Proportions of Wood Members in Japanese Traditional Architecture—A Comparison of the Kiwari-Sho and Measurements of Building Remains

Since written reference works on ancient design techniques are still extant, it is possible to gain an understanding of the development of these designs. In particular, we are able to investigate dimensional standards used for wood members using the Kiwari (木割: a method of determining the dimensions of all wood members using a proportion determined based on the diameter of the columns) in Kiwari-sho (木割書: a manual of dimensional standards for wood members). The objective of this study was to confirm whether the design techniques that have been collected under the term “dimensional standards for building (木割術: Kiwari-jutsu)” were actually utilized in the construction of buildings and whether they are a sustainable technology. This study will provide an understanding of the correlation between the techniques used and the dimensions of the remains of structures putatively built using such techniques. Furthermore, based on this analysis, this study will be useful in both quantifying the influence that dimensional standards techniques had on buildings at the time of their construction and as reference material that can be used when restoring the remains of cultural properties.