The salt-manufacture by the traditional method in Japan had developed special building types. Though the buildings of those types had been existent on the almost whole seacoasts of Japan until the early twentieth century, they have mostly disappeared at present. The main buildings in the traditional saltworks were the furnace-hut, where dense salt water was boiled up for crystal salt, and the storehouse of dense salt water which had been made in the salt pan. The furnace-hut had five remarkable building types as follows : A. The most primitive type; -the furnace-hut of this type had a domical or a conical structure made of bamboo or twigs. B. The type of structure with principal rafters; -this type of buildings were constructed only with principal rafters and without perpendicular side walls and inside pillars. It was popular generally in the Northeast and Kyushu districts. C. The type of structure with rows of inside pillars or with ridge-supporting-pillars; -this type was the reinforced one of the type B and not so popular. The furnace-hut with the ridge-supporting-pillars in Ise district was most unique. D. The type of structure with four inside pillars; -in this type, four pillars and four beams composed a cubic main frame which was covered with a hipped roof surmounted by a smaller gable roof. The plan was nearly square and surrounded by perpendicular walls. This type prevailed throughout the Inland Sea district where the traditional salt-manufacture was prosperous till the mid twentieth century, and had intimate relation to the primitive ironworks building in the nearby districts. E. The type of structure with beams and principal rafters; -this type of buildings were constructed with beams surmounted by principal rafters and without any inside pillars. It was popular in Noto district and might be the product of influence by the contemporary farmhouse. The storehouse of dense salt water, on the other hand, consisted of the underground tank and the covering roof. The structural types of the roof were various, e. g. being constructed only with principal rafters, or with beams and principal rafters, or with beams and pillars which were set up from the bottom of the tank. The traditional saltworks architecture, generally speaking, has remarkable characteristics distinguished from other architectural fields such as the dwelling, and is worthy of further study as in the cases of other Japanese primitive industry architecture.

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