Japanese Dwellings Research Articles

A Comparative Study of Chinese and Japanese Dwellings No.1 : About the Space of the Japanese Dwelling(THE 31ST ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE JSD)

A Comparative Study of Chinese and Japanese Dwellings No.1 : About the Space of the Japanese Dwelling(THE 31ST ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE JSD)

「わがヤド」-花鳥風月的住宅観の成立 : その 2・「わがヤド」と花鳥風月的住宅観

"Waga Yado" is an idiom which stands for "my residence" in Japanese language. This idiom creates a problem in the history of Japanese dwelling house because when this idiom was evolved. The word "Yado" meant etymologically not a "house" i.e."Ya" but an "outer-space" i.e."To" or even an "openning" i.e. "To" of a building ("Ya") in ancient Japan. To determine precisely the age, and the process through which this idiom was evolved, the author researched this word thoroughly in the four areas of literature completed in the 8th century ("Kojiki", "Nippon Shoki", "Fudoki", and "Manyoshu"). He discovered about 120 words in "Manyoshu", an anthology of about 4, 500 poems of ancient Japan, and determined the following points. 1. The first poem which has "Waga Yado" was composed in the reign of Emperor Tenchi (662-671 A. D.), though this "Waga Yado" did not mean "my residence" at the time. 2. In several poems composed in 730 A. D., we clearly find that the idiom had been incorporated into the language. 3. Upon comparing these instances with other "Waga Yado" before 730 A. D., the author found that the first "Waga Yado" which stands for "my residence" occurred in the poem by Prince Fozumi composed in the beginning of the 8th century. At the same time, the author found that the 8th century poems which have "Waga Yado" in "Manyoshu" always speak of plants in a garden such as "Hagi (bush clover)", "Tachibana (orange)", "Ume (plum)", "Nadeshiko (wild pink)", etc., or the Moon, Birds, Wind and the like. So we can say that the expression "Yado" i.e. "residence" is always found up in those poems with the "petit and intimate beauties of Nature". On the other hand, one of the most traditional characteristics of the history of Japanese dwelling house was that the dwelling house always had a garden in which the householderes could live with and enjoy "petit and intimate Nature". This carried throughout history untill the 19th century. Another problem in the history is when this tradition actually began. In conclusion, it is the opinion of the author that the evolution or the invention of the idiom "Waga Yado" coincides with the formation of this "Nature" tradition in the history of the Japanese dwelling house.

貫前神社の本殿と仮殿 (後篇)

We have scarcely any information about the temporary shrine of Nukisaki-jinja for eight centuries after that built in 1025 A.D. (see Part 1). Only we have a record about building of the temporary shrine built in 1800 A.D.. According to the record, the temporary shrine was built of logs, bamboo and straw rope, and both the roof and the wall were thatched. The posts were erected upon the dug pits and higher three posts supported the ridge in the similar way as in the temporary shrine of 1025 A.D.. There was the upper floor and it installed the seats of the gods alike to the existing main shrine. But the ground floor was not so important as in the existing main shrine, judging from the conditions of its floor and the stairs. These features suggest that the building of the temporary shrine had originally adopted a form of the primitive Japanese dwelling, which would have a single high floor and have an entrance and a ladder on a gable-side. The temporary shrine afterwards, built every twelve years, have followed the preceding form, in spite of some reduction and modernization. Still in the latest temporary shrine, built in 1968, all posts were erected upon the dug pits and the center post (Shin-no-mihashira) supported the ridge actually. These astonishing adherent characters largely contribute to the history of Japanese ancient architecture.

住宅の規模分布 (5) : 種数別・及び室数について

On the distribution of roomsise in Japan classified by the number of rooms, there is the minimum ratio in dwellings of 2 or 3 rooms, and it's grade is very small especially in public rental dwellings. The 58% of all our dwellings are under 6 tatami (≒9.5m^2) per one room, and in public rental dwellings, it up to 85%, (in the case of 3-room public rental dwellings, it shows 98%). Japanese average number of rooms is 3.82 per one dwelling, this ratio is not so small in comparison with the other advanced nations, but it's standard deviation (1.9 rooms) is comparatively largest one. Such tendencies may be caused either by difference of the measurement method of each units, or by the existing large gap between the upper and the lower, or both. I hope the uniformity of the measurement for the international comparison in such study. There is no difinition of lower limit in the research of Japanese dwelling room areas.

8020 日本古代住居の系統論について二三の問題 : (その2・日本人の人種論について)

8020 日本古代住居の系統論について二三の問題 : (その2・日本人の人種論について)

20 南西諸島のサス構造

In this transaction, we have treated the "Sasu (Principal rafter) construction" of the south-western islands of Japan, including Osumi, Tokara, Amami and Loo-choo islands. The roof constructions of these islands are able to bs divided into 4 characteristic types, corresponding to the 4 types of the dwelling houses of this area. They are: 1) Sakishima type. The Sakishima islands are situated at the southern-most of Loo-choo. The roof construction of this district is "Nakabashira (central-post) construction", and not Sasu-construction, showing peculiarity among Japanese dwelling houses. 2) Okinawa type. From Okinawa to the southern parts of the Amami, a kind of Sasu construction is predominated. It is very simple and far from the perfect Sasu construction. It is supposed that this type was brought forth from the Nakabashira construction, being influenced from Sasu construction of the north province. 3) Amami type. This type is nearer to the perfect Sasu construction. From Tokunoshima to Oshima main island, we can find the construction of this type. 4) Hondo type. This is the perfect Sasu construction of the main Japan, including Kyushu proper. In Osumi, this type can be found. From architectural and geographical investigations, we can conclude that the Sasu construction of these islands was introduced from north, namely from Kyushu proper, and its prototype is Nakabashira construction.

3) 北支に於ける邦人住宅の現状

3) 北支に於ける邦人住宅の現状

4) 北支に於ける邦人住宅の實例

4) 北支に於ける邦人住宅の實例

1) 中世住宅建築にみられる建具の發展

1) 中世住宅建築にみられる建具の發展