OLD JAPANESE HOUSE, YOSHINO

In mid-March, I got an e-mail from Mr. Matsuda, the expert of the local authority, suggesting adding the annex for tea ceremony in our premises as an “Oyodo Legacy” site upon approval by the selection board, mainly consisting of local residents. As we found last March, the tea house was supposedly built by Mr. Sakujiro OKITA , the godfather of the town. Some investigation is conducted on the occasion of the centennial of the town as of a municipal organization. OYODO LEGACY Since 2016FY, the municipal government selects the local legacy, both tangible and intangible, as “Oyodo legacy” (80 in number as of April 2020). The legacy is expected to be preserved, used, and taken over to the next generation, in cooperation with residents. The local governments itself established the framework as its own effort. It’s supposed to be more flexible than Designated/Registered Cultural Properties (see previous post ), managed by the Agency for Cultural Affairs, i.e. the Cultural department wit...

This is a story on how to deal with unnecessary but memorable stuff. As my uncle shifted away from the house gradually, the furniture and household goods remain as they were. My uncle and his wife felt, and feel, reluctant to throw them out as garbage. Maybe because it’s a pain in the neck, but in the first place, they have fond memories of any goods. Particularly, a heap of Kimono was keepsakes from my great-grandma and grandma, but the kimono clothes looked easier to reuse than other secondhand goods, so I, with my uncle and his wife, sought to find a second life of these kimonos.    However, we had to start with heavy labor, that is, to open the chest of drawers. In a decade, moisture and weight deformed the wooden materials, and each drawer lost its rectangle shape slightly. Anyway, we opened the drawers finally and got Kimono in two big cardboard boxes.  Examples of our Kimonos Kimono Drawers KIMONO AND THE INDUSTRY The kimono is a traditional Japanese garment. The ...

Almost all the relatives met up at the Yoshino house at the occasion of “ Obon ”. No one lives at the house, and they lives in neighboring areas or around Tokyo. It’s not a typical “ Obon ” story, but I wrote up what it’s like as an example.   “ OBON ”, A FAMILY REUNION HOLIDAY Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom for commemorating one's ancestors. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years. Through the course of mass-migration into Tokyo, the custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. It falls on several dates around August 15 each year. It’s not statutory holidays, but a lot of people take days off. Meanwhile, a lot of festivals including traditional dance events are held in every region of the country, so long-distance express (Shinkansen) and airline flights are crowded, and the expres...

In Japan, increasing abandoned houses are a social problem, and people seek new owners or users. But in most cases, the first hurdle towards the renovation of old Japanese houses is clean-up and disposal of the household goods and interiors. Most owners who abandon properties leave them without cleanup, as it takes enormous time and effort, and despite that, the act produces nothing. Like many other cases, my uncle shifted away from the house gradually, leaving the furniture and household goods as they were. Partly because they are busy, but they have fond memories of any goods, and feel reluctant to throw them out as garbage. However, already 20 years have passed since the death of my great grandma, and now it’s time to deal with them. THE HANDYMAN INDUSTRY IN JAPAN When cleaning up the vacant house, we occasionally call handymen. There are countless handyman companies across Japan, from self-employed handymen to nationwide franchising companies. Mainly they do household chores in...

In mid-February, I contacted the Oyodo B oard of Education, hoping that the tea house could be selected as a “Registered Tangible Cultural Property”. The tea house clings to the side of the small mountain behind our main house. My mum told me that it had been built more than a century ago, before my great-grandmother had settled there. The annex for tea ceremony had been originally owned by a wealthy person named Mr. Okita, but his family was moved to Tokyo, and we don’t where they are now at all.   As described later, there are some categories of cultural properties, in any case, it’s suggested to first contact the municipality(*), where the property is located. Further destination and procedures depend on the opinion of and appraisement by officials in charge of cultural property. (*)Japan has three levels of governments: 1) national; 2) prefectural; and 3) municipal. 　   Anyway, I sent a message via the contact form of the relevant division. Surprisingly I got a respon...

Property appraisal by the Nara Kominka Association was conducted on December 21 and 22, 2018.  The Japanese word “ Kominka ” means traditional Japanese houses, which are built more than 50 years ago, as a rough indication. Some foreigners, particularly from countries where the climate is generally cold and dry, may wonder why 50-year-old buildings are regarded old. However, in Japan, wooden buildings traditionally dominated, and wooden materials soon deteriorate in the warm and humid climate. So, basically, wooden Japanese folk houses reach the limit of its use within 50 to 100 years from their construction. Permanent efforts, costs, and expertise are needed for extending their lives. The Japanese people of those days enjoyed the benefit of these transitory lives, easy to scrap and build, though. JAPAN/NARA KOMINKA ASSOCIATIONS The Japan Kominka Association is a nationwide organization to facilitate the preservation of old Japanese folk houses for future generations. It has branch...

On December 21 and 22, 2018, the Nara Kominka Association conduct the property appraisal, consisting of three inspections for: 1) basic property appraisal; 2) underfloor condition, and: 3) resistance against earthquake. Here I wrote up what I had observed. For the Nara/ Japan Kominka Associations and the background of the inspections, please see  previous post . BASIC PROPERTY APPRAISAL The appraisal of the house was conducted by the representative director of the Nara Kominka Association, a certified appraiser, and two younger staff members. They overhauled the condition of the main house and the annex, by checking the condition of walls and floors according to the detailed checklist, gauging the size of rooms by a laser distance meter, and interviewing with my uncle (he raised up in the house). By doing so, they would identify the existing and expected problems and suggest what should do to fix them. Observing the interview with my uncle, I learned about the history of the house....