Preservation as Continuity: Protecting Japanese Built Cultural Heritage

Date
Monday 6 July 2026

Time
6.45pm

Venue
The Swedenborg Society
20-21 Bloomsbury Way (Hall entrance on Barter St)
London WC1A 2TH
[Map]

Booking Details
Free- Booking essential

Please help us to keep this event free and open to all! The activities of The Japan Society are made possible thanks to the support of its members. If you are planning to attend this event and are not a member (as an individual or through your employer), please consider becoming a member or making a donation if you can - the recommended donation is £5. Thank you!

Kominka are traditional Japanese farmhouses, generally understood as older rural houses often built more than 50 years ago. Though the term has no single strict definition, kominka are valued for their craftsmanship, local materials, and harmony with the surrounding environment, and they stand as important reflections of Japan’s architectural traditions, rural life, and respect for nature.

In this talk, Andrea Carlson of Kominka Collective will explore Japan’s built cultural heritage and the growing challenges facing kominka, kura (storehouses), temples, shrines, and other historic wooden structures. Drawing on the Kominka Collective’s work in preservation, stewardship, relocation, research, and education in Japan and overseas, she will discuss traditional building methods, rural life, adaptive reuse, and ongoing efforts to help save these endangered structures. Combining practical experience with broader cultural perspectives, the talk will offer insight into the importance of preserving not only historic buildings, but also the knowledge, craftsmanship, and communities connected to them.

Andrea Carlson is one of the founders of the Kominka Collective, a Japan-based non-profit dedicated to preserving and revitalising traditional Japanese architecture that works closely with Toda Komuten, a fifth-generation design-build company specialising in traditional Japanese construction and preservation. The Kominka Collective supports in-place stewardship, coordinates the relocation and reuse of endangered kominka and other traditional structures, and promotes the reuse of reclaimed materials. Its work also includes educational programmes, artisan-led workshops, cultural exchange activities, research and documentation, and architectural study tours with the Timber Framers Guild, as well as hosting an annual Cultural Heritage Fellow. Andrea is a Visiting Researcher in the Anthropological Institute at Nanzan University and serves as Director of Programs and Initiatives at the Minka Preservation Society in Japan.

Supported by the Toshiba International Foundation (TIFO)

Booking Info

• Providing Details in the Booking Form
  Please enter the full name and email address for each attendee in the booking form. If you're booking as a member, please provide the email address associated with your membership so we can match your information in our system. 
  
  
• Booking Confirmation
  You should receive an automated email from The Japan Society confirming your booking. If you don't receive any confirmation emails, please check your spam folder or email events@japansociety.org.uk.
  
  
• Help us to keep this event free and open to all!
  If you are not a member of The Japan Society (as an individual or through your employer), please consider becoming a member or making a donation if you can - the recommended donation is £5.