This study attempts to investigate the plan composition of official's houses built during the Japanese colonial period. The work includes the development of a shape grammar and a corresponding Auto LISP program. The shape grammar consists of 108 shape rule schemata which can be divided into 7 stages:(1)setting up the ken grid, (2)partitioning offmoya, (3)modiiying partition, (4)generating aisle and its connecting space, (5)generating space, (6)comiecting space, (7)arranging tatami and terminating the shape rule application. They are applied for moduling, partition, addition, division, extrusion and etc. The computer program is named POHADS which offers an operational interface and justifies the grammar itself. Through this study, it is found that an underlying symmetrical relationship exits between individual two spaces. Also, the layout of official's houses is affected by the direction of the railway that may explain why the orientation of the entrance of a house doesn't impact the plan composition.