Characteristics and diagnosing technology of biodegradation in wooden historical buildings A case study on Amida-do in Higashi Hongan-ji Temple in Kyoto

摘要

Most of the historical buildings in Japan involving temples, shrines, castles and houses are made of traditional timber frame constructions and they are often exposed to the risk of biodegradation such as decay and insect attack, mainly by termites and other wood attacking insects. The degradation becomes sometimes serious due to lack of proper maintenance system coupled with periodic and practical diagnose. It was often reported that the biodegradation affects the performance of the buildings to resist a severe earthquake. Amida-do in Higashi-Honganji Temple in Kyoto is one of the largest wooden Buddhist buildings in Japan. Results from the diagnosis of biodegradation in Amida-do were reviewed and the characteristics of biodegradation were summarized.