![]() ![]() This cabinetry first appeared in the early Edo period (1615-1780), and continued through the late Edo (1780-1867) and Meiji era (1868-1912). Tansu is the collective term for the antique cabinetry of Japan. Interesting to note here is that Le Corbusier's Modulor, which was also intended to be a practical aid for architects based on 'a harmonious measure to the human scale', had a standard measurement of 1.83 m. The primary reasons for this development were the 'ken' measure's intimacy with daily life, its close relationship to human measurements and its practicality in use (ref. ![]() Not only the tatami mat, but also the dimensions of the sliding doors, the partitions and the staircase may be based on the standard size of the 'ken' or 1.82 m (see fig. The area around Kyoto is considered the centre of the planning method based on the tatami size (0.5 'ken' x 1 'ken'). The 'ken' (181.8 cm or 1.82 m) represents the standardised distance between two columns (inter-post span) of the wooden structure of the house and is equal to 6 'shaku' (6 x 30.3 cm). As a vernacular system, this indigenous method contains a highly refined and advanced system of order for the construction trade. Indeed, the Japanese 'ken' module is an extraordinary phenomenon in architecture. The meaning of the modern concept of the 'module' has an exceptional antecedent in Japan, where for hundreds of years the ordinary houses have been built on the basis of a modular order which is unique. However, as merchants became richer, they built larger 'machiya' and it is not unusual to find a frontage of 6 and 7 ‘ken’ (12.7 m). As homes were taxed according to the size of the street frontage, this design originated from economic necessity (fig. Typically the 'machiya' has a narrow front of about 5.5 to 6.4 m (3 to 3.5 ‘ken’) and a depth of around 20 m (11 ‘ken’). Luckily civic groups in Kyoto are working hard to save the buildings that remain and to preserve this superb example of Kyoto vernacular architecture. Kyoto, Japan’s capital of traditional culture, is one of the few Japanese cities that was spared from the bombings of World War II, yet every year scores of 'machiya' are destroyed, victims of neglect and urban redevelopment, thus rapidly erasing the traditional urban fabric. Many of them can still be seen in the Gion district and they came to be regarded as one of the typical traditional structures which characterise the ancient city of Kyoto. These wooden houses, where merchants and artisans both lived and worked, provided a space in front for a store, in the middle for family quarters with small garden, and in the rear for workshops and warehouses. Machiya are already depicted on 17th century screens and they were still built during the Taisho period and beyond until about 1936. Kyoto 'machiya' are traditional townhouses with distinctive Kyoto-style latticework doors and slatted second-story windows (fig. In contrast to the 'minka', which are farmhouses, fishermen's houses and mountain dwellings, the 'machiya' is a merchants' and craftsmen's town-house, specifically in Kyoto, also often called 'kyo-machiya'. The Japanese step-chest (kaidan-dansu or hakokaidan) is inextricably linked with the traditional 'machiya' in Kyoto. ![]()
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