Shijin Sōō 四神相応 in East Asia: An Urban or Private Site Selection Model?

This project is an investigation of a specific practice within site divination (fengshui) in which concrete natural or man-made landscape features are identified in each of the (cardinal) directions as contributing to a site's auspiciousness. According to some sources related to this practice, trees may act as substitutes for missing landscape features. It was my goal to elucidate whether this site selection practice was applied to settlements the size of a city or whether it was limited to divining the fortunes of private residences.