Regional Characteristics on Design and Device of Buffer Zone at Traditional Farmer’s Houses in Chubu area, Japan

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to investigate the elements used in the composition of the buffer zone of traditional farmer’s houses and to clarify that the form and design expressed as the buffer zone are adapted to the climate. The subjects were 114 houses in 8 prefectures in the Chubu region from the middle of the Edo period to the beginning of the Meiji period. The elements of the buffer zone were the porch Engawa, the wet edge Nure-en, the earth edge Tsuchi-en, the eaves Dobisashi, the doorway, the opening, and the wall. The frequency of appearance of these elements and the ratio to the front length were analyzed. As climate data, the authors used data on precipitation, temperature, wind speed, sunshine duration, and snow cover at four observatories in each prefecture. A cluster analysis was performed on the data of the housing buffer zone by prefecture. Yamanashi prefecture, which is adjacent to Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures on the Pacific side, was classified into one group, Nagano prefecture and Gifu prefecture located in the Chubu Mountains, and Toyama prefecture, Ishikawa prefecture, and Niigata prefecture on the Sea of Japan side. Classification results showing regional characteristics were obtained. A cluster analysis was conducted on climate data by prefecture. This classification result of climate almost corresponded to the classification of houses. It could be shown that the installed buffer zone of traditional houses is adapted to the local climatic conditions.