A research on the small attached buildings of goshi properties in the historic settlement of Iriki fumoto, Japan

Abstract

This paper aims to examine the spatial composition of the small attached buildings in Iriki Fumoto, the most well preserved historic settlement of the Goshi (the persons who usually engaged in farming and sometimes worked as warriors in the Edo period) in Kagoshima domain, Japan, and to consider one of the historic residential properties from a socio-spatial perspective. Specifically, it deals with the stables and outside bath-well houses, which are expected to reflect their characters as farmers, with regard to the building layouts and design principles. Firstly, the authors investigate the building layout of the Goshi properties in the district to reveal two contrasting areas; the official public architecture of the warrior's residence and the private architecture of the farmer. Then, they look into the building plans in detail, including stables, and outside bath-well houses. Here, the principle of arrangement of the rooms will be clarified for the existing 15 stables and 13 outside bath-well houses. In addition, the authors also consider the plans of the stables and outside bath-well houses with regard to their size, area of cattle booths and components to reveal the design process and planning characteristics. In conclusion, the results of the above studies will be summarized, referring to the architectural value of these heritage sites.