Daidokoro Monogatari: Stories of the Japanese house from the kitchen

Abstract

Contemporary living conditions are just a snapshot of an ever-changing social apparatus. A cloud of preconceptions manifests itself in the form of expectations when designing a house, revealing that architectural practice is gender-charged. It is embedded in a particular cultural context at a specific historical moment and is therefore affected by assumptions that link certain behaviors as appropriate for the sexed body1. These gender norms are part of the set of rules codified as spatial arrangements. In particular, residential architecture incorporates cultural notions of family, which are closely related to the roles assigned to each member. Japan presents a fertile ground if we are to analyze the detached house. It is not only notable for the quantity of houses built, but also for their quality. Some of the most memorable works of architecture are Japanese detached houses. However, although they enjoy worldwide recognition for their innovative proposals and have been intensively examined in terms of their aesthetic attributes, their gender dimension remains relatively unexplored.