Traditional Japanese Carpentry School - Daikushijuku - Final Project - Itakura House Build - Part 4
In this video, we are back in Kannamachi, Gunma, Japan at the Daikushijuku, a school to learn Traditional Japanese Carpentry. We get a chance to learn more carpentry and also help out with building a very traditional Japanese house in the style of Itakura and Ishibadate. These two construction styles are complex and beautiful.
This video will also showcase the Tatemae (建前) Day 1. We get the chance to see how an Itakura / Ishibadate House is assembled. There is a unique and challenging quality to this house. Assembly requires a lot of pre-planning to prevent unnecessary interference and complication. In the Ishibadate house everything is set on top of stones which makes it necessary to assemble the pillars and foundation structure in unison. Also, it may even require upper assembly in conjunction with lower assembly. Carpenters will have to maintain a 360 degree spatial awareness to prevent mistakes. Later in the video we get a short tutorial on how the cedar board lengths are calculated for the wall structure. These cedar boards are pre-cut by section or area of the house they will end up in.
In an Itakura House the walls are made of Sugi, or Japanese Cedar. These walls are thin compared to modern homes. The thickness is 30mm and there is no insulation. However, the health and comfort aspects of a house made entirely of wood is hard to beat. it is surprising that with limited insulating quality the house is surprisingly cool in the summer and warm in the winter with the installed wood stove. It is a house designed to showcase how healthy it can be to live in an entirely wood house. The cedar is useful for absorbing odors, VOCs, and even humidity. The most notable thing is probably the humidity control capability of an all wood house.
The Ishibadate style features building a house on top of stones which is very common in Japan as a building style. Most temple construction is designed this way and there is a reason for this. in an earthquake prone country building on top of stones enables the house to move and not bind up and endure too much stress from being fixed or bolted to a concrete slab. We would also say that building on top of stones makes for a more friendly house renovating ability. It is easier to crawl under the house in the event something needs to be replaced or changed. This aspect is a very nice feature for those that are handy enough to handle a majority of their own house maintenance.
So, let's get into it with Part 4 of this unique build!
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