この十津川郷の人びとの暮らしようとして対外的な交易による収入手段は林業生産。とくにスギの植林がさかんだった。そういった植林と伐採・出荷が営々と行われてきた。当然、十津川という河川を使った運搬が交易路。その運搬のためには伐採したスギなどを川原まで落としてそこで集約して結束させて、新宮などの海に面した港湾地域までいかだ流しをする。
急峻な山間地域としてこうした「生産物」を出荷・育成管理するのに最適化した住宅建築が求められるだろう。スギなどの樹木の育成地に近接して山を背にした傾斜地に対して横に細長い敷地条件が必然になる。
この丸田家住宅は、十津川に沿って開けた村の中心に建てられ山の斜面を削り取って盛り土していた。当然、南面する傾斜地が敷地として利用されるので、その方向に縁がまわされる間取り構成になる。奥行きは取れないけれど、一方で南面側の開放空間は、非常に天地の広大さを体感できるような眺望が確保できるだろう。日本の住宅建築の主流は田畑や市街地域に囲まれた平野部立地が圧倒的に優勢ななかで、独特の眺望的開放感に恵まれていたと思われる。わたし個人の体験してきた住宅では、四国の山間にある【大嘗祭に麁服（あらたえ）調進の徳島「三木家住宅」】として紹介した住宅と似た雰囲気を醸し出してくれる。
毎年強い台風の影響を受けるため、軒先と妻側に雨風除けの板がタテ方向に張られている。外観写真にあるような板で「スバルノウチオロシ」と呼称される。谷底から吹き上げる風に屋根が吹き飛ばされたり、軒下に湿気が入り込むのを防ぐ仕様。
間取りとしては谷側に縁を取って、奥の間（座敷／客間）中の間（居間／寝室）勝手の間（居間／台所）が並列されている。３つの部屋の奥には「なんど」と書かれた細い通路空間があって、座敷と台所が直接つながっている。座敷に迎え入れた客人に対しての応接接待の利便性を高めた空間性。こうした間取り構成は江戸期の中下級武士の間取り構成に多く見られるとも言われる。見て来たような政治情勢などへの敏感な対応力は、このような間取り構成からも涵養されてきたのだろうと推認される。
また母屋付属の便所の壁には、刀掛けもあって幕末の緊張期を想起させている。
English version⬇
Floor plan of the Maruda family, the core of the mountain village Totsukawa and ‘New Totsukawa’ - 7
The layout of the house is designed with an emphasis on reception, as is typical of a house that is sensitive to the outlook on the state of affairs due to the necessities of its basic livelihood of forestry production and distribution. The openness of the south-facing view. ...
The way of life of the people of Totsukawa-go was based on forestry production as a means of income from foreign trade. Cedar plantations were particularly popular. Such afforestation, logging and shipping were carried out continuously. Naturally, the trade route used the river Totsukawa for transport. For this transportation, logged cedar and other materials were dropped down to the riverbanks, where they were consolidated and tied together, and then rafted to port areas facing the sea, such as Shingu.
As a steep mountainous area, housing construction optimised for shipping and managing the cultivation of such ‘produce’ will be required. A site condition that is long and narrow horizontally against the slope with its back to the mountain, in close proximity to the growing area of cedar and other trees, is a necessity.
This Maruda family residence was built in the centre of an open village along the Totsu River. The slope of the mountain had been cut away and filled in. Naturally, the south-facing slope was used as the site, so the floor plan was structured with the edge of the house facing that direction. Although depth cannot be taken, on the other hand, the open space on the south side of the house will ensure a view that will allow the viewer to experience the vastness of the sky and earth. While the mainstream of Japanese residential architecture is overwhelmingly based on plains, surrounded by fields and urban areas, it seems to have been blessed with a unique sense of openness with a view. In my own personal experience, I have experienced an atmosphere similar to that of the Miki Family Residence in the mountains of Shikoku, Tokushima, which was used for the preparation of clothing for the Great Tasting Ceremony. >The house creates a similar atmosphere to the houses introduced as
As the house is affected by strong typhoons every year, boards are placed vertically at the eaves and on the gable end to protect it from the wind and rain. These boards, which are shown in the exterior photo, are called ‘Subaru Noochiroshi’. They are designed to prevent the roof from being blown off by winds blowing up from the bottom of the valley and to prevent moisture from entering under the eaves.
The layout consists of an Okunoma (tatami room/guest room), Naka-noma (living room/bedroom) and Katsute-noma (living room/kitchen), which are arranged in parallel on the valley side, with a narrow passage space marked ‘Nando’ at the back of each of the three rooms, directly connecting the tatami room and kitchen. This spatial feature enhances the convenience of entertaining guests who are welcomed into the tatami room. This type of floor plan configuration is said to be common in the floor plans of middle and lower class samurai during the Edo period. It can be inferred that the ability to respond sensitively to political situations, as we have seen, was also cultivated through this type of layout configuration.
The wall of the toilet attached to the main house also has a sword-hanging, which recalls the tense period at the end of the Edo period.
