ABSTRACT

From the medieval period onwards in Japan, many literary works appeared in which the main characters’ psychology, human relationships, and social background were projected through descriptions of their places of residence. This is because the concept of “house” in Japan includes multiple meanings, such as property ownership and the notion of family, as well as the physical building, and encompasses the overall relationships between a person and their socio-historical environment. In order to study how people actually lived and how they realized the concept of houses, and to understand Japanese architectural culture, it is vital to examine how the multiple meanings of “house” in Japan have been interpreted and reflected in these living spaces. This combination suggests that, in Japan, objects are commonly personified, and that objects are recognized as equally important as, or complimentary with, those of people’s writings and talks.