Traditional Rural Landscapes In Island Topography In East Asia (environmental Research Advances)

The authors introduce the reader to traditional island villages built based on Feng Shui concepts around 300 years ago. The traditional village landscape embodies the harmony between man and nature with a scene of “people living in the forest.” As well as a scenic landscape, Ryukyu Feng Shui landscape also provides with regulating ecosystem services to prevent from natural disasters. This study includes extensive field survey results on more than forty outlying islands in the southernmost part of Japan. This study includes the actual structure of traditional villages and vegetation composition of forests in the villages. It further explores the distribution of huge trees in traditional villages. This book provides understanding in regard to an integrated landscape with ecological significance, local religion and cultural context for landscape designers and urban planners. TRADITIONAL RURAL LANDSCAPES IN ISLAND TOPOGRAPHY IN EAST ASIA 3 TRADITIONAL RURAL LANDSCAPES IN ISLAND TOPOGRAPHY IN EAST ASIA 5 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data 6 CONTENTS 7 LIST OF FIGURES 9 LIST OF TABLES 15 PREFACE 17 Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION 19 1.1. BACKGROUND 19 1.2. THE SIGNIFICANCE OF RESEARCH ON FENG SHUI 20 1.2.1. Definition of Feng Shui 20 1.2.2. Significance 21 1.3. PURPOSES 23 1.4. A BRIEF INTRODUCTION OF OKINAWA PREFECTURE 24 1.5. METHODOLOGY 27 1.6. STRUCTURE OF THE RESEARCH 28 REFERENCES 29 Chapter 2 RECENT FENG SHUI RESEARCH 31 ABSTRACT 31 2.1. ANTHROPOLOGICAL AND FOLKLORE STUDIES ON FENG SHUI 32 2.2. ECOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES ON FENG SHUI 34 2.3. ARCHITECTURAL STUDIES ON FENG SHUI 36 2.4. FENG SHUI STUDIES IN OKINAWA 38 REFERENCES 38 Chapter 3 FENG SHUI IN OKINAWA— A LITERATURE REVIEW 41 ABSTRACT 41 3.1. INTRODUCTION OF FENG SHUI TO OKINAWA 41 3.2. KEY CONCEPT OF FENG SHUI IN KINGDOM OF THE RYUKYUS: HO:GO 42 3.3. FENG SHUI PRACTICE IN OKINAWA 44 CONCLUSION 45 REFERENCES 46 Chapter 4 FENG SHUI VILLAGE LANDSCAPE AND FENG SHUI TREES 47 ABSTRACT 47 4.1. FENG SHUI VILLAGE LANDSCAPE 48 4.1.1. The Consideration of Surrounding Physical Environment 48 Dragon Vein 48 Sha 48 Water 50 Cave 50 4.1.2. Ideal Feng Shui Model 50 4.2. FENG SHUI TREES 51 4.2.1. Feng Shui Trees in Mainland China 52 4.2.2. Feng Shui Trees in Hong Kong 55 4.2.3. Feng Shui Trees in Korea 56 4.2.4. Feng Shui Trees in Okinawa 58 REFERENCES 59 Chapter 5 A RYUKYU ISLAND FENG SHUI VILLAGE LANDSCAPE 61 ABSTRACT 61 5.1. INTRODUCTION 61 5.1.1. Introduction and Development of Feng Shui in Ryukyu Kingdom 62 5.1.2. Village Feng Shui 63 5.1.3. Study Purpose 63 5.2. SURVEY SITE AND METHODS 64 5.2.1. Case Study Area 5.2. 64 5.2.2. Data Collection 65 5.3. THE FENG SHUI LAYOUT IN TARAMA ISLAND 66 5.4. FEATURES OF TREES IN THE FRONT FOREST BELT 69 5.5. FOREST COMPOSITION ON THE BACK HILL 75 5.6. A RYUKYU ISLAND FENG SHUI VILLAGE FEATURING FOREST PLANTING 81 5.7. The Naturally Regenerated Ho:GO FOREST OF RICH BIODIVERSITY AND THE FOREST IN THE REAR HILLS 82 REFERENCES 83 Chapter 6 A SACRED VILLAGE LANDSCAPE IN MAINLAND OKINAWA 85 ABSTRACT 85 6.1. INTRODUCTION 86 6.2. SURVEY SITE AND METHOD 88 6.3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 88 6.3.1. Facing the Sea and Backed by the Mountains 88 6.3.2. Feng Shui Sites 90 6.3.3. Highlighting Tree Planting 91 6.3.4. Feng Shui Hamlets Were Planned at First in the Center 93 CONCLUSION 97 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 98 REFERENCES 98 Chapter 7 ON THE ESTABLISHMENT OF FENG SHUI VILLAGES FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF OLD FUKUGI TREES INSIDE THE VILLAGE 101 ABSTRACT 101 7.1. INTRODUCTION 101 7.1.1. A Traditional Feng Shui Village Landscape in Okinawa 101 7.1.2. House-Embracing Fukugi Trees in Okinawa 102 7.2. METHOD AND SURVEY SITES 104 7.3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 105 7.3.1. Distribution of Large Fukugi Trees 105 7.3.2. Huge Trees