Nippon-Do: Rural House Collection
$45.00
Bringing a complete historical village to your tabletop, the Nippon-Do: Rural House Collection offers six architecturally diverse dwellings. This 28mm scale set spans centuries of Japanese heritage, from primitive pit-dwellings to noble “helmet-style” manors. Each model is a masterpiece of cultural precision, capturing the organic beauty of thatched roofs and timber frames found in the Satoyama. Optimized for support-free FDM printing, these structures combine ancient mystical aesthetics with effortless craftsmanship, creating an immersive, atmospheric landscape.
This Bundle Includes:
Koyane-Minka (小屋根民家)
$10.00
Step into the serene outskirts of ancient Japan with the Koyane-Minka, a masterfully sculpted 28mm scale circular dwelling. This model captures the organic beauty of the Satoyama landscape, featuring a distinctive bell-shaped thatched roof and a charming, pillar-supported entryway. Optimized for FDM printing, the design emphasizes the flowing, rustic textures of bundled straw and primitive timber. It serves as a perfect hermitage or auxiliary village structure, adding a unique, historical silhouette to your tabletop collection.
Chigi-Minka (千木民家)
$10.00
Imbue your tabletop with the sacred aura of the Chigi-Minka, a 28mm scale masterpiece reflecting Japan’s most ancient spiritual traditions. This model showcases the iconic crossed roof finials, symbols of divine protection and communal status. Historically precise and aesthetically profound, the steep thatched design captures the quiet dignity of a high-status village residence. Optimized for FDM printing, every timber and straw bundle is rendered with reverence, offering a serene yet powerful cultural landmark for your historical scenery.
Kabuto-Minka (兜民家)
$10.00
Embodying the defensive elegance of the samurai era, this Kabuto-Minka is a striking 28mm scale tribute to the “helmet-style” architecture of feudal Japan. The model features an expansive, low-slung thatched roof that mimics the protective silhouette of a warrior’s helm, a design historically used to shelter silkworms in mountain villages. Optimized for FDM printing, the sculpt highlights the intricate play between heavy textures and protective geometry, bringing a unique, noble presence to your historical tabletop landscape.
Tateana-Minka (竪穴民家)
$10.00
Evoking the primeval landscapes of ancient Japan, this Tateana-Minka is a stunning 28mm scale tribute to the nation’s architectural origins. The model features a distinctive, multi-tiered thatched roof that sweeps toward a low timber fence, recreating the “pit-dwelling” aesthetic of the Jomon and Yayoi eras.
Expertly optimized for FDM printing, the sculpt highlights the organic beauty of bundled straw and primitive joinery. It is an atmospheric masterpiece, perfect for bringing a sense of ancient mystery and cultural depth to your tabletop.
Ishioki-Minka (石置民家)
$10.00
Capture the rugged spirit of the Japanese highlands with this Ishioki-Minka, a masterfully detailed 28mm scale model. Defined by its iconic stone-weighted roof planks, this piece reflects the ingenious “wabi-sabi” practicality of feudal mountain villages.
Optimized for FDM printing, the sculpt highlights intricate wood grain and hand-placed river stones, offering a weathered, lived-in aesthetic. It is an essential centerpiece for any historical tabletop, bringing the serene, windswept atmosphere of ancient Shinshu to your scenery.
Gassho-Minka (合掌民家)
$10.00
Step back into the Edo period with this meticulously detailed Gassho-Minka, scaled perfectly for 28mm wargaming and dioramas.
Capturing the iconic “praying hands” thatched roof and rugged timber frame, this model brings authentic Japanese history to your tabletop.
Whether it’s a centerpiece for a mountain village or a hidden shinobi retreat, this structure offers a realistic silhouette and a rich, historical atmosphere for any feudal-era setting.
The Heart of the Satoyama: Nippon Do Rural House Collection
Step into the mists of the Japanese highlands, where the echo of the woodcutter’s axe and the scent of hearth smoke define the rhythm of life. The Nippon-Do: Rural House Collection is an ambitious, architecturally curated set of six unique dwellings, designed to bring the soul of the Japanese countryside to your tabletop in stunning 28mm scale. This collection is not merely a set of buildings; it is a journey through the evolution of Japanese folk architecture—the Minka—spanning from the primitive origins of the Jomon period to the sophisticated rural manors of the Edo era.
A Living Timeline of Japanese Heritage
The beauty of this collection lies in its diversity. By including six distinct styles, you are able to recreate a realistic, living village that feels grown rather than placed.
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The Ancient Foundations: With structures like the Tateana-Minka, you bring the “pit-dwelling” aesthetic to life—a style that sheltered Japan’s first farmers and shamans.
