さて先日は住宅業界専門誌「建築知識ビルダーズ」さん主催のエコハウスコンテストの審査員を務めさせていただいていましたが、自分自身もながく住宅関係に関与する人生を送ってきて、そのキャリアもワンクールセット感を持っています。
しかしそういう経過を経て、これからの日本の住宅産業についてもう一度振り返り、そして今後の展開方向というものを考えて見る視点も大切だと思えてきた。コンクール審査員という経験をさせていただいて、それでは今後、日本の建築はどういう方向を目指すべきかと、多くのみなさんの「応募」活動に触れそうしたみなさんの直接の肉声に接したことで「衆知を集めた」感があった。

そんな思いを持っていたのですが、最近見ていた住宅建築の中でわたし自身の家系にもつながる古建築を再訪していた記憶が一気に再活性され、起承転結が輪廻したような感覚を味わった。
なんとその縁のある建物の一部が改装されてホテルに利活用されていることを知ったのです。写真は兵庫県の「福崎町」にある三木家住宅ですが、外観写真の右手奥、その石蔵施設部分がホテルに改装されていたのであります。コロナ禍でちょっと再訪には時間が空いたのですが、それにしてもこの建物をホテルに改装して再利用しようというビジネスコンセプトには驚き、そして拍手したくなった。
通常の民家の新築に当たって高断熱高気密の住宅技術が活用されることで、さまざまな側面での技術変容が生起する。そのことが普遍化していくことは喜ばしい業界変化だと思います。そしてその部分での進化・高度化が追求されることは自然だろうと思われます。大いに賛同する次第。
しかし一方で、日本にはすばらしい「情緒性」を保持し続けている古民家住文化がある。
北海道でごく自然に高断熱高気密での世界共通的な住空間づくりが行われていく中に身を置いていて、刺激をもとめて全国を歩いていると、この日本独自の住宅の「情緒性」というものに圧倒的にノックアウトされる。世界各地でもそれぞれの地域で独自の「伝統」住文化があって、それが人間社会の思念の大きな部分に強い影響力を持っていることに気付く。
ひさしぶりに「伝統建築」派のみなさんと会話したりすると、こういう良質な部分をこそ北海道の住文化は大いに「学ぶ」必要があると思えてくる。さきほど書いたように「輪廻」する感覚がある。

こちらの「三木家住宅」はわたし自身のご先祖さまの一統として播磨国・福崎で続いた家系ですが、その古建築に現代的な価値感が付与され「新生」要素を持たされていることに非常に驚かされ、同時にちょっと胸アツな気分を持たされた次第。こういう動きを整理整頓してみたくなった。

English version⬇

The Future Possibility of “Onmyoshin”-type Architecture
A hotel that utilizes the emotionality of the “Miki Family Residence” in Fukusaki, Hyogo Prefecture in a modern way. This could be seen as an untapped business area for the housing industry.

The other day, I was serving as a judge for the Eco-House Contest sponsored by the housing industry magazine “Architectural Knowledge Builders.” I myself have been involved in the housing industry for a long time, and my career has a sense of one-cool-set.
However, after going through this process, I have come to think that it is important to look back on the future of the Japanese housing industry and consider the direction in which it will develop in the future. Having had the opportunity to serve as a jury for the competition, I was wondering what direction Japanese architecture should take in the future, and I felt that I had “gathered a lot of knowledge” by being exposed to many people’s “entry” activities and hearing directly from them.

