Scribd
Upload
483 views4 pages

Traditional Japanese House

Traditional Japanese houses, called minka, are designed to respect and live in harmony with nature. They use natural materials like wood and paper to divide spaces. Rooms are separated by sliding fusuma doors or lighter shōji screens containing paper lattices. Houses have tatami mat floors and wooden platforms outside entrances where shoes are removed. Bathrooms are separate from toilets, and bathwater is shared. Residents typically sleep on futon mattresses stored away during the day. The tokonoma alcove displays art, and traditional designs continue to influence modern Japanese homes.

Uploaded by

John Michael Castillo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
483 views4 pages

Traditional Japanese House

Traditional Japanese houses, called minka, are designed to respect and live in harmony with nature. They use natural materials like wood and paper to divide spaces. Rooms are separated by sliding fusuma doors or lighter shōji screens containing paper lattices. Houses have tatami mat floors and wooden platforms outside entrances where shoes are removed. Bathrooms are separate from toilets, and bathwater is shared. Residents typically sleep on futon mattresses stored away during the day. The tokonoma alcove displays art, and traditional designs continue to influence modern Japanese homes.

Uploaded by

John Michael Castillo
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 4

Castillo, John Michael P

CEAT-01-402P

TRADITIONAL JAPANESE HOUSE

“A Response to Nature”

The Japanese love of nature is the single force that influences life in japan. The Japanese respect nature,
and to respect nature is to live nature’s way. Not only does the Japanese nation have a close report with
nature, but these people experience beauty in nature beyond nature’s outward appearance. Such is the
influence of Zen Buddhism.

So different from the Western concept, Japanese Architecture is largely considered a realistic response
to the natural environment. Thus, the extensive use of unpainted wood without any surface treatment.
And in Japan’s use of wood, no other architecture reveals so convincingly its structural and aesthetic
qualities.

Take Your Shoes Off

Minka, or traditional Japanese houses, are


characterized by tatami mat flooring, sliding doors,
and wooden engawa verandas. Another aspect that
persists even in Western-style homes in Japan is the
genkan, an entrance hall where people remove
footwear. The flooring for the house proper is raised a
little off the ground to prevent dampness from
entering and to keep the living area from flooding in
the case of heavy rain. The lower level is known as the
tataki, and was traditionally made of packed earth,
although concrete is common today. After removal,
shoes are put in the getabako—a cabinet that derives its name from geta, or wooden clogs, that
Japanese people once commonly wore.

Heavy rain can damage roofs, so outside the entrance, amadoi gutters carry rainfall off the eaves and
down the decorative kusaridoi, or “rain chain.”
Tatami, Fusuma, and Shōji

Rooms are divided by partitions made from washi, Japanese paper. To enter, simply slide the door along
its wooden rail. A common distinction is made between fusuma and shōji. Fusuma use heavier paper or
sometimes cloth and are opaque, serving as a more distinct barrier. Unlike walls, however, fusuma can
easily be removed to rearrange space within the house.

Shōji are lighter than fusuma, with paper affixed to a wooden lattice. They prevent people from seeing
through, but brighten up rooms by allowing light to pass. As paper is porous, shōji also help airflow and
reduce humidity. In modern Japanese-style houses they are often set in doors between panes of glass.
With one variation, known as the “snow-viewing” or yukimi shōji, it is possible to slide up the lower
section and look out through the glass.

Tatami flooring covered with woven rush is perhaps the most essential element in a traditional house.
The faint smell of tatami is a distinct characteristic of Japanese rooms, and the springy but firm mats are

pleasant to sit or lie on. Real estate agents still use the jō, or mat, standardized at 1.62 square meters, as
the unit for measuring the area of rooms in properties, whether Japanese or Western-style. One can
absorb up to 500 milliliters of moisture, releasing it when the air is dry. Tatami also absorbs nitrogen
dioxide, helping to clean the air.

The tokonoma is an ornamental alcove set slightly


above floor level. Homeowners may use it to display a
hanging scroll or picture, accompanying these with an
ikebana flower arrangement, kōro incense burner, or
piece of pottery.

Even while the number of purely


traditional washitsu rooms diminishes, it
is common to lay tatami in one part of a
Western-style room for sleeping, set up
shōji instead of curtains, and set off lights
with washi lampshades.

Bathing Etiquette
In Japanese houses the toilet and bathroom are separated. The bathroom itself consists of an area for
washing and a tub for soaking. There is also a small adjoining room for getting dressed and undressed.
Japanese families generally use the same bathwater, being careful to get clean and rinse off the soap
before entering it, and the tub is not drained until everyone has had a bath.

Squat toilets were once standard in Japanese homes, but they have been superseded by high-tech units
with heated seats and other features.

Traditional Sleeping

Many people sleep in beds, but traditional


futons are still popular. A 2013 survey by
Nifty found that 50% of respondents slept
on futons laid out on tatami mats. During
the daytime, futons can be stored in
cupboards, making more space available in
rooms. It is common to hang them outside
to air on sunny days, making them fluffy and
comfortable to doze on. It is said that
Japanese houses are built to allow breezes
to pass through and cool residents during
the stifling heat of summer. Conversely,
though, this makes winter a cold,
uncomfortable time even when indoors. Filling a hot water yutanpo bottle is one way to stay warm at
night, while heaters or kotatsu tables are necessary during the daytime.

Some traditional houses have been refurbished to include comforts common in modern homes or
converted into ryokan or minshuku lodgings. For visitors to Japan, staying in an old-style
accommodation is a good way to experience the traditional charms of the country.

Usually one story high, with entrance, ante rooms, living rooms, kitchen (with scullery). Called
“daidokaro” with a big fire place over which to hang a pot. Store rooms and gardens – a separate small
fire-resisting structure, known as a ‘go-down’, is built for storage of valuables.

Walling is formed by light timber vertical posts and horizontal members covered with weather boarding.

Interior partitions are formed with light timber frames, with an infilling of stout translucent paper, 18.m
(16ft.) in height. The friezes above being plastered or wood lined. These screens can be slid aside –
maximum flexibility in planning being a characteristic of Japanese dwellings, while the external
(verandah) partitions can be similarly re-arrange, or removed to permit the entire house to be open to
the Garden.

Two main reception rooms from a suite., the second a step higher than the first and having two alcoves
(recess) or “tokonomas”, a special feature of traditional Japanese houses, used to display a flower
arrangement or a select art treasure. Placed on a platform where above, a scroll is hung. The Tokonoma
is a place for meditation and art. When the family entertains, the honored guests is placed just in front
of the tokonoma, with his or her back to it, so that the guest, the scroll and the ikebana make a
charming and harmonious picture. Since the Tokonoma does not occupy the entire width of a wall,
another recess next to its occupied by decorative shelves and cabinets (tana).

You might also like