東アジアの星図作図様式と水運儀象台の原寸復元 (The study of the history of mathematics 2016)

Abstract

I was engaged in the project of full scale restoration of the Shuiyun yixiang-tai (水運儀象台) which was a composite facility of clock tower and astronomical observatory built at Kaifun (開封) of the capital of the Northern Song (北宋) Dynasty. I analyzed some old star maps in East Asia, for example, those contained in the Xin yixiang fayao (新儀象法要). The rectangular star maps were drawn in accordance with the cylindrical equidistant projection, and the circular star maps were drawn in accordance with the azimuthal equidistant projection. I applied the result mentioned above, I determined the position of these stars on the surface of a Celestial globe in the Shuiyun yixiang-tai. I also applied the same method to the ceiling star map of the Kitora burial mound in Japan, and estimated the latitude where the original drawing of the star map of Kitora was made.