Building Layout Inside Rural House Compounds in Special Preservation Areas for Historic Landscape: The Case of Six Village Sections Such as Okuyama , Asuka , Kawahara , Noguchi , Oka and Shimasho in Asuka Village

Research on rural house compounds in Asuka Village, Nara Prefecture, reveals that dominant building layout patterns adhere to traditional Japanese auspicious principles regarding position and orientation. The study analyzed six village sections—Okuyama, Kawahara, Noguchi, Asuka, Oka, and Shimasho—classified into three groups based on their street layouts: clustered villages, east-west axis street villages, and north-south axis street villages. A hypothetical model was developed to assess the development patterns of main buildings, extensions (tsunoya), and outbuildings (huzokuya, hanare). Field research confirmed that these patterns align with historical Japanese beliefs about the auspiciousness of a house's location and direction.

Yamamoto, N., Hirao, K., & Miyauchi, A. (2026). Building Layout Inside Rural House Compounds in Special Preservation Areas for Historic Landscape: The Case of Six Village Sections Such as Okuyama , Asuka , Kawahara , Noguchi , Oka and Shimasho in Asuka Village. Japan Architectural Review, 9(1). Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/2475-8876.70074