THE PLANNING CHARACTERISTICS OF THE UPPER-RANKED HATAMOTO HOUSES RELEVANT TO THE CLASS AND SOCIAL ORDER : A specific presentation of the room composition and interior decoration of Hatamoto Ikeda's house of the late Edo period

Abstract

This study analyses the planning of the main building and the room composition of the upper-ranked Hatamoto houses of the late Edo period through a review of a drawing of Hatamoto Ikeda's house. The strict order in the feudal society and the established formality of the ranks can be recognized not only in the overall layout but also in the room configuration and the interior decoration.