The houses of common people in cities in the Meiji (1868-1912) and Taisho (1912-1926) periods were of two different types, having developed respectively from the houses of chonin (townsman) and samurai (warrior) stiyles in the Edo era (1600-1868). Progress in urbanization during the two periods influenced the development. Tukudajima was the dwelling area of the chonin and was urbanized in the Edo era. Small and medium size houses had been built on rectangular lots 2 or 3 ken (12-18 feet) wide. This report descrives the changes that occurred in floor plan, equipment and structure of houses in the Meiji and Taisho periods, based on 27 houses built from late Edo era to early Showa (1926-) and still standing in Tkudajima. I. The History of Tukudajima Tukudajima was an island in Edo (now Tokyo) Bay which was created from reclaimed land in 1644. It was a fishing village until the beginning of the Showa period. The changes in land use, the development of the water and gas services, and the fluctuation in population are presented in Chapter I. II. The Houses in Tukudajima The method of research conducted from July, 1977 to September, 1978 and two typical houses from each of the Meiji and Taisho periods are descrived in Chapter II. III. The Types of Plans and the Changes In Chapter HI changes in the floor plans and in the cross sections of the house are analyzed. Alterations in the composition of the front rooms, omotedoma (front unfloored room), genkan (main entrance), and kitchen are re-viewed. Many floor plans had no opening on either side of the house. The 27 houses are divided into six types based on certain aspects of their front room composition. The formation called omotedaidoko, which appeared in the early Meiji period, was the earliest of these and was characterized by the kitchen being in the omotedoma. After a time, the genkan was built in the front part of the house and the kitchen was moved to the back. The types of cross section are divided into four. The process of change developed from there being only one front room on the second floor in the early Meiji period. The room for the head of the household was also later situated on the second floor in the back, so there were then two independent rooms on that floor, one in front and one in back. Full second floor houses appeared in the Taisho period. IV. Changes in House Equipment In the early Meiji period in Tukudajima, most Japanese alcoves (tokonomd) were installed in the back room on the first floor, thereafter, they were made on the second floor. The combination of tokonoma and built-in staggered shelves (tigaidana) began in the Taisho period. Stairs were built in the front part of the houses in early Meiji, and thereafter, in the back part. In latter Taisho, the. Stairs in the back were connected to a corridor, and all the rooms were connected by this corridor and stairs. V. The Structural Changes in the Front Part of Houses Structural parts related to the design of the front part of the house are descrived in Chapter V. Dasigetazukuri was a typical eave structure seen in Tokyo on the front of pre World War TJ wooden houses which faced the street. Hitomibari was a beam on the surface of the front wall up the entrance. These types of structures began to be used after 1912 only for design. VI. Development of a Guest Room on the Second Floor The second floor room was used mainly as a storeroom or servant's room until early Meiji. With increased spase, these rooms came to be used for the family and, with installation of the tokonoma, as guest rooms. In the latter years of Taisho, it was possible for a guest to go to his room without going through the family rooms, because of the connection provided by the corridor and stairs from the main entrance to the second floor, Thus the second floor increasingly was used for guests. VJ. Characteristics and Changes of omotedaidako 1) The characteristics of omotedaidoko

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