January 20, 2010

No.2 Digest

Kumagaya City KONAN Cultural Properties Center
329, Sendai, kumagaya, saitama, 360-0107 Japan http://www.kumagaya-bunkazai.jp/

We wish you a happy new year.
TOPICS
The traditional Folk-Performing Arts festival
November 29, there was held the 2nd times of the traditional Folk-Performing Arts
festival was held at the Konan cultural center. The event is composed by ８ groups(They are preserve and succeeded to the intangible folk-cultural properties in the city),
and 6 groups(They are brushed up public entertainments in the city) .
They were announcing wonderful of the Folk-Performing Arts to audiences. And, thepanel exhibition of the intangible folk-cultural properties was held in the same place.
The performances of the event were telecasted by the news of NHK.

The special exhibition of the Suwanoki, Iizuka and Iizuka Minami saites
The special exhibition of the Suwanoki sites has been held in the Cultural Properties Center now.
The Suwanoki sites are overlapped many period of sites. It located in the end of Kumagaya alluvial
fan. The main of this exhibition is the one that the preservation processing ended in the woodproducts that has been excavated voluminously.
Additionally, the relic of Iizuka and Iizuka Minami both sites have been exhibited in the special
exhibition space set up of the Kumagaya library. Both sites are in the Menuma region, and include
important material at time when the cultivation of rice was begun.

Feature Article 1
What is the KONAN Cultural Properties center?
The KONAN Cultural Properties Center was set up based on the concept "It touched, it knew, and made it" in2007. The center does work to protect cultural properties such as sites, the old tomb, buildings, and theFolk-Performing Arts, and is doing various works of the information sending and the enlightening activity, etc as acultural properties protection base.

City excavation information
Maenakanishi sites
The excavation in Maenakanishi sites has been executed since 1996 fiscal year.
And, the second investigation was executed from November through January in2009 fiscal year.
This investigation found the settlement mark of Yayoi Era, and a large amountof Yayoi earthenware, "Jar", "Pot", "chipped stone axe", and arrowhead made of
the stone from the habitation site.
Dwelling site of nishi Beppu sites
An urgent investigation according to the individual house construction was executed in west Beppu(Pavilion mark of NishiBeppu site) from September through October. On this investigation, pit dwelling of the Nara -Heian era and pit burial of the
Heian era were discovered.
In hearth (kamado) in the habitation site of the Nara era, the tile (It is assumed that it had been used for the Nishi Beppu
dilapidated temple that had been shortly suited) was excavated. And Grave goods were found in the nearby grave.

Serials
Protection activity of buried cultural properties
Chapter 2 Trial excavation method
Trial excavation is usually done for the area where will be developed. Purpose is to investigate existing of ruins, the depth ofruins if exist. After it digs up the trench, investigators judge the presence of sites by tan argillaceous that is called a loamy layerof the Kanto region.

Reports
The events of Saitama inhabitant’s day
In November 14, that was Saitama inhabitants day, the event related to cultural properties were held at several place in thecity, the obsavation of site excursion – Shotenzan －Kangiin in the Menuma area, the comma-shaped bead-making experienceat the cultural properties center, And the tea ceremony was held in the place of scenic beauty Seikeien, that was received
Rissho University Urasenke club and the Kumagaya girls' high school and the Kumagaya west high school cooperation. Many
people to whom it came including the student child were enjoying usually deliberately tasting experienced not muchopportunity of "Tea" at the chance.

Kumagaya City designated cultural properties investigation－Shibata-ke-shoin(traditional architecture study room) and Suwa Shrine in Kamishinden－
In December, The investigation of existing circumstance was executed in the Shibata-ke-shoin and Suwa Shrinein the Kamishinden that was the city designated cultural properties. In the Shibata-ke-shoin, it was built at aposition away from the main building with the Japanese rock garden at the middle of Edo period. Many
appearances of the building construction and the roof have been preserved since the made time.
Suwa Shrine was constructed in middle term of Edo, and rebuilt at the Edo latter term. It is assumed that theconstruction of the Shrine was made by the carpenter and the engraver who built Shotenzan－Kangiin in
Menuma. In the current state, distortion of the structure, and the fall of the material and flaking off of the color
are appeared.

The depth investigation of Seikeien’s "Tamanoike" pond
In December, Depth of "Tamanoike" pond at the center of the circuit style garden Seikeien (place of scenic
beauty) was investigated. It was executed by snorkeling to understand the current state of the city designatedcultural properties, and to confirm depth for the water circulation pump repair scheduled in the future. As a result,the position and the distribution of a deep parts and a shallow it were able to be understood.
Heritage Pilgrimage－Miyatsuka tomb
The Miyatsuka tomb is unusual shapes “Mounded tomb with dome-shaped
knoll on a square base”, and was specified for a sites designated as a national
historical relic site in 1956. This is shape that Emperor's family and powerfulclans adopted.
The tomb is located in the Hirose mounded tomb cluster located in thenatural levee in the Arakawa River’s left bank. A round diameter above the old tomb is about 10m. The lower
vicinity of the west is 24m. The lower vicinity of the east is 17m. The height is 4.15m. The time of construction isthought to be about the seventh end of the century (About the close of the Kofun period).
Cultural Properties Column
Encounter with ancient times 2
Tomb that soars on the ground－Shio mounded tomb cluster
This column draws details of the change of the form understanding of the tombthat from keyhole-shaped mounded tomb to keyhole tomb with quadrangular rearmound.

Feature Article 2
What is the Kumagaya web museum?
A digital museum that aimed to open it to the public on archives of material (record preservation) and theInternet is established one after another as "Museum" different from the museum that actually exists now.
The Konan cultural Properties center establishes with homepage "Cultural Properties of Kumagaya" and"Kumagaya web museum" that has been managed has a big possibility for such digital museum construction.

January
January
20,20,
2010
2010Kumagaya
Kumagaya
CulturalCultural
Properties
Properties
Information
Information
Kumagaya City KONAN Cultural Properties Center
KumagayaCity KONAN
Properties（Boardof Education
SocialCultural
Education
DivisionCenter
Conservation of Cultural Properties Unit）（Boardofkumagaya,
Education Social
Education
Division
329,
Sendai,saitama,
360-0107
Japan Conservation of Cultural Properties Unit）
329, Sendai,kumagaya,saitama,
360-0107 JapanTELL
048-536-5062
FAX
048-536-4575
TELL
048-536-5062 FAX 048-536-4575
Mailc-bunkazai@city.kumagaya.lg.jp
Mail c-bunkazai@city.kumagaya.lg.jp
Homepage：[CulturalProperties of Kumagaya] http://www.kumagaya-bunkazai.jp/
Homepage：[Culturalof Kumagaya]
http://www.kumagaya-bunkazai.jp/[Kumagaya Properties
web museum]
http://www.kumagaya-bunkazai.jp/museum/index.htm[Kumagaya
web museum] http://www.kumagaya-bunkazai.jp/museum/index.htm: Translated by Yamashita
Yuki