Anyone interested in going to Japan to take this apart next March? We've got 5 commited souls right now and a decent seaside hotel waiting for us March 9-24 2007

The Soma FARMHOUSE deconstruction project is about people and learning. Our goal is to engage American adults and high school students directly with the Japanese town of Soma. Our focus will be the dismantling of an important 19th century farmhouse. Through this process we intend to form new Japanese -American relationships and learn how the fantastic Konno house was built.
The Konno house was built about 1870. It was built by a wealthy and respected village headman by the name of Konno. Mr. Konno was a member and leader of a Buddhist sect by the name of Ikkou shu. He moved his family to Soma in 1809 after the area had become severely depopulated by a great famine in 1800. He and his family struggled as farmers until a sophisticated system of irrigation was completed in the 1830’s. Mr. Konno was a large land owner and the head of his village in the feudal system of the time. He rented his land to many smaller farmers and in turn paid tax to his lord. When the feudal system ended in 1868, Mr. Konno was in a very good position. He became wealthy. In 1890 he used his wealth to build the house that we are going to dismantle.
The Nokosoukai and Shizutani School have presented this project to The Timber Framers Guild, Lawrence Academy and The Souma High School.
This past March, Harrelson Stanley led a group of Lawrence academy students to Japan to meet the students of the Souma High School and stay with them together in the Konno “minka” farmhouse. During their stay in Soma the students were exposed to many learning experiences. Mr. Youshihiro Takishita, President of the Nokosoukai traveled from his home in Kamakura to lead both the Soma and Lawrence Academy students through a Historical presentation of the Minka tradition in Japanese Architecture.
Mr. Takishita has been a major supporter of this project. He found the Farmhouse and made the connection between the Konno family and the Shizutani school. Futher more he and his organization, the Nokosokai, have planned and organized a very unusual learning program for the students of the Soma high school and Lawrence Academy.
Mr. Konno had a son in 1906 and named him Gempachiro Konno. Gempachiro graduated from the Soma High school that we are working with. He went on to graduate from Tokyo University. he then went to study in Germany for two years and for two more years at the Brookings Institute in the US where he finished his PHD from Tokyo University. He then became a professor at Tokyo University where he taught until he was 60. From there he continued to teach at Keyo University, Meiji University and Tokai Universsity until he was 75 years old. he died in 1996.
During His tenure at Tokyo university Mr. Konno worked for the Japanese Ministry of Transportation. While at the ministry, Professor Konno designed and implemented the construction of the modern Japanese super highway system. When he presented his plan he was laughed at because it was thought that Japan would never be prosperous enough to need such a system.
Professor Konno had three daughters and no sons. One of his daughters Takako, married and became Nonoyama. Takako Nonoyama offered to give her son Satoshi, to her father to continue the Konno name. Her son Satoshi was formaly adopted at the age of five and took the name Konno. In the process of this adoption, Satoshi also inhereted the Konno farm house.
Mr. Satoshi Konno Lives in Nagoya and has not been able to keep up the farm house. He really doesn’t want to see it torn down and so offered to give it away. The town of Soma had several meetings and could not come to an agreement and Satoshi’s mother asked the Nokosoukai if they might be able to help. Mr. Takishita knew that Shizutani school was looking for a farm house and the connection was made.
I studied Traditional Japanese crafts in Himeji Japan from 1987 to 1998. My apprenticeship was mainly in Lacquering (urushi) but I also spent a lot of time traveling to far-flung places through out Japan to meet and work with many different crafts people. I became acutely aware that these crafts are dying very quickly and I resolved to build a school in the US to foster the continuation of these crafts. I purchased the land for our school and home while teaching English in Japan and began clearing the woods and building on our return in 1999. We ( my Japanese wife Sayuri and our four children) camped out as we built our first building in the summer of 2000.
Since beginning our school 7 years ago we have organized 16 work shops and hosted 10 different craftsmen from Japan. Our students have come from 20 different states and Canada. We are really just getting started but our students have been very happy with the opportunities that we have been able organize.
Eventually we want to build a dormitory for our students when they attend our classes. We want to dismantle the Konno farm house and bring the frame to Shizutani school in Pepperell Massachusetts where we plan to rebuild it.
We see this project in two clear stages. The first will be our dismantling project. We feel that rather than have Japanese carpenters dismantle the frame, we would like to have a group of American adults and high school students work with the local Soma high school and the local village to deconstruct the frame. We think that many lasting relationships and intercultural understanding will be developed in the process.
We see the reconstruction of the frame to be a separate project and we want to consider that after Japanese project is complete.
Following is a brief history of the Konno farm house.
Konno Genpachiro House
Fukushima-ken, Soma-shi, Tsubota, Aza Ueharada1
Built in Early Meiji Period, Circa 1870
A Wooden Structure, 2 story, Tile Roof
Azumaya-zukuri (Helmet Roof)
Gabled-end 6 ken long X Side 12 Ken long (ken=1.82m)
Floor Space 474 SQM (1F=237 SQM 2F=237 SQM)

