A Geograhpical Study of Rural Houses in Western Japan: Their Roofs

Abstract

i) In terms of geography, the rural house, especially its roof, is an important key to approach a settlement structure. The roof of a rural house differs from one area to another, as it reflects conditions as well as the specific way of living of the people of an area. It is possible to grasp the typical regional character in the type of roof and arrangement of rooms; also, the dynamic change of life in a rural area, such as pervasion of the use of roof-tiles and the rise and fall of silkworm culture, can be made clear through the roof-type and its change. The present writer chooses the whole Western Japan an object, examines the distribution of several roof-types, and courses of their circulation, and tries to make clear settlement structures as seen through the roofs. ii) Roofing material: More isolated mountain or island villages use more thatched or shingle roofs. Tiled roofs are widely used in industrialized areas; they show the tendency to spread from suburban areas into mountain areas with the development of urbanization and traffic. This tendency will grow stronger in future. Different roof-tiles are used between each area, reflecting local conditions: the tile-guard and the Iwami red tile in the snowy area of the northern parts (although not so wide spread as in the Tohoku and Hokuriku Districts); windbreaks in the seacoast area (especially in the Pacific Coast). Chinese red tiles in Okinawa are interesting as showing foreign influences. To a large extent, roofing material is conditioned by economic backgrounds. © 1958, The Human Geographical Society of Japan. All rights reserved.