Title A Comparative Study on Plan types and Spatial Composition of Traditional Houses in Korea and Japan: Focused on the 田-Shaped Plan
Authors 유재우(Yoo, Jae-Woo) ; 서예은(Seo, Ye-Eun) ; 홍지완(Hong, Ji-Wan)
DOI https://doi.org/10.5659/JAIK.2026.42.8.27
Page pp.27-38
ISSN 2733-6247
Keywords Traditional Houses(Minga); 田-Shaped Plan; Plan type; Spatial Composition; Korean-Japanese Housing Comparison
Abstract This study compares the plan types and spatial composition of 田-shaped traditional houses in Korea and Japan. Traditional houses on the Korean Peninsula show diverse regional characteristics, with single-barrel and double-barrel plans coexisting according to climatic and topographical conditions. In contrast, Japanese traditional houses are generally based on double-barrel plans, in which residential areas and earthen-floor work areas are systematically combined. This study analyzed 130 Korean traditional house plans, mainly from mountainous regions such as Gangwon-do and northern Gyeongsangbuk-do, and 94 Japanese traditional house plans selected from Minka of Japan: Farmhouses and Rural Settlements, published by the Architectural Institute of Japan. The plans were redrawn and classified according to the composition of residential and work areas, the number of bays and barrels, the location of earthen-floor spaces, and regional distribution. The results show that Japanese 田-shaped houses developed into various plan types through internal expansion and functional differentiation after the relaxation of house-size restrictions in the Meiji period. In Korea, 田-shaped houses were concentrated mainly in mountainous regions and showed stronger regional characteristics. Although similarities were found in the combination of residential and earthen-floor areas, the two countries differed in the direction of spatial expansion, the scale of house plans, and the relationship between plan type and regional environment. This study provides a basic framework for comparative research on traditional houses in East Asia by interpreting 田-shaped plans as a common analytical type.