Concerning the Plan and the Design Concept of the flagpoles on the Halls of State in FUJIWARA Palace Site

A groundbreaking discovery at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Fujiwara Palace reveals that flagpoles erected for a New Year's Day ceremony in 701 were arranged based on right triangles, a design concept rooted in ancient astronomical knowledge. The layout, centered around the south gate of the Imperial Audience Hall compound, utilized multiples of 40 shaku (a unit considered lucky) to create regular, ordered patterns, mirroring the precision of planetary motions. This finding suggests a fusion of scientific astrology and advanced surveying techniques in the planning of the ancient capital. The study highlights the symbolic implications of this geometric design, linking it to broader cultural and astronomical practices of the time.

UCHIDA, K. (2018). Concerning the Plan and the Design Concept of the flagpoles on the Halls of State in FUJIWARA Palace Site. Journal of the Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture, 81(5), 449–454. https://doi.org/10.5632/jila.81.449