The Periodical Changes in Japan's Primitive Pit Dwellings through Excavations in Kanagawa Prefecture

Purpose: Focusing on the remains of pit dwellings in Kanagawa Prefecture, where pit dwellings from the Jomon period to the Kofun period have been excavated, we examines the changes in the spatial characteristics, structure, and form of pit dwellings, and through this, we will identify the intrinsic characteristics of Japanese residential architecture and the origins of general architecture. Method: Among the standard pit dwellings of the four-pillar type and similar examples, we have examined the excavations of pit dwellings of a eight sites in Kanagawa Prefecture from the Jomon period to the Kofun period. For this prior research on pit dwellings was consulted, and public excavation reports such as the “Kanagawa Prefecture Site Excavation Report” were referenced and cited for the remains of dwellings excavated in Kanagawa Prefecture. Result: It can be seen that the shape of floor plan and the main pillars form are changed to a rectangular plane in the last stage and the internal pillars are unified into 4 main columns. The scale of pit dwellings is showing a mix of small sizes of around 10 square meters, standard sizes of around 25 square meters, and medium-sized dwellings of 25 square meters or more. From the middle of the Yayoi period, the large scale of pit dwellings appeared, and then at the end of the Kofun period, the scale of pit dwellings began to decline due to the influx of flatland dwellings.