and the Hamlet Landscape Layout 108 CONCLUSION 114 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 115 REFERENCES 115 Chapter 8 LANDSCAPE ELEMENTS OF FENG SHUI VILLAGES—GREEN TREES AND MEANDERING ROADS 117 ABSTRACT 117 8.1. INTRODUCTION 117 8.2. METHOD AND SURVEY SITES 118 8.3. RESULTS 120 8.3.1. Landscape Elements and Geophysical Attributes 120 8.3.1.1. Forested Mountain and Village Houses 120 8.3.1.2. Roads 122 8.3.1.3. Sacred Sites and Spring Waters 123 8.3.2. Trees in Landscaping 125 8.3.3. Dimensions of Village Ho:Go 128 8.4. DISCUSSION 130 8.4.1. A Cultural Landscape Applied to Local Climate 130 8.4.2. Winding Roads 130 8.4.3. Continuous Forest Belts-Green Corridors 130 8.4.4. The Start of Fukugi Tree Landscape in Far Isolated Island 131 CONCLUSION 132 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 132 REFERENCES 133 Chapter 9 HOUSE-EMBRACING FUKUGI TREES ON SMALL ISOLATED ISLAND 135 ABSTRACT 135 9.1. INTRODUCTION 135 9.2. METHODS AND SURVEY SITE 136 9.3. GENERAL LAYOUT OF HOUSE-EMBRACING TREES 139 9.4. GENERAL LAYOUT OF RESIDENCES 139 9.5. FEATURES OF HOUSE- EMBRACING TREES 143 9.6. REGENERATION OF HOUSE-EMBRACING TREES 148 CONCLUSION 150 REFERENCES 151 Chapter 10 HOUSE-EMBRACING FUKUGI TREES IN A COASTAL VILLAGE 153 ABSTRACT 153 10.1. INTRODUCTION 154 10.2. THE GENERAL LAYOUT 158 10.3. ANALYSIS BY TYPE 161 10.4. DENSITY AND REGENERATION 162 10.5. ESTIMATED AGE OF TREES 165 REFERENCES 165 Chapter 11 HOUSE-EMBRACING FUKUGI TREES IN A VILLAGE ON THE MEDIUM-SIZED ISLAND—A CASE STUDY OF AGUNI ISLAND 167 ABSTRACT 167 11.1. INTRODUCTION 168 11.1.1. Feng Shui and National Policy 169 11.1.2. Ryukyu Island Feng Shui Village Landscape 169 11.1.3. House-Embracing Fukugi Trees 170 11.2. SURVEY SITE 171 11.3. Methods 172 11.4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 173 11.4.1. Layout of House-Embracing Fukugi Trees 173 11.4.2. Density and Regeneration 178 11.4.3. Management 179 CONCLUSION 180 REFERENCES 181 Chapter 12 DISTRIBUTION OF FUKUGI TREES IN OKINAWA GUNTŌ 183 ABSTRACT 183 12.1. INTRODUCTION 183 12.2. METHODOLOGY 185 12.2.1. Survey Sites D 185 12.2.2. Method 185 12.3. RESULTS 186 12.3.1. The Present Distribution of Huge Fukugi Trees in Okinawa Guntō 186 12.3.2. Fukugi Trees. Goban Pattern Village 194 12.3.3. Fukugi Trees in Sacred Sites 196 12.3.4. Fukugi Trees in Magiri Bansho (The Old Public Offices) 196 12.3.5. The Distribution of Fukugi Trees in a Village 199 CONCLUSION 201 12.4.1. Distribution of Big Remnant Fukugi Trees and Features of a Ryukyu Green Feng Shui Village 201 12.4.2. The Process of an Orderly Laid-out Hamlet in the Modern Ryukyuan Period 202 12.4.3. The Future of Fukugi Trees 203 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 203 REFERENCES 203 Chapter 13 DISTRIBUTION OF BIG FUKUGI TREES IN RYUKYU ISLANDS IN JAPAN 205 ABSTRACT 205 13.1. INTRODUCTION 205 13.2. METHODOLOGY AND SURVEY SITES 207 13.3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 208 13.3.1. Distribution of Fukugi Trees in Sakishima Islands 208 13.3.2. Distribution of Fukugi Trees in Amami Islands 215 13.3.3. Other Residence Woodlands in Amami Islands 217 13.3.4. Planted Forest Belt 218 13.3.5. Concerning Fukugi Trees 219 CONCLUSION 219 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 220 REFERENCES 220 Chapter 14 CONCLUSION 223 ABSTRACT 223 14.1. FEATURES OF ISLAND FENG SHUI VILLAGE LANDSCAPES—MULTILAYER FOREST BELTS AND MEANDERING VILLAGE ROADS 225 14.2. FENG SHUI FORESTS IN THE REAR HILL AND THE FRONT HO:GO 226 14.3. THE PRACTICAL USE OF TREE PLANTING IN AN ISLAND FENG SHUI VILLAGE 227 14.4. PREVALENT FUKUGI (GARCINIA SUBELLIPTICA MERR.) TREES 228 14.5. LAYOUT OF HOUSE-EMBRACING FUKUGI TREES 229 14.6. FEATURES OF HOUSE-EMBRACING FUKUGI TREES 230 14.7. WHEN WERE TRADITIONAL VILLAGES BUILT? 231 14.8. DISTRIBUTION OF BIG REMNANT FUKUGI TREES IN OKINAWA ISLANDS 232 14.9. DISTRIBUTION OF BIG REMNANT FUKUGI TREES IN RYUKYU ISLANDS 233 14.10. ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN THE FUTURE 233 REFERENCES 235 POSTSCRIPT 237 INDEX 241