User:Folifesyao/Izu-stone(Izushi)

Stone storehouses are common in the Izu Peninsula. Izu-stone(Izushi) is a stone widely found in the Izu region and was used mainly as a building material in the early modern and early modern periods. Most of the stone walls of Edo Castle, the largest castle in Japan, were transported from the Izu Peninsula.

What is Izu-Stone(Izushi)?
There are two main types of "Izuishi": solid andesite and soft tuff.

The andesitic Izu stone is fire-resistant and resistant to weathering.

Tuff is also fire-resistant, soft, easy to work and relatively light.

The Shizukiyama burial mound (Shizuoka City) contains a house-shaped sarcophagus made from Izu white tuff.

These sarcophagi made mainly of white stone and made of Izu tuff have been found since the sarcophagus of the Shizukiyama burial mound in the western foot of the Utoyama burial mound in the Shizuoka Plain, and are also known to have been distributed around the Tagata Plain, including the Kise River basin, in the 7th century.

In the 8th century, stone chests for cremated remains were made from the same material and placed in tombs on the west bank of the Kano River. These examples are noteworthy as examples of the establishment of masonry techniques for large stones made from Izu tuff.

At present (with the exception of stones from Kanagawa Prefecture such as komatsuishi) there are no stones from the Izu Peninsula, but the Izu-Wakasa stone, which was quarried until recently, has been recognised as a regional heritage site by Shizuoka Prefecture.

Because the geological Izu Peninsula includes western Sagami, such as Hakone and Manazuru, Izu-ishi is sometimes understood as another name for "Soshu-ishi" or "Komatsu-ishi", which is confusing because of its diversity and depth of history.

Historically, the name Izuishi came to be dominated by the construction of Edo Castle, which began in the Keicho era.

In the late Edo and Meiji periods, it was common knowledge that Izuishi was a soft stone of tuff type.

.The use of Izu soft stone reached its peak in the first half of the Meiji period, when it was used in large quantities in quasi-Western architecture.

It is no exaggeration to say that Izu stone has been used in almost all of Japan's major modern buildings, especially in Tokyo.

At present (with the exception of stones from Kanagawa Prefecture such as Komatsuishi), no Izu stones are produced from the Izu Peninsula, but Izu Wakakusaishi, a type of Izu stone that was quarried until recently, is recognized as a Shizuoka Prefecture Regional Heritage.

As of 2021, the Izu-Ishi Cultural Exploration Society, a voluntary organisation, has been active in researching, investigating and disseminating information about Izu-Ishi culture, with the aim of building a nationwide network.

Tumulus period (of Japanese history)
Since the Middle Ages, the Izu Peninsula, including Nishi-Sagami, has been a major supplier of stone to many regions.

Izu stone, in particular, was an indispensable stone for the construction of the town and the Tokugawa Edo Castle.

Most of the stones for the magnificent stonewalls were sourced from the volcanic areas from western Sagami to the coast of the Izu Peninsula, and transported by sea.

After being quarried in the mountains of Izu, the stones were towed from the mountains to the seaside and transported by sea, arriving in Edo (now Tokyo) where they were again towed through the streets of today's Ginza and Marunouchi to the construction sites.

The workforce consisted of a large number of feudal lords, peasants and day labourers, who were mobilised from the countryside and competed with each other to pull the stones.

Kamakura period (1185-1333 CE)
In the Middle Ages, Izu stone was used for stone pagodas, and was valued for its high quality pagodas such as five-ring pagodas and hoko-into pagodas in the coastal areas, inns and graveyards of Kamakura in the east, and in the west.

In Kamakura, unworked Izu stones have been found in the remains of the end of the 12th century, such as the foundation stones of Eifuku-ji and Shōchōjuin.

1467-1568 CE)
In the Warring States period, the Odawara-Hojo clan took control of the stonemasons in the Izu area, and 15 stonemasons from Izu-Hase were sent to work on the construction of Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine in Kamakura in 1534.

Early Modern Castles and the Recovery from the Great Fire
Edo Castle Honmaru Site and Izu-Stone Edo Castle with Izu-Stone It is thought that Izushi was quarried in the northern part of the Izu Peninsula, from Atami to Inatori on the east coast and from Numazu to Doi on the west coast, and transported to Edo and Sunpu from ports such as Shimotaga, Kamitaga, Usami, Inatori, Kawazu and Toda.

Izu stone is also known for its hard stones and was used for Sunpu Castle and Kunouzan in Shizuoka City.

The Takada Shiro family document of Ida, Numazu City, Ida Village "Village Report" for the Horeki, Meiwa and Bunka years records the location of the Mito Tokugawa family stone quarry and the Edo Sunpu Castle Imperial stone quarry.

The Hosoda family document also mentions "Suruga-sama Ochoba".

A local Murobushi family document near Shigeji Village, Numazu City, shows that in the Tenwa era, the family contracted stone cutting for Sunpu Castle, Kunouzan and Edo Castle from a merchant, and that they were described as the Suruga Tokugawa family in around Kanei 6, the Echizen Minimi in around Kanei 12, and "donated by the village" in Kyoho 14.

In 1857, there was the great fire of the Meiryeki era, and "Mukashi Mukashi Monogatari" (Tokyo City History Manuscript, Industrial Edition, No.4) says, "There was a great fire in the middle of the Meiryeki New Year, and the following year there was a great fire in the middle of the Meiryeki New Year.

In addition, the diary of the Odawara clan (Kanagawa Prefecture History, Document 4, Early Modern Period (1)) records that a memorandum was sent to Iwamura and Manazuru to secure 8,400 koku for the construction of the main castle at Edo Castle, which was destroyed by the great fire of Meireki.

The site of the Izu-stone quarry is one of the few sites of its size in Japan, stretching from Nishi-Sagami to the Izu Peninsula.

Former site of Izu-stone quarry
Many andesite Izu-Stone quarries were mined from cobble outcrops, and in the Izu-Stone quarries that operated throughout the Izu Peninsula from the medieval Kamakura period (1185-1333) to the early modern Edo period (1603-1868), quarry marks can often be seen as crater-like depressions where the cobbles visible on the surface were crushed and mined.

On the Izu Peninsula, where there are also large rocks, stones with arrow holes can be seen everywhere, and there are many stone quarries on the coast.

Many of the quarries of the tuffy Izu stone were used for the stone walls of Edo Castle, and played a part in shaping the urban structure of Edo and Tokyo from the mid-Edo period onwards.

Related topic

 * 伊豆半島
 * 江戸城
 * 石材
 * 室岩洞
 * 伊豆珪石