Kanaizawa no hi

Kanaizawa stone monument

Kanaizawa no hi ( Japanese 金井 沢 碑 , Kanaizawa stone monument ' ) is a natural stone made of pyroxene - andesite with a height of 1.09 m, a width of 70 cm and a thickness of 65 cm. On the front it bears a text engraved in the year 726 with a length of 112 characters arranged in nine vertical lines. The stone monument is located in Yamana ( Takasaki ) in Gunma Prefecture , Japan . It belongs with the Tago stone monument and the Yamanoue stone monument to the "three stone monuments of Kōzuke" ( 上mit 三 碑 , Kōzuke sanpi ). The stone monument was declared a special historical site on March 29, 1954 .

overview

Imitation of the stone monument

The stone monument was excavated in the Edo period ; the stone was previously used as a washing stone on a small stream by a farming family living nearby. The inscription is engraved in the Reisho style . The stone monument was erected by the Miyake family in memory of their ancestors and to honor their own families. A total of nine family members are named, including four women. The head of the family was Sanu no Miyake ( 佐野 三家 ), who is believed to be a descendant of the family who erected the Yamanoue stone monument. The inscription also mentions the prefectural name Gunma for the first time, making it the oldest written source for the topographic name that is still valid today. In addition, the inscription provides information about the then valid political-administrative system ( 国 郡 郷 里 制 , Kokugungōri-sei ) and, in addition to the relationships of the influential families in the region, about the beginning spread of Buddhism.

Remarks

1. ↑ The indication of the height fluctuates between 1.09 and 1.11 m
2. ↑ Kōzuke is the old name of today's Gunma Prefecture.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ 金井 沢 碑 . In: ブ リ タ ニ カ 国際 大 百科 事 典 小 項目 事 典 at kotobank.jp. Retrieved September 1, 2019 (Japanese). 
2. ↑ ^{a b} Kanaizawa Stela. Takasaki City, accessed September 1, 2019 (Japanese, illustration and description in multiple languages, including English and French). 

Web links

Commons : Three Stone Monuments by Kōzuke  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Wikisource: Japanese inscription of the stone monument to Kanaizawa  - sources and full texts

• 金井 沢 碑 . In:Cultural Heritage Online. Cultural Affairs Office,accessed September 1, 2019(Japanese). 
• 金井 沢 碑 . In:国 指定 文化 財 等 デ ー タ ベ ー ス . Cultural Affairs Office,accessed September 1, 2019(Japanese). 
• 金井 沢 碑 . Takasaki City,accessed September 1, 2019(Japanese). 

Coordinates: 36 ° 17 '8.4 "  N , 139 ° 0' 58.3"  E