Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/38403

Twenty years have passed since the pottery with the written character "□" was unearthed at the Sakushu-Kotoni-Gawa Site on the campus of Hokkaido University. At that time, as regards the broken piece of pottery excavated, the author has endeavored to investigate that character "□" made on pottery in the ninth century, as being identical with the letter "夷", called the Emishi (蝦夷) in ancient Japan. After that, with the increase of similar materials mainly unearthed in many sites of the north eastern provinces and the eastern districts, several opinions have been published by investigators of ancient Japanese history and archaeology. As opposed to the written character "□" as being the very same as the letter "夷" (Emishi 蝦夷), some hold a different view, stating that the character "□" is a kind of mark, or a simpler form for the letter "奉", that inhabitants made when offering to their Gods. On the other side, some scholars offer an opinion that the incised or written character "□" on roofing tiles of the ancient temple and palace is the simplified letter "夷" of the Ubai (優婆夷), namely the Upasika of Sanskrit term. As regard these varying, the author indicates some doubtful points and arrives at the conclusion that the written or incised "□" on potteries and roofing tiles is same letter "夷" (Emishi) as postulated in the original research.