Nagaya

A style of building with several houses attached to it, also written as Nagaya. It was common in medieval town houses, but it was standardized in the Warring States period, starting with the root huts built at the foot of mountain castles. It was a place to rest for foot soldiers, and was a series of minimal living spaces, each unit being 9 shaku (about 2.7 meters) wide and 2 ken (about 3.6 meters) deep. When local samurai went to the city, they also used this style of lodging for their retainers, called nagaya, and was most common in the residences of various feudal domains during the Edo period. In other words, it was built around the inside of the wall on both sides of the front gate, surrounding the main house, so it was called shiho-nagaya. The part facing the road is two stories high, with about five rooms on both sides, and was inhabited by mid-ranking and higher samurai. The other side is called naka-nagaya, which is cramped and poorly lit, and was the residence of low-ranking samurai and below. In tenement houses, people usually hired local servants to cook and bathe. The upper residences of feudal domains always had such tenement houses, but depending on the domain, the middle and lower residences did not always have them.

In the Edo period, as a result of the dense population of towns, row houses developed for common people. Those on the main streets were called "front row houses" and those on back streets and alleys were called "back row houses". However, since there were many independent houses such as shops on the main streets, the word "row house" usually meant the back row houses, also called "uradana" (back shops). When you enter through a wooden gate on the main street, you will find row houses on both sides of a narrow alley. There were many six row houses. The size of each house was the same as that of a negoya, about nine shaku by two ken, or nine shaku by two and a half ken. Most were two stories high, with two rooms above and below. The kitchen was near a shared well and was located on the dirt floor of the entrance. There was a sewer in the center of the alley, covered with a sewer board. The well and toilet were shared and were located at the end of the alley, and there was also a small shrine to Inari nearby. The "Munewari Tenement" was a way to save an alley and have buildings use both sides of the alley. There were no merchants in the tenements, and many poor people such as craftsmen and street vendors lived there. They formed a very small community with strong solidarity centered around the ruling landlord, who said, "The landlord is like a parent, and the tenant is like a child." The rent for the back tenements was 400 mon per month during the Bunsei era (1818-1830), and 600 mon during the Tenpo era (1830-1844), but many people could not pay it all at once and paid by the day.

In addition, the long towers built on top of castle walls were called Tamon Yagura or Tamon Nagaya, or simply "Nagaya" for short.

In some regions, all the buildings attached to the main house of a farming family are called nagaya. The nagayamon, monnagaya, or monya are built at the entrance of the house, and serve as a gate. On either side of the gate are stables, workshops, and barns, but sometimes a retirement home or a room for young men are also attached. Nagayamon were considered formal and were only permitted for the homes of large landowners or local samurai, but as the ban was relaxed, farmers who became financially comfortable competed to build them and became proud of them. In some regions, ancillary buildings are built at right angles to the main house, either on either side, and are called yokoya or nagaya. Workshops and chicken coops may be placed there, but sometimes guest rooms are also built there. These rooms may be the living quarters of the retired or young people, but in some regions they are used as the most important guest rooms in the house. Today, the "terrace houses" seen in urban housing complexes can also be considered modern nagaya.

[Yotaro Takeuchi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

一棟の建物を数戸の家にくぎった形式で、長家とも書く。中世の町家に多くみられるが、規格化されたのは戦国時代、山城(やまじろ)の麓(ふもと)に建てられた根小屋に始まる。雑兵の休泊所で、一単位の間口九尺（約2.7メートル）、奥行二間（約3.6メートル）という最小の居住空間の連続である。また地方武士が都会へ出たとき、家臣の泊まる宿舎もこの形式で、長屋といい、江戸時代、諸藩の藩邸にもっとも多くみられる。すなわち、表門の左右から塀の内側にぐるりと建て、主屋(おもや)を取り巻くので四方長屋といった。往来に面する部分は二階建てとし、上下五室ほどあり、中級以上の武士が住む。他の側にあるのを中(なか)長屋といい、これは手狭で採光も悪く、士分以下の軽輩の住居であった。長屋住まいは、普通、共同で国者(くにもの)を雇い、炊事や風呂(ふろ)たきをさせた。藩の上屋敷にはかならずこうした長屋があり、中屋敷、下屋敷には、藩によっては設けないこともあった。

　江戸時代の町地では人口稠密(ちゅうみつ)化の結果、庶民住宅にも長屋形式の住宅が発達した。表通りのものを「表長屋」、裏通りや路地にあるものを「裏長屋」といった。しかし表通りには商店など独立家屋が多くあったので、通常、長屋といえば裏長屋のことで、裏店(うらだな)ともよんだ。表通りの木戸を入ると、狭い路地を挟んで両側に長屋が建つ。六軒長屋が多かった。一軒の規模は根小屋と同様で、九尺に二間、または九尺に二間半であった。多くは二階建てで、上下二室からなり、台所は共同井戸に近く、戸口(とぐち)の土間にあった。路地の中央に下水溝があり、どぶ板で覆われていた。井戸のほか便所も共同で、路地の突き当たりにあり、その付近に稲荷(いなり)の小祠(しょうし)もあった。路地を一筋節約し、建物を両側から使うようにしたのが「棟割長屋」である。長屋には商家はなく、職人や振り売りなど細民が多く住み、「大家(おおや)といえば親も同然、店子(たなこ)といえば子も同然」といって、宰領の大家を中心とする連帯の強い極小コミュニティを形成していた。裏長屋の家賃は文政(ぶんせい)年間（1818～1830）で月400文、天保(てんぽう)年間（1830～1844）で600文だったが、それも一度に払えず、日掛けにする者が多かった。

　なお、城塁(じょうるい)の上に長く建てられた櫓(やぐら)を多門櫓または多門長屋といい、略して単に「長屋」ともいった。

　農家にあっては、主屋に対し付属家をすべて長屋とよぶ地方もある。屋敷の入口に、門を兼ねて建てるのが長屋門または門長屋、門屋である。門の左右には、厩(うまや)、作業場、納屋を設けるが、隠居屋や若衆(わかしゅ)部屋を付属させることもある。長屋門は格式あるものとして、大地主や地侍級の家にのみ許されたものであるが、禁制が緩和するにしたがい、経済的にゆとりをもつようになった農家は、競ってこれを建てて誇りとするようになった。また、主屋に対し直角に、両側ないし片側に付属家を設け、これを横屋(よこや)ないしは長屋とよんでいる地方もある。そこには作業場や鶏舎を置くこともあるが、客室を設けることもある。この部屋は隠居や若者の居室であることもあるが、その家でもっとも重要な客座敷として使用している地方もある。今日、都市の団地にみられる「テラスハウス」も、近代的な長屋とみることができる。

［竹内芳太郎］

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