I had this feeling of having “gathered the collective wisdom” of the many people who had submitted their ideas, and having come into direct contact with their real voices, I felt as if I had experienced a reincarnation of the beginning and the end of the story.
To my surprise, I learned that a part of the building with which I had a connection had been renovated and was being utilized as a hotel. The photo shows the Miki family residence in Fukusaki-cho, Hyogo Prefecture, and the stone warehouse facility on the far right side of the exterior photo has been converted into a hotel. I was surprised at the business concept of converting this building into a hotel and reusing it, and I wanted to applaud it.
The use of highly insulated and airtight housing technology in new construction of ordinary private houses will bring about technological transformation in various aspects. I think it is a welcome change in the industry that this will become a universal phenomenon. It is natural that evolution and sophistication in this area will be pursued. I agree with this viewpoint to a great extent.
On the other hand, however, Japan has a culture of old private homes that continues to retain a wonderful “emotionality.
While in Hokkaido, I am surrounded by the natural process of creating a highly insulated, airtight, and globally common living space, when I walk around the country in search of inspiration, I am overwhelmingly knocked out by the “emotionality” of Japan’s unique housing culture. I realize that each region of the world has its own unique “traditional” housing culture, which has a strong influence on a large part of human society’s thought process.
After a long time since my last conversation with “traditional architectural” people, I feel that Hokkaido’s housing culture needs to “learn” from such quality aspects. As I mentioned earlier, there is a sense of “reincarnation.

The Miki Family Residence here is a family lineage of my own ancestors in Fukusaki, Harima Province, and I was very surprised to see that modern values have been added to this old building to give it a “new life” factor, and at the same time, it made me feel a bit excited. I wanted to organize this kind of movement.

Posted on 10月 29th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 住宅マーケティング, 古民家シリーズ | No Comments »

昨年のジャパンホームショーの会場で出会った折に、旧知の建築知識ビルダーズの木藤編集長から軽く頼まれた「エコハウス審査員」の任務、昨日でようやく終了することができました。
わたしは遠隔地でもあるのでZoomでの参加。事務所からゆったり参加だったのですが、開始が14:00で事前準備のため13:20にはスタンバイ予定のところ、直前に飛び入りのスケジュールも入って、参加できたのは開始の直前。やや汗汗、という状況での参加になりました。
わたしは「ゲスト審査員」なので、受け取っていたデータ類もそれなりのもので、肝心の「建築費データ」が参照できていなかった。（ひょっとしてどこかにあったのかも知れませんが、見つけることはできていませんでした）という状況でした。
錚々たる審査員メンバーの専門家のみなさんの顔ぶれを見ると、わたしのミッションとしては
１　ユーザー視点での見方を情報発信すること。
２　寒冷地・北海道の人間がだれもいないのでその立場・見方を意見表出すること。
３　今後の住宅業界が見据えていくべき方向性を審査過程で意見具申すること。
というポイントが必要な要件ではないかと自己認識して意見を発表させていただくことにしました。メディアの立場という主催者のスタンスを忖度して、このように審査員への「期待項目」を意識するというのはまぁ、知らず知らず身についた部分でしょう。自分自身でもそういう立場になったこともありましたし。
そういう意味では住宅としてのトータルな「完成度」という視点以上に、作り手のみなさんが大半である建築専門誌読者への「新しい着眼点」というポイントに絞った審査を行った次第であります。
審査の過程でのわたしの発言については配信される動画を参照ください。視聴チケットのお申し込みはこちら　https://t.livepocket.jp/e/7u056　（無料かと誤解していましたが有料での配信ということ）
結果としては京都での賃貸住宅のリノベーション事例がグランプリを獲得されました。
わたしとしては住宅業界が今後、日本社会全体のなかで果たすべき大きな役割として、ユーザーの暮らしを向上させる、より暮らしやすい環境を主導的に作っていくということこそ「エコハウス」の趣旨にとって最重要と考えていましたので、この結果について大変喜ばしいことという印象を抱いたところです。

ここからはぶっちゃけですが（笑）、北海道のみなさんと話していると「北海道からの意見は煙たがられる」「本州以南のみなさんからは自分たちをディスっていると誤解される」という意見が聞かれました。貴重なご意見をお寄せいただいたことに深く感謝します。わたしとしてはこういうポイントについて、注意深く発言したつもりでいますが、なお、誤解を生じるような点があったとすればご容赦ください。
しかしトータル５時間坐った姿勢で注意を集中させ続けているというのは、なかなか重労働（笑）。就寝時、なぜか右足薬指が「つって」しまいました、イテテであります。

English version⬇

Finally, after more than 5 hours of eco-house jury duty, we are done.
1. user’s point of view; 2. Hokkaido’s point of view; 3. future direction of the industry. 〜It was a pleasure to participate and have a dialogue with such a stance. I was happy to participate and have a dialogue with such a stance.

