Minka: My Farmhouse in Japan

In 1959 journalist John Roderick joined the Tokyo bureau of the Associated Press. There he befriended a Japanese family the Takishitas. After musing offhandedly that he would like to one day have his own house in Japan the familyunbeknownst to Johnset out to grant his wish. They found Roderick a 250-year-old minka or hand-built farmhouse with a thatched roof and held together entirely by wooden pegs and joinery. It was about to be washed away by flooding and was being offered for only fourteen dollars. Roderick graciously bought the house but was privately dismayed at the prospect of living in this enormous old relic lacking heating bathing plumbing and proper kitchenfacilities. So the minka was dismantled and stored where Roderick secretly hoped it would stay as it did for several years.But Roderick's reverence for natural materials and his appreciation of traditional Japanese and Shinto craftsmanship eventually got the better of him. Before long a team of experienced carpenters were hoisting massive beams laying wide wooden floors and attaching the split-bamboo ceiling. In just forty days they rebuilt the house on a hill overlooking Kamakura the ancient capital of Japan. Working together they renovated the farmhouse adding features such as floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors and a modern kitchen bath and toilet. From these humble beginnings Roderick's minkahas become internationally known and has hosted such luminaries as President George H. W. Bush and Senator Hillary Clinton. John Roderick's architectural memoir Minka tells the compelling and often poignant story of how one man fell in love with the people culture and ancient building traditions of Japan and reminds us all about the importance of craftsmanship and the meaning of place and home in the process.

Paperback: 256 pages

Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press; 2 edition (June 30 2015)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 9781616894511

ISBN-13: 978-1616894511

ASIN: 1616894512

Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.6 x 9 inches

Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces