Remaining condition and roof ridge orientation of machiya in Ibaraki Prefecture

Expanded basic survey by web mapping

Abstract

Roof ridge orientation of machiya(traditional merchant house) is a key element of streetcape.As the number of machiya has been decreasing in recent years,basic survey is urgently needed.Furthermore,because the direction of roof ridge may change within a narrow area,it is necessary to conduct a nationwide investigation on a per-settlement basis.This research is targeted at Ibaraki Prefecture.It also looks at remaining condition of machiya in major district of each settlement.Based on historical documents such as old maps and provincial maps of Japan(Edo period), a simple and wide-area survey was conducted using the Internet map function. As a result, 517 machiya buildings were found in 36 villages. The roof ridge orientation of machiya was found to have a similar trend throughout Ibaraki Prefecture. In addition, there were many townhouses with "storehouses" and townhouses with door bags at both ends of the second floor windows.