Reading traditional japanese architecture through hayao miyazaki cinema

Abstract

Houses, which are the best-known examples of traditional architecture, are cultural heritage products and objects of representation. Traditional Japanese houses have continued their existence as living examples of space organization, materials and building-construction system/technique, preserving their originality and qualities. This study aims to interpret this architecture through the traditional Japanese architecture in Hayao Miyazaki's animated films. The main problem of the study is to obtain information about the cultures of societies through television and cinema products, to keep traditional architecture alive and to ensure its sustainability. By examining Miyazaki's animated films, the sample of the study was limited to 12 feature films or short films. In these films, those determined to be about traditional Japanese architecture are grouped as building elements, spaces, interior elements and accessories. In some of the films examined within the scope of the study, there are elements of traditional Japanese architecture in a single building, some in two or three buildings, and in some of the silhouettes of the settlement. It has been seen that the wall (kaaba) and roof (koyagumi) of the elements that make up the structure are more used than the ceiling (tenjo), and it is common in the board to use a floor (yuka) material. Life (doma), living room (ima), room (heya) and veranda (engawa) in traditional Japanese houses are more prominent than the kitchen (floor) and bathroom (furo) in the houses in the movies. Sliding wall (fusuma), sliding paper door/window (shoji) and shoe removal board/stone (kutsungi) from interior elements in homes and public spaces; tables (chabudai), cushions (zabuton) and wicker ground cover (tatami) are the most used items.