Yesterday, I was finally able to complete my assignment as an “eco-house judge,” which I was lightly asked to do by Mr. Kido, the editor-in-chief of Architectural Knowledge Builders, whom I have known for a long time, when I met him at the Japan Home Show last year.
I was able to participate via Zoom because of my remote location. I was able to participate from my office in a relaxed manner, but the show was scheduled to start at 14:00 and I was supposed to be on standby at 13:20 to prepare for the show, but I had to jump into the show just before the show started. I was a bit sweaty and a bit nervous.
Of course, since I was a “guest judge,” the data I had received was quite adequate, and I was not able to refer to the important “construction cost data” (I may have found it somewhere). (Perhaps there was some data somewhere, but I could not find it.
Looking at the distinguished jury members, all of whom were experts, my mission was to
1. To provide information on how to look at things from the user’s point of view.
2. To express my views and opinions from the perspective of Hokkaido, a cold region of Japan, since no one from Hokkaido was present.
3. To express my opinion on the direction that the housing industry should take in the future during the screening process.
I have decided to present my opinion based on my self-awareness that the following points are necessary requirements. I guess it is a part of my experience to be aware of the “expectations” of the judges based on the stance of the organizer as a member of the media. I have been in such a position myself.
In that sense, the judging was focused on “new points of view” for the readers of architecture magazines, the majority of whom are makers, rather than on the total “degree of completion” of the house.
Please refer to the video for my comments on the judging process. For tickets, please visit https://t.livepocket.jp/e/7u056 (I mistakenly thought the video was free, but it was paid for).
As a result, the grand prize was awarded to a case study of renovation of a rental house in Kyoto.
I was very pleased with this result, as I believe that the most important role the housing industry should play in Japanese society as a whole in the future is to take the initiative in improving the lives of users and creating a more comfortable living environment, which is the purpose of Eco-House. I am very pleased with the results.

To be frank (laugh), when talking with people in Hokkaido, we heard many comments beforehand, such as “people in Hokkaido are not interested in opinions from Hokkaido” and “people in Honshu and southward misunderstand that we are dissing them. I am deeply grateful for their valuable opinions. I have tried to be careful in my remarks on these points, but please forgive me if there were any points that could have been misunderstood.
However, it is hard work to keep one’s attention in a sitting position for a total of five hours (laughs). When I went to bed, somehow my right ring toe got cramped.

Posted on 10月 27th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 住宅マーケティング, 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

みなさんは飛行機に乗るときに窓側ー通路側のどっちをより選択されますか？
わたしの場合は、ひたすら行動自由度の高さで「通路側」一択でここしばらくの人生を過ごしてきています。窓の外の光景を目に焼き付ける、というのは、50年以上前の頃、飛行機に乗りたての頃にだいたい「見た！」という感覚が得られたので、以降はひたすら、乗降時、飛行中の「自由度の高さ」が主になり、一刻も早く機内での不自由さから解放されたい一心で通路側だった。
知らず知らずにビジネス人生として機能性一択になっていた心理だったのでしょうか（笑）。
それが今回たまたま、座席選択を失念していたら、人生で久しぶりの窓側席。「ありゃ、どうしよう。手荷物のパソコンでの若干の作業もあるから・・・そうか、足下に入れちゃえばいいや」という気分のスイッチが起動して、事前にしっかり便意を納めさせてから（笑）、折からの好天の中、関西から北海道までの窓外の景観を楽しんでおりました。
仕事人生の転換期でもあるので、久しぶりの窓外景観チェック。そうしたら、関空を離陸後、「おお関空と神戸って、意外と近いんだ」「大阪って埋め立て地ばっか、だなぁ」などとノー天気に頭カラッポ状態での受動的心理状態（笑）。
いちばん上の写真は碁盤の目状の都市割りが明瞭な京都の上空写真。やや右上の緑地は京都御所と見受けられました。「こういう整然とした街割りの都が千年の都だったんだ。やはり日本人の勤勉な性格って、こういうのが影響したのかなぁ」などの妄想状態。

