Chihiro Tanaka

Title: The protoform of the “Nagaya”

About the Photo:

Back of alley in Kyoto city ,there is many small town house exist in which we call the ”Nagaya” made in traditional wood structured house. I had an opportunity to take a picture of the “Nagaya” which was stripped (taken off all the walls and ceilings, etc.) for ready to be remodel, aged over 100 years. This “Nagaya”’s layout is made of small two rooms in each floor,build in two story.Structure is very thin, features of doors and stairs are also made simple as a house. This house has been built more than 100 years, it is not a house which so called a cultural property.

Once I saw this house, I felt a strong presence, from this wood structure, from this wall(put mud on bamboo lied in a grid by straw rope), to provide space to many families as a “Home”. This simple skeleton structure will be repaired, apply interior, to provide a “Home” to next generation.