Asuka

It was also written as Asuka, Ansuka, Yasuyado, etc. The most well-known location is in the southeastern part of the Nara Basin, currently Asuka Village, Takaichi District, Nara Prefecture. There are also ten other "Asuka" locations in Nara Prefecture, three each in Osaka Prefecture and Kyoto Prefecture, two in Gifu Prefecture, Nagasaki Prefecture, Hiroshima Prefecture, Wakayama Prefecture, Mie Prefecture, Shizuoka Prefecture, Tokyo, Yamagata Prefecture, Aomori Prefecture, etc. There is a theory that the sound "Asuka" originated from the Korean pronunciation of Ansuku, but it is thought to be the prefix "a" added to Suka (Suga) = Joji.

In ancient times, Asuka in Yamato referred to the east bank of the Asuka River, and relics from the Yayoi culture were already found there, but it was only in the latter half of the 5th century that development of the gray-brown and yellow-brown soils began. This is thought to have been achieved using northern dry-paddy farming techniques, and it was the Soga clan and others who further promoted this development. From then on, the area around the Asuka River became the main stage for the formation of the ancient unified nation. The first royal palace of the Yamato state was located in Asuka, beginning with the legendary Tootsu Asuka Palace (Emperor Ingyo), followed by Chikatsu Asuka no Yatsuri Palace (Emperor Kenso), Asuka Okamoto Palace (Emperor Jomei), Asuka Itabuki Palace (Emperor Kogyoku), Go-Asuka Okamoto Palace (Emperor Saimei), Asuka Kawahara Palace (same), and Asuka Kiyomihara Palace (Emperor Tenmu). In addition, Toyura Palace (Emperor Suiko), Oharida Palace (same), and Tanaka Palace (Emperor Jomei), all located on the west bank of the Asuka River, are sometimes added. Many immigrants lived in the surrounding area, and the culture that emerged here from the end of the 6th century to the mid-7th century is known as the Asuka culture.

[Teiji Kadowaki]

"Asuka-shi" by Koichi Sato (1944, Tenri Jihosha)" ▽ "Asuka" by Teiji Kadowaki (NHK Books)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

明日香、安須加、安宿などとも書かれた。もっともよく知られるのは、奈良盆地の南東部、現在の奈良県高市(たかいち)郡明日香村。「あすか」の地は、ほかに奈良県で10か所、大阪府、京都府で各3か所、岐阜県で2か所、長崎県、広島県、和歌山県、三重県、静岡県、東京都、山形県、青森県などにもある。「あすか」の音のおこりは、安宿の朝鮮音アンスクから転訛(てんか)したとの説もあるが、スカ（スガ）＝浄地にアの接頭語がついたものとみられる。

　大和(やまと)の飛鳥は、古代には飛鳥川の東岸をいい、すでに弥生(やよい)文化の遺物も認められるが、灰褐色、黄褐色土壌群に開発が進んだのは5世紀後半以来であった。これには北方系の乾田農法の技術が用いられたとみられ、この開発をさらに推し進めたのは蘇我(そが)氏を中心とする人々であった。以後、飛鳥川の流域一帯が、古代統一国家形成の主舞台となった。飛鳥に大和国家の王宮が置かれたのは、伝承的な遠飛鳥宮(とおつあすかのみや)（允恭(いんぎょう)天皇）を最初とし、近飛鳥八釣(ちかつあすかのやつり)宮（顕宗(けんそう)天皇）、飛鳥岡本宮（舒明(じょめい)天皇）、飛鳥板蓋(いたぶき)宮（皇極(こうぎょく)天皇）、後飛鳥岡本宮（斉明(さいめい)天皇）、飛鳥川原宮（同）、飛鳥浄御原(きよみはら)宮（天武(てんむ)天皇）である。これに飛鳥川西岸の豊浦(とゆら)宮（推古(すいこ)天皇）、小墾田(おはりだ)宮（同）、田中宮（舒明天皇）などを加えていう場合もある。周辺には渡来人も多く住み、この地で創出された6世紀末から7世紀中葉過ぎまでの文化を飛鳥文化という。

［門脇禎二］

『佐藤小吉著『飛鳥誌』（1944・天理時報社）』▽『門脇禎二著『飛鳥』（NHKブックス）』

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