ABSTRACT
One of the most salient social phenomena in contemporary Kyoto is the renaissance of the historical town houses, the so-called kyô-machiya. Despite being located in what is widely regarded as the stronghold of traditional Japan, as late as two decades ago these structures were widely regarded as little more than an economic liability, best torn down without much ado. Now, however, probably more than one thousand of them have been revitalised, both for a great variety of commercial purposes and for their continued use as domiciles. As such they have become the focus of a remarkable amount of social activities and media attention. This unexpected turn of events invites closer inspection. Does the kyô-machiya bûmu (‘kyô-machiya boom’) follow received wisdom about the social uses of tradition and heritage, in particular the ‘invention of tradition’ approach, or is there a different way of understanding how Kyotoites are rediscovering their built heritage? Before attempting an answer, I will give a description of the special features of the houses and their rediscovery, building on 19 months of ethnographic fieldwork in 1998/99 and 2001.
