originates from Jori direction. We can see until now the historic sites of this Jori system in the southern suburbs of Fukuoka city.show more
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