Publications
World Heritage Site as the place for education: the case of the Gango-ji Temple in Japan
World Heritage Sites serve as dynamic educational platforms, blending tangible and intangible heritage to foster learning. A study on the Gango-ji Temple in Japan's 'Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara' reveals that such sites facilitate social education through interactive experiences. The temple's main hall and exhibition room offer visitors the opportunity to engage with authentic cultural materials, promoting deeper understanding. Staff recommendations suggest a structured approach: studying exhibits for an hour before reflecting in the main hall. This study highlights heritage as an ongoing process where contemporary communities and tourists alike participate in preserving and learning from the past.
Yamato as cultural memory: Maekawa Samio's poetry on Nara
Maekawa Samio, a celebrated 20th-century tanka poet and modernist pioneer, deeply embedded the landscape of Nara—his birthplace and cultural heartland—in his poetry, crafting over 1,000 verses that celebrate its Arcadian beauty and historical richness. Through a detailed analysis of his works, including Shokubutsusai (1930), Yamato roppyakuka (1971), and Yamato mahoroba no ki (1982), this study reveals how Nara's topography and traditions shaped Maekawa's poetic evolution. His verse not only reflects the enduring allure of rural Yamato but also traces shifts in his perception of landscape, from youthful reverence to a mature synthesis of history, culture, and personal memory. The research employs close textual analysis to illustrate Nara's significance as both a physical and symbolic foundation for Maekawa's poetic identity.
A Study of the Construction Methods for the Preservation of Important Underground Remains
A novel approach to preserving underground archaeological remains, dubbed 'Intelligent Construction,' successfully minimized structural damage during excavation at the Asuka-Nara Palace Site, a UNESCO World Heritage component. This method leverages geotechnical modeling—specifically Boussinesq's formula—to predict stress impacts from construction machinery and guide precision execution. By pre-mapping remains with 3D positioning systems and avoiding direct cutting or excessive stress, researchers achieved flawless preservation despite surface-level construction activities. The findings underscore the feasibility of advanced, data-driven techniques for safeguarding fragile historical sites without compromising development needs.
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