This house is located in a village of Soma Han of Edo period (1600-1867) which is famous for “Noma Oi” , chasing wild horses festival. This tradition goes back over one thousand years. Soma Han was located North East of Edo, now called Tokyo, relatively a small clan with 60,000 koku (production of rice) but flourished as a country with good rice. And in Meiji period (1868-1911) the country farmers made their living with silk cultivation industry as well.
Konno family, which made a good deal of money, from silk were village chiefs in Edo period. And served as shinto priests for the local deity. The residential quarter is situated on a gentle slope from North west down to South east covering 1,200 Tsubo (about one acre) of land.
The Omoya, or main house, stands in the middle of the slope facing in the South direction. It has a beautiful Kura (treasurehouse) not too far from the pond and a Yudono or bath house. Adjacent to the east of Omoya are Kamaya (the earth floor kitchen) and Stable. There were two other Kuras, warehouses for grain and other treasures which don’t exist anymore. Although there are no specific documents or record (most old farm houses don’t have any record that tell us the age of the house) but the style and the way it was built and what we hear from the owner, it is safe to say the house was originally constructed in early Meiji Period, circa 1870.
One of the features of the house is the exterior design. The house is as tall as 12 meters with Kemuridashi, a smoke escape at the top of the roof. This house is Kabuto-zukuri, so called helmet roof and the lower part of the gable end is truncated in a rhomboid shape. It is the reverse of the hipped and gabled roof. The big gable windows were devised to ensure plenty of light and air for cultivating silk worms in the attic. This style of Kabuto-zukuri, helmet roof does not have an especially long history. It developed with the silk industry and was common in parts of eastern Honshu where the silkworm industry flourished, but rare in the west. When the roof was thatched the exterior must have been very beautiful with complicated roof lines.
The house is 12 ken (a ken is about 6 feet) on the side by 6 ken on the gable end. The entrance is on the side and has the earth floor stretching towards Hiroma ( a large high ceiling living room) with Irori or open fire hearth built in the wooden floor. This large Hiroma, about 864 SQF if the partitions are taken down, is a good example of the character and personality of the Japanese minka, or folk house. Its celing is 4.5 meters high and there are many magnificent cross beams as anchor beams. On the right of this Hiroma are Kamado, earth floor kitchen and a new kitchen. Hiroma was not only for living but also for dining, working, receiving casual or everyday visitors, and the family center for a moment of rest surrounding the fire hearth.
On the left of Hiroma are 6 Zashiki, tatami floor rooms. The first 3 rooms in a row on the south garden side are important rooms for various events such as ritual services, wedding, funeral and community meeting, entering from Hiroma the first 12 mats room (a mat is 18 SQF) is called Nakanoma, the second 12 mats room is called Tsuginoma, and the third room with 8 tatami is called Butsuma or altar room. On the back side parallel to front row are 3 private rooms. The first and the second two 12 mats rooms are called Nando or bedroom. The third 8 mats room is Okuzashiki, the most distinguised guest room with tokonoma, an alcove with shelves. The 2 corridors on both front and back garden have their twin corridors above which is rare. The width is 4.5 shaku (1shaku = about 1 foot) and the length is 7.5 ken. The second level corridor in front has full length windows and back corridor has three 1 ken windows.
The windows have double rails, outside for Amado wooden rain shutters and inside for Shoji paper sliding doors. The interior wall is plastered and outside walls is covered with wooden board. The small outside walls are finished with plaster.
As for the structure the attic has many layers of beams on top of which a large ridgepole is positioned. The minka of this region have very tall Joya posts supporting the roof truss and have no Geya or eaves surrounding the Joya. This house has a big and deep roof supported by double rafters and Segai- zukuri, extended purlin which make the deep eave (9 feet deep) structually possible and give us a grand impression with tall elevation and its raised eave line. Large posts and thick penetrating lintels of Keyaki wood (the best of its kind) eliminate posts and make a simple and practical layout where we can see the advanced skill and development of the minka design. This house has many aesthetic elements, typical farmhouse features as seen in Hiroma and delicate and refined work done in Okuzashiki and Butsuma which is most appropriate for the upper class farmers in this region of the snow country.
Overall this house is a rare minka example of traditional post and beam structure together with tall posts, deep eaves, big center columns and penetrating lintels which make the house most impressive and precious.

interested? Call me (Harrelson) on my cell 978 512 1422

Harrelson

What are the particulars? (who pays whom how much for what?)