としている間に、チョー眠気が襲ってきてしばし、恍惚のひとに・・・。で、気付いたら窓下には独立火山地形頂上部がまざまざと観望された。山頂部には冠雪が見られ、山頂に近いところから木々は紅葉が進み、ふもと部分まで紅葉から緑までのグラデーションが目に飛び込んでくる。
「これは寝ている内に一気に津軽・岩木山まで来てしまったか」
ボーッとしている内にかなりの観望ポイントを通過してしまったことを思い知らされる。「こっから先は気を確かに持って・・・」と決意を固めた。

機体はあっという間に津軽海峡を一渡りしてしまって、今度は函館の上空空撮へ。函館山という自然地形がいかに港湾として優れていたか、ふたたび学ばせていただく思いであります。北海道内の都市として函館は自分のなかではかなり大きな存在であり愛している街。その美貌を再度確認させていただいたような、景観に心打たれておりました。

そして目的地、新千歳空港に着陸寸前。常緑樹の林と圧倒的な広葉樹のコントラストが、「おお、よく帰ってきたな」と迎えてくれる。関西での空気感から自分の「ホーム」が再起動し始める瞬間であります。加齢してくると、こういう「無常感」がどんどん増してくる気がします。
この瞬間から、地元でのビジネス時間、再起動であります。やるぞっと。

English version⬇

Aerial sketch of a flight from Kansai to Chitose in fine autumn weather.
By chance, I was transferred from my usual aisle seat to a window seat. I felt the blessings of the autumn weather as the aerial view unfolded outside the window. For a moment, I was forced to change my line of sight to the macroscopic view. Aerial view

When you fly, do you prefer the window side or the aisle side?
In my case, I have been choosing the aisle side for a while now because of the freedom of movement. I have been choosing the aisle side for some time now because of the freedom of movement. and since then, it has been mainly “freedom” when boarding and exiting the plane and during the flight, and it was the aisle side with the single-minded desire to be free from the inconvenience of the in-flight as soon as possible.
Was it the psychology of having unknowingly chosen functionality as my business life (laugh)?
(Laughs) But this time, by chance, I forgot to select my seat, and for the first time in a long time in my life, I was seated on the window side. What am I going to do? I had to do some work on the computer in my hand baggage, so…well, I could just put it under my feet.” This activated a switch in my mood, and after having my bowel movements firmly contained beforehand (laugh), I was enjoying the scenery outside the window from Kansai to Hokkaido under the fine weather.
It was a turning point in my work life, so I checked the scenery outside the window for the first time in a while. After taking off from Kansai International Airport (KIX), I was in a passive state of mind, thinking “Oh, KIX and Kobe are surprisingly close” and “Osaka is full of reclaimed land, isn’t it?
The top photo is an aerial view of Kyoto, where the grid pattern of the city is clear. The green area slightly to the upper right appears to be the Kyoto Imperial Palace. I was surprised to see such an orderly layout of the city, which had been the capital for a thousand years. I wonder if the diligent nature of the Japanese people was influenced by such a city.

While I was trying to sleep, I felt sleepy and was in a trance for a while…. I noticed that the summit of the independent volcano could be seen clearly below the window. The summit was capped with snow, and the trees near the summit were turning red, and the gradation of colors from red to green was visible from the base of the mountain.
I wondered if I had reached Mount Tsugaru-Iwaki in one fell swoop while I was sleeping.
I realized that I had passed through a lot of viewing points while I was in a daze. I was determined to keep my eyes open from here on.

The aircraft quickly crossed the Tsugaru Straits, and we were now on our way to take aerial photos of Hakodate. Once again, I learned about the natural topography of Mt. Hakodate and how excellent it was as a port. Hakodate is a city in Hokkaido that I love and consider a major presence in my mind. I was struck by the scenery, which seemed to confirm its beauty once again.

