Wind Condition Analysis of Japanese Rural Landscapes in the 19th Century: A case study of Kichijoji village in Musashino Upland

Abstract

Woodlands in the traditional rural landscape of Japan are thought to have a role as windbreaks, among various functions. However, in previous studies, the windbreak effect of woodlands in early-modern settlements has not been quantitatively analyzed. To perform a quantitative analysis, computational fluid dynamics was used with a 3D reconstruction of the early-modern rural landscape of Kichijoji village in a suburb of Tokyo. The landscape was reconstructed based on historical records. The analysis showed that the woodland in Kichijoji village effectively reduced the speed of northbound and southbound winds in the fields. The results are consistent with the actual prevailing wind direction in this area. The purpose of this study was to determine a method and model to quantify the windbreak effect of woodlands in early-modern settlements.