Ancient houses

The earliest houses in Japan were the pit houses of the Jomon period (before 300 BC). These were constructed by digging a round or rectangular pit in the ground, erecting poles inside it, and fitting a framework for a roof that could be thatched with reeds, grass, or similar plant material. A fireplace was constructed inside for cooking. Providing a place to sleep that was protected from the elements, these pit houses represent the archetype of the houses we live in today. Later, in the Yayoi period (300 BC–250 AD), houses with floors raised off the ground began to appear. Such stilt houses provided protection against flooding and vermin.

Shinden-zukuri /Shoin-zukuri

In the Heian Period (794–1185), the shinden-zukuri style emerged. The homes of aristocrats were built around a shinden hall, linked to other rooms by corridors, with a pond constructed outside, to the south. Rooms were rectangular boxes partitioned by moveable furniture such as free-standing byobu screens and hanging sudare blinds. Later, the emergence of the samurai in the Muromachi period (1336–1573) made shoin-zukuri the mainstream style of residential architecture, centered on a reception room for meeting visitors and entertaining guests. Sliding paper screens such as opaque fusuma and translucent shoji were used for partitioning. Having the floor covered with tatami matting, this design can be seen as the origin of today’s Japanese-style rooms. Shoheiga, paintings on partitions and screens, became very sophisticated, emphasizing the dignity of the high-status residents.

Sukiya /Chashitsu

From around the middle of the 15th century, advances in carpentry skills and aesthetics led to the emergence of refined dwelling spaces with spaces and features designed according to the occupant’s preferences. Sukiya was the name given to a house that strongly reflected the tastes and likes of its owner, coming from the word Suki, meaning taking delight in elegant things. The development of the tea ceremony, which found beauty in quiet simplicity instead of luxury and splendor, resulted in the construction of the chashitsu (tearoom), which has become a symbol of Japanese-style minimalism.

Minka

Until the Muromachi period (1336–1573), common people lived in pit houses, but from the Kamakura period (1185-1333) onwards, architecture constructed around posts embedded directly into the earth became popular and continued to evolve. These minka, or folk houses, were broadly categorized into noka (farmhouses) and machiya (town houses). Noka were adapted for agricultural work, and typically incorporated an indoor earth-floored area with a kamado cooking range. Stables were constructed alongside. Machiya were constructed in densely-populated districts, bringing living and working quarters together in the same building. Plots were narrow, with a tori-niwa passage leading from the front of the house through to the rear, where living areas and storehouses were situated.

Collective housing

The concentration of Japan’s population into urban areas began during the Edo period (1603–1868), but was greatly accelerated by the postwar industrial recovery. As a mountainous country with relatively little flat land, large numbers of collective housing projects were constructed to secure living space. Ordinary Japanese people came to live in these homes with standard-size living spaces calculated by analyzing typical lifestyles. Today, there are growing efforts to reform the collective housing stock and convert it into spaces suitable for contemporary living.

Single-family houses

Japanese people also have a strong preference for detached, single-family housing, and areas with large numbers of similar houses are a familiar sight. However, even families that are not wealthy are likely to have an architect design their house, and there are many examples of unique houses cleverly planned to fit small plots. This is considered to be one of the reasons that Japan is so successful at nurturing talented architects.

Contemporary houses

Many Japanese architects first distinguish themselves by designing houses. After studying architecture independently, Tadao Ando became famous for his Row House in Sumiyoshi. Similarly, architectural historian Terunobu Fujimori gained a reputation as an architect after designing his own house, the Tanpopo House (Dandelion House). The approach to living implied by houses like these can be as innovative as the architecture. Such individual houses can perhaps be seen as an expression of Japan’s desires for the future.

Huts

The hut was originally considered to be a rough, temporary dwelling, but interest in huts and tiny houses is growing. In addition to pointing out that the minimum necessary living space is actually quite small, the saying that “a person needs only half a tatami mat worth of space when awake, but a full tatami mat when asleep” hints at the dignity of compact living and the concept of honorable poverty. The sense of finding beauty in a minimal space may be unique to Japan, but the pleasure of being in isolation, surrounded by nature, is still strong today.