House Types in the Senboku District, Northeastern Japan

Abstract

In the Senboku District which comprises northern part of the Yokote Basin and its surrounding area, Akita Prefecture in northeastern Japan, we still find some examples of the traditional L-shaped houses called Magariya. These L-shaped houses are in many ways similar to the L-shaped houses distributed in Iwate Prefecture, the so-called Nanbumagariya, and are usually considered to be descended from these. In other areas close to this region, however, it is known that there is another type of L-shaped houses called Chumonzukuri. In this paper the author has tried to clarify the distribution of Magariya and its subtypes in the Senboku District and to consider its cultural relationphip to the areas in which are distributed the Nanbumagariya and Chumonzukuri.In order to investigate the house type distribution, the author has used mainly old house plans which were plotted by local admistrative offices. In addition to this material he has made a field suryey and various interviews for this study.The typology of house types, especially Magariya types shown in Fig. 2, was used to illustrate regionality in house types and some distribution maps for each type were drawn.Many types of Magariya considered to be descended from the Nanbumagariya are distributed thoroughout the Senboku District, but the proportion of Magariya is higher in the northern area than in the southern. Some houses in this region, however, can be inferred to be descended from Chumonzukuri, and this type occurs predominantly along the southern border of this region and in the northern fringe, such as in Tamagawa Village (ref. Fig. 12)From this distributional pattern of house types a following hypothesis referring to cultural diffusion can be assumed. Namely, the cultural elements of Chumonzukuri descent have diffused from the southern distrct to the northern periphery of the Senboku District, and later those of Nanbu origin were introduced from the Nanbu District via the Sengan-Pass and gradually became widespread over the greater part of the Senboku District. This assumption is the product of purely geographical observation without any historical or architectural evidence and it will therefore be necessary to make further examinations.