A study on the lifespan of houses and the view of housing in pre-modern Japan

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K04829
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 23040:Architectural history and design-related
• Research Institution: Kansai University
• Principal Investigator: FUJITA Masaya 関西大学, 環境都市工学部, 教授 (80202290)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 住宅 / 寿命 / 前近代 / 住宅観

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research aims to understand the　lifespan of court-nobles` residences during the Heian period. The outline of this paper`s findings are as follows.
The average lifespan of the aristocratic residences in the 10th century was about 14 years. However, the average value was about 11 years, excluding the prominently long `Kan-in` with a lifespan of 52 years. The average lifespan of aristocratic residences in the 11th century was about 20 years. Excluding the two long-lived cases `Kazan-in` and `Tousanjo-dai`, the average value was about 15 years, and that of the 12th century was about 16 years. The difference is only one year. During this period, the average life expectancy can be considered to have remained almost unchanged.As above, the aristocratic residences were short-lived. The main factor was the fire. The harsh living environment that never escaped from the fire did not expect longevity from the house, and resulted in a kind of resignation and abandonment of permanence.

Free Research Field

建築史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

平安貴族住宅の寿命の実態が、本研究によってはじめて具体的に明らかになった。平均寿命は20年にも満たないが、平安宮内裏の約6年よりは長く、里内裏常態化の要因が寿命の差異にあることが示された。東三条第や花山院は平安貴族邸の代表例とされてきた。しかしきわめて長寿命の特異な存在であった。短命化の主因となった火災の頻発は、住宅を動産的に扱う住宅観を醸成した。現代の住宅観とは大きく異なる点である。