J.E.B.

Hello everyone,

First I want to thank all of you who are participating in this project. This is going to be one of those rare moments in our lives when we we are doing something really unusual that will affect lots of people in really positive way.

Our Hotel reservations are made March 8th through the 23rd. We are going to be in the "Hayashi Ryokan" in Soma city in Fukushima prefecture. This seaside Inn is very reasonable and has a good Japanese bath. This will be so important at the end of each day. The cost of the hotel is ¥8500 ( @ $80) per night including three meals. The Inn will transport us to the farmhouse and pick us up each day. The best way to deal with the cost is for each person to pay the Inn directly. The only additional cost will be a ¥10,000 yen ($90 ) porta-potty fee. Porta-poties are pretty expensive in Japan. The yen is very weak right now, about ¥120 to $1.00 so your total cost will be less than $1350 if you don't drink beer. Plane tickets are very cheap at this time of year. From the west coast, I've heard $300. I'm paying $750 from Boston.

We have 7 volunteers right now. We would love to have a few more. The more help we have, the more careful we can be with the materials. And, the better we can document the frame for reconstruction.

I am in constant contact with Mr. Takishita now and we are developing our deconstruction plan.

The most important thing is that we do not allow anyone to get hurt. Every decision we make has to be based on Safety first.

Time to buy your plane tickets we are a GO

Please let me know if you are a vegetarian

I will be following up with more info about preparation. I am told that this is a warm year so it's possible that the cherry blossoms will come out right at the end of our project. Let's hope

Just got my tickets today ( just $700! to go 1/2 around the world!!)
Most excited to take apart a pice of Japanese culture

Hey Everyone,

It's almost time, here is the key to the first step of your adventure. You need to take a train from Narita airport to UENO and from there you need to go to SOMA on the JR Super Hitachi

This the time table for the train to Ueno from Narita airport
http://www.keisei.co.jp/keisei/tetudou/keisei_us/html/st_ueno_day.html

Here is the schedule tool for the train from UENO to SOMA they don't give you a printable list so you have to use their tool

You want to take the Super Hitachi train

http://grace.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi

Here is a list of things that would be good to have.

I expect the weather to be in the 50's but we should prepare for the 40's . Last year at this time we had many days in the 60's. It could be windy and it could be rainy. This continues to be the warmest winter on record. But as the building comes apart, we will have less and less shelter.

work gloves
a paint respirator
knee pads
ear protection
eye protection

a few small gifts for people you meet

check your passports!!

Hey everyone,

We have arrived in Soma and we will begin dismantling this afternoon. Here's a link to some maps and pictures http://www.ibiblio.org/japanwood/phpBB2/...05f220c755a5f33

I will be posting pictures as we go

Hap

Day 1 went well all the tiles are off and the doors removed (more than 200 shoji doors )!!

http://www.ibiblio.org/japanwood/phpBB2/...00e84ae537#7311

Day two was Killer. Th jet lag started kickin in about 2:30 in the afternoon. It was a long day on the roof tearing down the original shingles. The big surprise was that the shingles were Chestnut!

Here's the pictures

http://www.ibiblio.org/japanwood/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=15&sid=26604c9163711ef075671d7b1b494606

Day 3

We're making progress. The shingles are off the roof and 1/3 of the rafters are on the ground. Lots of good pictures today. Here's the link

http://www.ibiblio.org/japanwood/phpBB2/...d99d7a0613746a2

Day 4

Today I found an old (covered in soot) board in the attic that had all the original lead carpenters names (4) and listed 30 sub carperters present at the raising of the Konno farmhouse. It was raised in 1891 and one of the four listed "Toryo" carpenters was a man named Monma. He was our present carpenter Monma's great grand fathers uncle. This gives us a lot of information we were looking for.

