Japan is a “Nation of Forest” (2) 2017/07/02
Japan is a maritime nation surrounded by sea.
Cold and warm currents meet at the middle part of Japanese main land. People there have been lucky enough to enjoy various kinds of fishes and shells which are available from both cold and warm currents.
Furthermore people there can enjoy fresh and tasty marine foods from well nourished Japanese sea which are supported by rich green forests. Green and healthy forests keep supplying minerals and nutrients to sea through rivers which make Japanese sea rich and affluent in planktons and other small livings.
From Jomon shell mounds, we can find various kinds of fishes and shells and we can imagine how many and broad variety of marine foods people could enjoy.
Buildings of Horyuji temple in Nara are well known as the world oldest wooden buildings left. They are around 1300 years old. Today’s carpenters, specializing in traditional temples and shrines, find those buildings as fantastic and incredible because of their high technology and perfect works by architects and carpenters at that time.
Traditional wooden building technology had been handed over from ancient Jomon era to those days and even today..
Original Izumo shrine was presumably built in 7th or 8th century. According to Kojiki, Japanese oldest history book, Yamato central government presented Okuninushino-mikoto the tallest shrine as an award for him to hand over the control of the nation from Izumo to Yamato.
Although today’s Izumo shrine is around 24 meter high, old basements for 48 meter building were found from the front yard of current main building around 20 years ago. Furthermore there is a legend which indicated the existence of 96meter high building in around 12th century. Modern architects are shocked with marvelous and advanced technology in old days when they study the drawings of 48meter building.
Tall buildings required not only sophisticated technology but also solid tall trees which required healthy forests.
image of old 48meter Izumo shrine
