The Study of the Development of the Relationship between House and Nature in Japanese Culture

Abstract

When talking about Japanese houses, nature has always been one of the topics of conversation, especially nowadays when the idea of the relationship between living space and natural environment seems to be common in Japanese houses. If one looks at Japanese vernacular architecture, especially the teahouses from the 16th century, you will find that the idea of the connection between indoor and outdoor spaces has been around since the past. Therefore, the aim of this article was to study and review the papers and theories, and understand the characteristics and relationship between habitat and natural environment in Japan in two periods as follows: 1) the prehistoric period consisted of pit houses, earthen floor houses, raised houses, and Ainu houses, and 2) the historic period consisted of Minka houses, Machiya houses, Shinden-style houses, Shoin-style houses, and Sukiya-style houses, especially teahouses, in order to explain the development of the relationship between Japanese houses and the nature of each house style. The results were found that the relationship between Japanese houses and nature consists of three forms: 1) the relationship of basic needs, 2) the relationship through belief in a deity in nature, and 3) the relationship of architecture and ideas from China that came in the form of Buddhism.