Study on the Multi-layered Characteristics of Water Culture in Relation to the Road Space

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1. This research adopts a point of view of "road" as a space that is composed of social and cultural elements. While there is a tendency for the modern high-way culture to become more and more dominant as far as the meaning of "road" is concerned, the "Pilgrimage Roads in Shikoku" still seem to keep on reproducing the social and cultural richness of "road." What we have attempted in this research is to analyze the idiosyncrasies of the space composition of the "Pilgrimage Roads in Shikoku" through various forms of "water" that intertwine with the road space. Especially noted upon were changes in the views towards water in terms of safety of water, commercialization of water, and water-related consumption culture or behavior patterns, and selection of certain locations as spots that provide high-quality water. Cross-weaving with these are the perspectives of different people alongside the Pilgrimage Roads with differing positions toward water. Through analyzing specific cases of 19 spot … More s in the entire Shikoku region, the cultural meaning of road space around the water spots being composed into multiple-layers has been elucidated.2. In FY 2001 research, potential survey subjects were extracted from the "Pilgrimage Roads in Shikoku" in its entirety as matrix of the following two elements: (1) Forms of water that compose the spatial spots along the "Pilgrimage Roads in Shikoku" (fountain water, water falls, rivers, ocean, etc.) and (2) types of components of Pilgrimage Roads (spaces at Buddhist temples associated with saints, transit space, and rest space, etc.) After conducting actual surveys, major spots as research subjects were selected. Then, in the latter half of FY 2001 and through FY2002, subject survey areas were visited by about 10 staffs for several times. In the surveys, historical reference materials have been collected and interviews were conducted with residents and people related to corporations, local governments and Buddhist temples associated with saints.3. As a result, various insights were obtained into the moments for the meaning of water as the contemporary culture along the Pilgrimage Roads in Shikoku to diversify into man layers or as moments that promote the changes in the meanings in them. Especially, we feel confident that it has been possible for us to shed light upon the fact that water, which once held important meanings in the life and religious faith of road-side residents, is changing its meaning as tradition, culture, and sightseeing resources, and that, at the same time, while these changes are taking place, water is not losing its original meanings whatsoever and, moreover, water is making it possible for people to reproduce the characteristics of the multiple layers of the cultural meanings of roads in relation to water. Less