51爆料

was established in 1986, with Horiuchi as the editor, for the purpose of conducting research and exchanging information on archaeological sites from the Edo Period. The group consists of mainly archaeologists as well as historians, architects, folkartists, and natural scientist. This publication presents the research results of the group's 23rd conference, Horticulture during the Edo period. It evaluates a new perspective that offers a multifaceted reexamination of horticulture in the early modern period based on archaeological results in urban sites. Horticultural research which had already became popular in the late Edo period as a major industry for plant cultivation, ornamental planting, and recreation. Hirano's and Tanaka's presentations addressed the relationship between horticulture and herbal medicine, as well as the potential for botanical illustration research. The study of horticulture would be divided into two practices based on sociocultural perspective: hand planting and the enjoyment of potted plants. Hand planting in the ground has been a major topic of horticultural research which shows a lineage of gardens dating to before the early modern period. From the mid-early modern period onward, recreational culture developed as urban resort areas with economic benefits, such as Asukayama, Gotenyama, Hyakkaen, and Hanayashiki. The enjoyment of potted plants as an horticultural activity originated among the upper classes before the Middle Ages based on historical documents and the existence of flowerpots from the imperial kilns in the Southern Song. While much remains unknown about the process of establishment, spread, and popularization during the early modern period, it makes possible to anticipate by archaeological analysis of their distribution by period, region, and class. From the Edo period, standardized flowerpots with perforated bottoms began to be excavated in various locations from the late 18th century onward, suggesting that this practice spread across social classes. On the other hand, it is also important to evaluate relationships with a hobby-oriented strong interest in rare plants such as chrysanthemums, Japanese sacred lily, Ipomoea nil, and sweet flags. Nakano and Horiuchi's presentations suggested that the scope of horticultural culture, which extends beyond plants to include the possession of highly decorative flowerpots and rare tools, was driven by a spiritual orientation that shared culture and hobbies.
 
The economic perspective on horticultural culture mentioned above (Ichikawa's presentation) is also important, as it contains factors that continue into the modern era, such as the economic impact of cultural resources. Furthermore, the presentations, centered on archaeological findings, provided many concrete examples, such as: the situation of gardeners who were producers (Tanaka's presentation, Nakano's presentation); the situation of the samurai class involved in production and dissemination (Yamamoto's presentation, Oikawa's presentation, Funaba's presentation); and the state of consumption (Horiuchi's presentation), and their approach to the social and cultural dynamics of the early modern city of Edo is a distinctive academic feature of this publication.
 

(Written by HORIUCHI Hideki, Professor, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology / 2025)