We got all the rafters off on Saturday, the ridge pole and the first purlines ( moya) came down. We are now paying serious attention to numbering system


Check out the photos

http://www.ibiblio.org/japanwood/phpBB2/...ef4eb27203ce5a0

Day 5

It was a great day with lots of progress but we had to deal with snow in the morning. Hard to climb on all that old soot with snow added to the mix. We did get down a couple of layers in the afternoon though.

here's the pictures
http://www.ibiblio.org/japanwood/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=15&sid=cd164ac57813e8effc0b9322bc036b43

Day 6

Wow it's going fast now, hard to keep up with the numbering. The second set of rafters are all off the roof. One more set to go now. The crane is coming today and we will start taking all the beams off the third floor ceiling. It's getting very crowded up there. 15 students from LA arrived and put in a great day yesterday. Huge help cleaning up the site and moving lots of material. Big help, they slept well. The eves are coming apart and we'll get into the cantalever system today.

http://www.ibiblio.org/japanwood/phpBB2/...0680dd2f9e1ffa7

onward

Hap

Day 7

Another huge day at the site. Our kids from Lawrence Academy put in there second day and were a great help. We'll see them for one more day on Saturday. The NHK and Fukushima TV stations were on site all morning so we'll make the news tonight. Oh how I love the crane. Thinks move fast with a crane on site. We made it down to the Box today.

http://www.ibiblio.org/japanwood/phpBB2/...2804bb827936a68

Days 8-9

Couldn't log in last night for some reason. We got all the tie beams off the box yesterday and now were're into the ones that run the length of the building with scarf joints. One very cool miter came apart yesterday

Here's the pictures
http://www.ibiblio.org/japanwood/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=15&sid=7349568d1169319083e5441c2eb4f1d5

Day 10

Well it took me awile to get these reduced and to unwind from our busy week. Our progress is amazing. The big news today is that Monma found an oil painting of the original builder, his great, great uncle Monma. Wow Provenance

Takishita-san came and gave a good-by ceremony for the Konno family, Lawrence Academy and the local villigers. Great stuff. People traveled from many places to attend.

[url=ttp://www.ibiblio.org/japanwood/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1261&start=15&sid=f745aaa42abdc971c1f86410b7bdb6d9][url=ttp://www.ibiblio.org/japanwood/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1261&start=15&sid=f745aaa42abdc971c1f86410b7bdb6d9][url=ttp://www.ibiblio.org/japanwood/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1261&start=15&sid=f745aaa42abdc971c1f86410b7bdb6d9]ttp://www.ibiblio.org/japanwood/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1261&start=15&sid=f745aaa42abdc971c1f86410b7bdb6d9[/url][/url][/url]
Hap

Day 11

Another tough one. We didn't use the crane today. We finished breaking all the walls out of the first and second floors, carefully removed the "TOKONOMA" (art alcove) and moved a mountain of trash. I have posted a picture of an "end grain cover up" that came out of the tokonoma. I'm sure I will be using this picture for years to come. It perfectly demonstrates the Japanese intent to hide joinery. Note that the piece is also buried in the wall!

I also put up a picture of Takahashi daiku. He has been on site with us from the beginning and works so quietly you wouldn't know he was there. He has recently passed the first level carpenter's exam. This is a really hard thing to. Maybe Chris Hall could comment here?

Here's the pics
http://www.ibiblio.org/japanwood/phpBB2/...1a42062a64#7418

Day 12

We are down to the last 6 rooms now. Look closely at the Unseen joinery picture. How did someone think of that? We're all getting a little tired

Here's the pics

http://www.ibiblio.org/japanwood/phpBB2/...0e2ff071a178a5c

Hap

Hap:

No one is responding to your posts, but rest assured, people are reading and looking at the pics. Thanks for blogging it. CB.

Dismantled, We did it!!

Here's the pics from the last post day.

The big news is the discovery of a piece with a dated back. We've had a running discussion on site about the real age of the building. We know there was a major construction in Meiji 23 (1891), But some details point to an earlier construction. This makes us think the build might have been expanded in Meiji 23 rather than built new from the ground up. We found a hand rail holder in the inner hall way upstairs that is dated Meiji 3 (1871). This leads us to believe that some of the strusture goes back farther. We have lots of research yet to do

For now we are all very happy to have it dismantled and most importantly, we are all safe.

hap

http://www.ibiblio.org/japanwood/phpBB2/...2d6def91f8c5cb7

Day 15

Here is where the rubber meets the road folks. Cleaning up. Notice that our first level carpenter is treating the trash just like a fine project, stacking very neatly

In the implosion picture, Moma san has attached a cable to the building after taking a chain saw and cutting most of the way through every post. It worked very nicely

http://www.ibiblio.org/japanwood/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1261&start=30&sid=da049f949c0b

Hap