The Japanese Minka

Until the middle of the 20th century, many country Japanese people lived in wooden houses called minka. They had sturdy wooden earthquake-resistant frames for mud-plastered walls and thatched roofs - the equivalent of British wattle-and-daub cottages.

Minkas fell out of favour in Japan during the latter half of the twentieth century, being thought to be inconvenient and uncomfortable. Many were demolished and replaced by modern houses which lasted under 30 years. This constant building and replacing of newer houses produced vast quantities of industrial waste, whereas minkas could be either reconstructed or used as fuel. In 1997, the Japan Minka Re-use and Recycle Association (JMRA) was established to promote the benefits and conservation of minkas.

Kew's Minka was originally a farmhouse built around 1900 in a suburb of Okazaki City, near the southern coast of central Japan. When the Yonezu family bought it in 1940, it was dismantled and moved to another part of the city. After the death of Mrs Chiyoku Yonezu in 1993, JMRA acquired the house and donated it to Kew as part of the Japan 2001 Festival.

The dismantled wooden framework was shipped to Kew, where construction began on 7 May 2001. Experienced Japanese carpenters reinstated the intricate joints formed without the use of iron nails. A Japanese ceremony was held when the framework was completed on 21 May.

A team of British builders who had worked on the Globe Theatre in London built the mud wall panels. The roof was then thatched with Norfolk reeds and wheat straw. The Japanese Minka was completed in November 2001 and today, visitors can go inside and wonder at the maze of beams.

Continue the tour

Back up to: Western Zone

Carry on to: Rhododendron Dell