As an Architect, I always read the news about demolition of heritage buildings and desecration of historical landmarks. Seeing depictions of these sites' glorious past, and imagining what future stories they can still tell make me feel strongly against these. I get it. How could other people see otherwise? But there is another side to cultural heritage preservation, that has rarely been talked about. I've had the opportunity to witness the situation of common people who are struggling to persist in this post-modern world and keep their traditional way-of-life in tact. Let's first take a look at Machiya Houses in Kumamoto, Japan. A traditional Machiya, can be a shop-house for the sales of different wares, or the home of an artisan. Clusters of Machiya Houses, would comprise a merchant district. When visiting Japan, experiencing or even just seeing Machiya Houses evokes old-world charm and nostalgia. However, more and more, Machiya Houses are becoming a rarity in the streetscapes of Japanese cities. Private Burden. I was surprised when I visited Kumamoto to learn that machiyas can still belong to the direct descendants of the original owners. I also learned that upkeep or maintenance of these centuries-old machiyas are considered private obligations with little support from the government or other funding institutions. Somehow, I had this assumption that Japan is a paradise where there is always support and incentive for those who would like to preserve their cultural heritage. Well, myth busted. Demolishing Rather Than Keeping. We met a lady living in the traditional Machiya district of Kumamoto, she was introduced to us by Dr. Kenichi Tanoue of Kyushu University, a native of Kumamoto and a community architect helping in the preservation of local Machiya Houses. She owns a 400 year-old machiya, near Kumamoto Castle, and sells specialized fabric and stationery. However, maintaining her business has become difficult, as tourism's benefit is unable to trickle down to local shop-houses. Aside from the upkeep of her business and machiya, she also has to pay land tax, which they note as quite exorbitant. Eventually, she decided to let go of her machiya. The government will then shoulder the expenses of the demolition. Afterwhich, she will be able to move into a smaller apartment and find an alternative form of employment that will be a more sustainable option. "Eventually, she decided to let go of her machiya. The government will shoulder the expenses of the demolition. She will be able to move into a smaller apartment and find an alternative form of employment that will be a more sustainable option." Even as part of me was saddened by the loss of a centuries-old traditional vernacular Japanese house. It made me realize that cultural heritage preservation must go beyond mere preservation of the physical structure. The reason why we still see heritage buildings and districts is because their custodians not only see the value in them, but also benefit from them. As an Architect, I may see the value in preserving a heritage building, but hearing the stories of the people at the ground, made me step down from my ivory tower. Bottom line is that people are the basic units of cultural heritage. We may romanticize and wish to make time stand still, but reality is that times have changed and will continue to change. Unless people are made to benefit from their own cultural heritage, these traditional vernacular houses will merely become rare relics of the past. "people are the basic units of cultural heritage... Unless people are made to benefit from their own cultural heritage, these traditional vernacular houses will merely become rare relics of the past."
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Who is Mameng?Mameng is a feisty "Biday" who has a lot to say about things, but will not comment on her love life. ArchivesCategories
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