184 pp. volume with designs for 29 modern houses by architects and designers of the era, profusely illustrated, several in color. Large quarto (12 x 8 3/4 inches). Beige cloth stamped with title and publisher in black to upper cover. Some light soiling to covers, spine lightly shaken, small split approximately 1 inch long at base of spine, overall very good. Tokyo: Shufu No Tomosha, 1936.

This volume presents 29 modern home designs presented in a blend of Japanese and Western architectural styles, in line with the spread of Modernism to Japan at the time. It was an innovative housing catalog, presented in the form of a collection compiled by "Shufu No Tomo," a well-known Japanese women's magazine of the time aimed at young married women, covering domestic and female-centric topics such as home management, saving money, and birth control.

The illustrations within this book include floor plans, architectural sketches, and a large number of photographic reproductions. Emphasis is placed on ideas that harmonize convenience and modern design, with features such as labor-saving layouts for doing housework, optimization of natural lighting, hygiene, and innovative storage solutions.

The photographs include kitchens, dining rooms, bedrooms, living rooms, tea rooms, and even patios and exterior views, the spaces being a mix of traditional Japanese rooms and more Westernized spaces. Many of the photographs do not include figures, but a handful of the images - especially those of kitchens and other traditionally feminine spaces - depict women at work, dressed in both modern and traditional clothing. Children are also shown in a couple of the images.

Very scarce; as of July 2026, OCLC does not locate any holdings of this volume in the United States.

Book ID: 53734

Price: $2,250.00