The Kominka Collective brings reclaimed Japanese folk houses, kura, temples, and other traditional structures that are going to be torn down to North America and beyond to give these extraordinary structures and materials a second life. We also provide information and guidance about finding and renovating a kominka in Japan.

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While traditional Japanese folk houses are widely appreciated for their beautiful aesthetic and for the skill with which they were built, many of these extraordinary structures are being torn down and incinerated.

This is an immeasurable loss, and it is our mission to protect, preserve, and reconstruct Japanese folk houses for the sake of future generations.

The Kominka Collective was conceived as a way to share traditional Japanese folk houses with people outside of Japan, not only as museum pieces, but as public and private spaces to gather, live, and work – and in so doing to give these beautiful old houses a second life.

We work with Toda Komuten of Shinshiro Japan to make reclaimed and restored Japanese kominka and traditional Japanese building techniques, materials, fixtures, and furnishings accessible to people outside Japan. We are not-for-profit company.

Toda Komuten, a longtime advocate for folk house preservation in Japan, disassembles kominka which are in very good condition but are going to be demolished and rebuilds them for use as public spaces, homes, studios, home offices, community centers, cafes, and shops.

What Are Kominka?

Although no single definition exists, the word 'kominka' generally refers to houses built at least 50 years ago and in particular to those built before the Taisho Period. Komika were constructed with high-quality local wood, including zelkova, sakura, chestnut, and cypress. These structures are characterized by traditional Japanese timber framing using broad beams and posts, ceramic tiled roofs, and a rustic yet elegant beauty. Japanese timber framing, used for wooden construction in temples, shrines, and folk houses, has many advantages, including strength, durability, and maintainability - as well as its elegant appearance.

Why are kominka often vacant or being torn down?

Although certainly many people appreciate the unique charateristics of kominka – the use of wood, the skills with which they were made, the beauty of the beams, posts, and joinery, and no doubt a range of other aspects – there is also perhaps a collective memory in Japan of kominka as being dark, wet, cold, hot, populated by insects (especially in the countryside), and difficult (and in modern times, expensive) to maintain. The decline in their popularity is most likely linked to several interelated factors. Changing times and changing lifestlyes: Many young people have left the countryside for the cities and are now living as nuclear families, and they are no longer able to take over the old houses. Related to this, Japan is facing a decline in its population and at the same time, against a backdrop of a move away from agricultural related work, people are moving from rural to urban areas. As the population ages, some people living in kominka do not have heirs to pass the home to – or heirs prefer not to live in and maintain the home if it is left to them. While there certainly are kominka in urban areas – especially as cities have come to envelope some rural areas – areas which have the highest number of vacant (akiya) kominka are those that are experiencing depopulation and are not likely to be able to be able to attract people – and especially young people – to the area in numbers that will make a difference in terms of people moving back into kominka and repairing and maintaining them. This is not to say there is not something of a “slow life” movement happending in Japan. There is – but the number of people who are moving to the countryside and perhaps living in kominka is not keeping pace with the depopulation of rural areas. Changes in laws and economic factors: New building standards were enacted in 1950, and since then, earthquake resistance standards have been strengthened. As a result, old houses have been demolished and replaced with new buildings built using new construction methods - and it is economically cheaper to rebuild new. Against this backdrop, many kominka have been damaged over the years, and are unsafe against earthquakes and other disasters due to the presence of insect damage and other undesirable elements. Seismic reinforcement work to strengthen these buildings and keep them in use is possible, but this incurs significant cost. Therefore, many owners have decided to demolish their kominka and rebuild. Morever, only a few banks offer loans to purchase kominka. And, while there are various financial incentives and initiatives offered by various government offices and other organizations to renovate and maintain kominka, they vary by area, are perhaps somewhat difficult to find information about - and may change from year to year. A decrease in the number of skilled professionals: Many kominka were built before the new construction standards and in a style unique to Japan. Therefore, no nails, bolts, or metal were used for pillars, beams, etc., and pillars under the floor were built directly on stone. Related to this, new construction methods no longer necessarily require skilled carpenters as in the past, and the number of carpenters has been drastically reduced. The lack of skilled carpenters needed to restore and continue to use old private homes is one reason why maintaining and restoring them has become more difficult.

How are kominka disassembled and reassembled?

The Disassembling Process

When we learn that a kominka is going to be demolished, Toda Komuten first evaluates the wood to assess if they can use the materials in new or existing structures. If they determine that the house is still viable, before dismantling the house, they number and document all the beams and posts so that they can be reassembled later at the site of their new home. The house is then carefully taken apart.

The next step is to take all the beams, posts, ceramic roof tiles, shoji screens, and other materials to the workshop where each piece is cleaned, polished, and repairs are made, if needed.

Master carpenters then pre-assemble the structure in the workshop and make any necessary modifications. As the house will have settled over the years, minor changes to length or height may be needed for some materials. This step is therefore important to ensure that the house fits structurally and that its reconstruction at its new location in another country is straightforward and problem-free.

The parts of the house are then packed into wooden crates and shipped to their destination.

The Reassembling Process

Reconstructed folk houses are reassembled using Japanese timber framing and all-wood joints. And, as all the materials are numbered and documented during the disassembly process, the assembly process is in a sense akin to putting together a very old wooden model.

However, although reconstructed kominka maintain the beautiful aesthetic Japanese folk houses are known for, they are built in strict accordance with local building codes and regulations.

Komika are, by design, open and well ventilated, causing them to be cold in the winter. Therefore, reconstructed folk houses are also designed and built to be warm and to have state-of-the-art energy efficiency.

In keeping with our mission to not waste any of the kominka's wood, some materials can be incorporated creatively into new and existing structures and landscapes. It is traditional, for example, for komika to have low ceilings, which means that the incredible beams and posts may have been out of view for a hundred years or more. In a reconstructed kominka with the beautiful beams exposed, wood from the ceiling may used in other ways, such as wainscoating.

The Dismantling Process

The Reassembling Process

Completed Houses