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The Noble Presence: The Kabuto-Minka adds a layer of status and “warrior-class” influence, with its dramatic roof silhouette mimicking the helm of a samurai.
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The Sacred and the Profane: Buildings like the Chigi-Minka introduce the spiritual side of rural life, featuring the crossed finials usually reserved for Shinto shrines, marking the home of a village elder or a community guardian.
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The Organic Hermitage: Rounded, bell-shaped dwellings provide the “soft” edges of the village, representing the secluded huts of monks or the storage sheds of a successful harvest.
Each model has been researched to ensure historical precision, capturing the specific binding of the thatch, the “Ishiba-tate” stone foundations, and the primitive joinery that defined a culture living in harmony with the forest.
Engineering Perfection: 100% Support-Free FDM Printing
We understand that a massive village project can be daunting if the printing process is difficult. That is why the entire Nippon-Do: Rural House Collection has been engineered from the ground up for support-free FDM printing.
Through incredibly designed geometry, every overhang, eaves-sweep, and timber pillar is self-supporting.
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Zero Waste, Maximum Detail: By eliminating the need for plastic supports, you save significantly on filament and time. More importantly, you preserve the hyper-realistic textures of the straw thatch and wood grain that would otherwise be scarred by support removal.
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Print-and-Play Simplicity: These models are designed to go from the build plate to the gaming table with virtually zero post-processing. The clean finish ensures that your primer and paint layers sit perfectly on the intended historical details.
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FDM Optimized Textures: We have specifically tuned the resolution of the thatch and timber to work with the layer lines of FDM printers, using the mechanical nature of the print to enhance the organic look of the straw bundles.
Transforming Your Tabletop Experience
Adding a full collection of high-fidelity Japanese architecture to your scenery collection offers benefits that go far beyond simple aesthetics. It changes how your games are played and how your stories are told.
Immersive World-Building and “Wabi-Sabi”
In Japanese culture, there is a concept called Wabi-Sabi—finding beauty in the imperfect, the weathered, and the humble. This collection embodies that philosophy. When you lay out these six houses, you aren’t just placing obstacles; you are creating a Satoyama (a mountain village).
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Historical Authenticity: For wargamers playing Bushido, Test of Honour, or Sengoku, these houses provide the “right” atmosphere. A battle fought among authentic Minka feels more cinematic and stakes-driven than one fought among generic fantasy cottages.
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Visual Storytelling: The mix of high-status “helmet” houses and low-status “pit” dwellings allows a Game Master to show—not just tell—the social hierarchy of a village. Who lives in the house with the Chigi finials? Why is the hermit living in the circular hut on the edge of the woods?
Tactical Depth and Gameplay Dynamics
From a purely mechanical perspective, this 6-model collection offers a diverse array of tactical challenges for 28mm skirmish and rank-and-file games:
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Varied Cover and Line of Sight: The steep, sloping roofs of the Tateana style create different “shadows” for line-of-sight than the high, vertical walls of the Kabuto manor. This forces players to adapt their movement based on which building they are using for cover.
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Defensive Perimeters: Several models feature integrated timber palisades and stone foundations, acting as natural “hard cover” positions. The recessed entryways and sheltered porches create perfect chokepoints for dramatic last stands or stealthy infiltrations.
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360-Degree Interaction: Unlike flat-walled buildings, the organic and often circular footprints of these rural houses encourage “swirling” combat. It’s harder for a unit to get cornered, making for a more fluid and exciting battlefield.
A Painter’s Masterclass in Texture
For the hobbyists who find their joy in the brush, the Nippon-Do: Rural House Collection is a dream project. We have maximized the “paintability” of these models:
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The Art of the Thatch: Each roof provides a massive surface area for practicing “gradient weathering.” You can paint the deep, damp mossy greens at the bottom of the thatch, transitioning into sun-bleached yellows and deep charcoal greys at the ridge.
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Wood and Earth: The contrast between the rough-hewn timber pillars and the stone bases allows for a variety of techniques, from dry-brushing wood grain to using “earth” pigments to ground the buildings into your gaming mat.
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Atmospheric Lighting: The detailed doorways and window slats are perfect for practicing Object Source Lighting (OSL). Imagine a warm, orange lantern glow spilling out from a Minka onto the snowy ground of a winter-themed board.
The Ultimate Village Solution
The Nippon-Do: Rural House Collection is designed to be the definitive “village in a box.” Individually, these houses are landmarks; together, they are a civilization. By choosing this collection, you are investing in a cohesive, aesthetically unified environment that will serve as the backdrop for hundreds of hours of gaming.
Whether you are defending a peasant village from a bandit raid, investigating a spectral haunting in a mountain hermitage, or recreating the historical clashes of the Daimyos, these six houses provide the perfect stage.
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