And just before landing at our destination, New Chitose Airport. The contrast between the evergreen forest and the overwhelming broad-leaved trees greets me with a “Oh, you’ve come home so often. This is the moment when my “home” begins to reboot from the atmosphere in Kansai. I feel that as I age, this kind of “sense of impermanence” increases more and more.
From this moment on, I will restart my business time in my hometown. I’m going to do it.

Posted on 10月 25th, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

文学者の人生というのは、一定の個人情報ではあるけれど「私小説」というジャンルが成立しているように、そういう丸ごとを表現して読者と交感しているような側面があり、遺族などの同意を前提に公開されている情報なのでしょう。ただ、日本人の作家はそういう条件を同意して活動した結果、芥川龍之介とか、太宰治とか、自死を遂げる結果を迎えるひとが多い。有島もその轍を踏んだ。
しかしそれらの情報公開によって、そういう部分も含めて一般読者としては作品世界を感受することが出来るという意味では、味読の領域が拡大するものでしょう。さらに現代ではたくさんの非文章的な写真とか資料記録などが残っていくので、さらに消息を深く探究していくことができる。
上の写真はこの有島邸が完成し一家が入居した翌年の大正３年の正月の玄関先での様子。「ポチ」という作家らしからぬ一般普通名称を名付けられた（笑）愛犬が有島にじゃれついている。有島とイキモノとしてその心を交流させたに違いない愛犬の様子がなまなましく伝わってきて、ほっとさせられる。
西郷隆盛と愛犬のエピソードは日本人に広く伝わっているけれど、そのことが生前の人物像に血を通わせてくれる。そういうのが日本人はとくに好きなのかも知れない。いちばんアングル的にぴったりな外観写真と合わせてごらんください。また、この大正３年の正月の札幌市内の積雪状況もその空気感・リアリティが印象的に伝わってくる。


そして新居でうまれた子どもを抱擁しながらの人の親としての有島のワンショット。札幌を深く愛してこの地で大学教官としての職も得て、そして自らの「創造性」も投影させた注文住宅を建てて、いわば人生の幸せのピークを迎えていたといえるのでしょう。
下の年表は有島とその家族、そしてこの戸建て住宅がどのような数奇な運命をたどったのかを表現したものの一部。この家で有島家が正月を迎えられたのはたった１年に過ぎない。最愛の奥さんが新築２年目で病気を発症して以降のこの家の状況が記録されている。
きのうも触れたけれどこの当時の「住宅経済」の一端を推し量れる数字もある。大正10年（1921年）当時、坪数80坪近い大型住宅が5,000円で取引されている。昨日探究した金銭感覚の翻訳コンニャク（購買率平価基準として×1,080）を当てると現代平価では5,400,000円となる。土地は借地とであり建築本体価格だけということなので、これは一定のモノサシではあるのだろうか。築後７年であり、当時の土地感覚では「ジメジメした」とされる札幌駅北側の敷地条件なども勘案すると蓋然性は感じる。創成川開削などによる土地改良事業はまだ道半ばだった。
やはり表現の仕事をしてくれた先人の足跡からはいろいろな情報を受け取ることができる。後世の人間としては深く感謝するしかありませんね。

English version⬇

The Fate of the House, the People, and Life: The Former Residence of Takeo Arishima-8
The sheer joy of life, blessed with three children, took a dark turn. His beloved wife became ill and died too young. The house still tells us of Mr. Arishima’s thoughts and breath. The house still speaks of Mr. Arishima’s thoughts and breath.

