In early October it was announced that Kyoto machiya were added to the World Monuments Fund list of 2010 Watch Sites. Machiya are traditional Kyoto houses with narrow frontages that extend deep behind the city streets. They typically feature a store in the front with living space at the back, including a hidden garden which is only shared with close friends and well known customers. You can learn more about them at Kyotomachiya.com.
My first reaction to the announcement was cautious optimism, tempered by a thought that people have been complaining about the loss of traditional Kyoto buildings since residents switched from thatched to tile roofs, if not before then. That is not say that I am against preserving the machiya, just that for it to be effective, this has to be something that Kyotoites want, not just tourists hoping that time will stand still until the day they visit. I was thus encouraged to discover that the watchlisting came as the result of an application from the Kyomachiya Revitalization Study Group. Incidentally, their president will be speaking at an invitation only symposium in New York City November 5. Last year, The Japan Times reported on a similar event that was held in New York as well.
It appears that a combination of this citizen’s movement and the WMF’s moral suasion could lead to enduring protection of the machiya, if Tomonoura’s experience is anything to go by. Hopefully the next step would be for Kyoto city planners to create and enforce a building code that would allow the city to maintain its unique architectural heritage while moving forward as a twenty-first century city. When you have the cultural assets Kyoto offers, why bother trying to look like every other city in Japan?
This is great news and I pray for success. I spent a day in Kyoto earlier this month. The machiyas are very unique and they are the key to Kyoto's beauty in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this post. Though I was unable to attend the symposium last year, I managed to obtain some of the documents which came out of it, and was inspired to take an interest in this subject.
ReplyDeleteYou are right to be cautious, and I agree wholeheartedly with your comments regarding what Kyotoites want vs what the tourists and Japanophiles want. It's not as simple a matter as it may seem on the surface. But it is important, and compelling. I look forward to the opportunity to contribute myself to these or similar efforts, and continue to keep an eye out for further news & developments.