How to Investigate Traditional Japanese Houses: Agency for Cultural Affairs, Hirotaro Ota, et al.

【 How to Investigate Old Houses 】
Published by Daiichi Hoki in 1982.
Authors: Hirotaro Ota, Kinya Sekiguchi, Mitsuru Suzuki, Naomi Okawa, Yasushi Yoshida, Kenji Aoki

This book is a bible for old house research, containing knowledge of investigation points, names, and field work examples. It also serves as a discovery of hidden traditional construction methods.

＜There are signs of aging and folding, but there are no writings and it is generally in good condition.＞

...＜Table of Contents＞...
Chapter 1: The Vanishing Old Houses
・Half in 10 years
・Development of old house research
・History of common people's lives
・Beauty of old houses
・Which old houses should be preserved?
・Why preserve them?
・Old house investigation that anyone can do
Chapter 2: What kind of old houses are old?
・What to use as an indicator to find them
　Chouna (adze) finished pillars
　Roofing materials
　Low eaves
　Pillars standing every 1 ken (approx. 6 feet)
　Arrangement of outer pillars; Arrangement of inner pillars
　Pillars standing on the earthen floor
　Pillars with rounded corners, curved pillars, pillars with rectangular cross-sections
　Pillars without a foundation
　Purlins of the small house
　Closed openings
　Dark and closed interior
・How old are they?
・Estate layout
　Building arrangement
　Types of outbuildings
　Gate; Warehouse; Shoin (parlor)
Chapter 3: How to investigate
・Record the old house
・Draw a current floor plan
・Draw a cross-section
・Other things to investigate
・Restore the floor plan
　Find traces
　Position of the pillars (Are there any missing pillars?)
　Restoration of the pillar-to-pillar structure
　Restoration of built-in equipment
　Other traces
　How to restore
・Draw a restoration drawing
・What kind of photos to take
・Investigate the construction date
・Things to listen to
Chapter 4: How to organize
・Are there any omissions in the investigation?
・Organize field notes and photos
・Creating a report
・Age estimation by classification and comparison
・How to choose chronological indicators
・Creating a chronological table
・Estimation of construction date
Chapter 5: Examples of investigations
・Example of simple restoration investigation
　Summarizing one house; Example of Isesaki old house
・Example of regional investigation
　How to choose the investigation site and investigation method
　Overview of Akiyama-go old houses
　Chronological indicators
　Pillar foundations; Floor structure; Independent pillars on the earthen floor; Uchihou material and the presence or absence of fittings at the boundary between the parlor and the middle room; Eaves; Exterior walls; Finishing of members
・Uchihou height
・Grouping based on detailed forms and characteristics of each group
・Modification of grouping by detailed forms
　"Akiyama Kikou"; Centennial Festival; Other interviews, materials; History of the village
・Example of detailed investigation
・How it was restored
・Structure
Chapter 6: Reference Materials
...