The lives of literary figures are a certain amount of personal information, but just as the genre of “private novels” has been established, there is an aspect of expressing the entirety of a literary figure’s life and communicating it to readers, and this information is made public on the premise of consent from the bereaved family. However, many Japanese writers, such as Ryunosuke Akutagawa and Osamu Dazai, committed suicide as a result of having agreed to such conditions. Arishima followed in their footsteps.
However, the disclosure of such information will expand the realm of reading in the sense that the general reader will be able to perceive the world of the work, including such aspects of the work. In addition, today, there are many unwritten photographs and records of materials left behind, so it is possible to explore the history of the work even more deeply.
The photo above is a scene at the entrance of the Arishima residence on New Year’s Day in 1914, the year after the residence was completed and the family moved in. Pochi,” the dog that was given the common name of “Pochi,” which is not like the artist (laugh), is playing with Arishima. The dog, which must have communicated with Arishima as an animate being, is affectionate and relaxed.
The episode of Saigo Takamori and his beloved dog is widely known among Japanese people, and it brings blood to the image of the man before his death. Perhaps Japanese people are particularly fond of such things. Please take a look at the photo of the exterior of the building, which is the best angle of the building. The snowfall in Sapporo on New Year’s Day in 1914 also conveys the atmosphere and reality of the city.

And here is a shot of Arishima as a parent embracing his newborn child in his new home. He was deeply in love with Sapporo, had obtained a job as a university professor here, and had built a custom-built house that reflected his own “creativity,” so to speak, and was at the peak of happiness in his life.
The timeline below is part of the story of Arishima, his family, and the fate of this detached house. The Arishima family celebrated New Year’s in this house for only one year. The house’s condition is recorded after the beloved wife became ill in the second year after the house was built.
As I mentioned yesterday, there are some figures that give an idea of the “housing economy” at that time. In 1921, a large house with a floor space of nearly 80 tsubo (about 1,000 square meters) was priced at 5,000 yen. If we apply the monetary translation konnyaku (purchasing rate parity standard x 1,080) that we explored yesterday, the price would be 5,400,000 yen in modern parity. Since the land is leased and only the price of the building itself is used, I wonder if this is a certain measure. The property was built seven years ago, and the site conditions on the north side of Sapporo Station, which was considered “gloomy” according to the land sense of the time, are also taken into account. Land improvement projects, such as the Sosegawa River excavation, were still in their infancy.
After all, we can receive a variety of information from the footsteps of our predecessors who did the expressive work. As a person of the future generation, I can only be deeply grateful.

Posted on 10月 23rd, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 住宅マーケティング, 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »

先般の記事で有島武郎の大正２年新築の住宅について、地元新聞社がNEWS住宅として記事掲載していたという情報をお知らせしましたが、先日、その110年前の７月９日付けの紙面をスクリーンショットできた。
はるかな先人の住宅ルポなので可能な限り、現代文訳をこころみた。新聞社自体が消滅しているので、正確さについては、ご容赦願いたい。以下、記事の現代文再現。
●古い建築〜札幌區（く）内の家
札幌は北方の京都といわれるだけあって一体にゆったりしているのが解るが殊に道路の広々したところ、樹木の青々としたところ、山の佇まい、川のうねり、まことにその名にふさわしい趣がある。内地から来る者が東北地方の燻（くす）んだ町々を見て北海道に入るといかにも気がのびのびとする。殊に札幌は東京の流行がいちばん早く輸入されるところで、人の「風態〜なり」を見ても言葉を聞いてもまことに気持ちがいい。ちょうど中山道の濁った土地を通り抜けてズッと北方に中央帝都の面影を再現しているように思われる。
▲しかし茲（ここ）にひとつ目に付くものは札幌の建築である。これは内地のどこにも見得ないところの一種特別な所謂「札幌風」の建築である。あるいは米国の片田舎に見られるというかも知れんが如何はヤンキイ共でも都の真ん中にこういうスタイルの家は（？）てない。長い下見板を横に重ねて具合の悪い硝子窓を二つ三つ並べてある。明治の開拓使が米国植民地風の木小屋を真似て建てた当時の官宅の遺風を受け継ぎ今日に至ったのだろう。
・・・＜ちょっと疲れが襲ってきた（泣）以下、複写写真をごらんください・・・。＞

