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The Japanese Traditional House: Spatial Representation of Dualistic Social Codes

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This article analyses the traditional Japanese house as a semiotic space that reflects social codes. It examines how architectural features such as the genkan vestibule, the engawa, zashiki, shoji and fusuma sliding panels – mediate relationships between private and public zones. The study introduces key Japanese concepts ( honne/tatemae, uchi/soto, omote/ura, hare/ke , and kafuch ō -sei ) to explain how dichotomies of inner/outer, public/private, and gender roles shape domestic spaces. Transitional, flexible elements allow inhabitants to negotiate boundaries, maintain social harmony, and adapt space to ritual or everyday occasions. Ultimately, the Japanese house is argued to embody not merely climate adaptation or practical rationalism but to perpetuate codified cultural values and social codes through its spatial organization.

Source: Środowisko Mieszkaniowe

DOI: 10.2478/he-2025-0035

Authors: Krzysztof Ingarden, Yoko Kinoshita Watanabe

Institutions: Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University, Kogakuin University

Language: English

Topic: Architecture and Cultural Influences

Subfield: Archeology

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: hybrid

OpenAlex ID: W7117369074