この後の文面には「民間でもこの頃、建ちかけている小田良治氏や有島武夫氏の住宅」と紹介されている。しっかりした設計がないままに未成熟な技術で建てられている状況に対して、警句を放っているというような文面。さすが新聞記者として社会批評的なスタンスで切りまくっている。ただ、対置しているまっとうな建築として「東京の技師に設計を頼んだもの」こそ正しいと言わんばかりの論にはいささか・・・。文章全体に東京を上位概念として、下々なるものとして地方を「見下す」ような報道姿勢を感じさせられて、どうも地元への愛を感じさせられない。地方人としての同胞感はないのかとやや悲しい。
「一体わが国現代の生活はなんでも和洋混合で行っているようだが、建築も住宅は純日本式とか和洋折衷とかに傾き、商会（商業建築）や事務所や官衙は純西洋風になっていくようだ。」というのが結論のよう。
どうも建築に寄り添っているというよりも、建築に寄せて北海道政治への批判を狙っているような文章の流れを感じさせられる。住宅の和洋折衷化はごく自然の流れだったと思われるなかで、この論者の「よき住宅観」はどうも明確には見えてこない。わたし的には一部同意、そのほかはちょっと不同意という記事でした（泣）。

English version⬇

Hokkaido residence article excavated in 1913 (!) Former Takeo Arishima Residence-6]
A rather unfortunate article that shows an intent to diss society, rather than a positive attitude of “building up local architecture together”. …

In a recent article, we reported that a local newspaper had published an article on the newly built house by Takeo Arishima in 1913 as a NEWS house, and we were able to take a screenshot of the July 9 edition, 110 years ago.
Since this is a report on the housing of a distant predecessor, we have tried to translate the article into modern Japanese as much as possible. The newspaper itself is no longer in existence, so please forgive me for any inaccuracies. The following is a modern translation of the article.
Old Architecture – House in Sapporo Dist.
Sapporo is called the “Kyoto of the North,” and it is known for its spaciousness, especially its wide roads, lush trees, mountain scenery, and undulating rivers. When people from Japan see the smoky towns of the Tohoku region and enter Hokkaido, they feel relaxed and at ease. Sapporo, in particular, is the earliest place to import Tokyo trends, and it is truly pleasant to see and hear people’s “style” and “mannerisms. It seems as if the city is recreating the image of the central imperial capital in the north, passing through the muddy land of Nakasendo.
The architecture of Sapporo, however, is one of the most striking features of the city, and it is unlike anything seen anywhere else in Japan. This is a kind of special so-called “Sapporo style” architecture that cannot be found anywhere else in Japan. You might say that it can be found in the rural areas of the U.S., but even the Yanks do not have houses of this style in the center of the capital. It is a bad idea to build a house with long clapboards piled up horizontally. It is made of long clapboards piled up horizontally and has two or three windows with bad glass. It is probably a legacy of the government houses built by the Meiji Kaitakushi (Hokkaido Development Office) in imitation of the wooden shacks of the American colonial style.
I am feeling a little tired (crying)…. ＞The following is a photocopy.
In the text that follows, it says, “The houses of Mr. Ryoji Oda and Mr. Takeo Arishima are being built in the private sector at this time as well. The text seems to be a warning against the situation where houses are being built with immature technology without a solid design. As one would expect from a newspaper journalist, he takes a socially critical stance in his piece. However, I was a bit concerned about the argument that “the building designed by Tokyo engineers” is the correct one as an honest architecture. The entire article gives the impression that Tokyo is a higher concept, and that the local people are “looked down upon” as inferior, which does not make me feel any love for the local people. It is a little sad to think that there is no sense of fellowship as a local person.
The conclusion of the report seems to be, “Modern life in our country seems to be a mixture of Japanese and Western styles, with houses leaning toward a purely Japanese style or a blend of Japanese and Western architecture, while commercial buildings, offices, and government offices are becoming purely Western. This seems to be the conclusion.
It seems that the author is aiming to criticize Hokkaido politics by leaning toward architecture rather than leaning toward architecture. The author’s “good view of housing” is not clear, as it seems that the blending of Japanese and Western styles of housing was a very natural trend. I agree with some parts of the article, and disagree with others (I cried).

Posted on 10月 21st, 2023 by 三木 奎吾
Filed under: 住宅取材＆ウラ話, 日本社会・文化研究 | No Comments »