Minka (traditional Japanese house) and features of modern Japanese housing

For other uses, see Minka (disambiguation).
Gassho-zukuri
-styled
Minka
house in Shirakawa village, Gifu Prefecture

Minka

(., lit. "People's House") are local houses built in one of several traditional Japanese building styles.
In the context of the four divisions of society, Minka
were the dwellings of peasants, artisans and merchants (i.e. the three non-samurai castes).
This connotation no longer exists in modern Japanese, and any traditional Japanese-style dwelling of suitable age would be called a Minka
.

Minka

distinguished by its basic structure, roof structure and roof shape.
Minka
has evolved throughout history, with distinctive styles emerging during the Edo period.

Types[edit]

Gassho style roof Gassho-zukuri under renovation
Term minka

literally means people's houses. It covers houses that housed a variety of people, from farmers to village chiefs, merchants, and low-level samurai. [1]

Minka happens

a wide range of styles and sizes, mainly due to different geographical and climatic conditions, as well as the lifestyle of the inhabitants.
noka
farmhouses (農家),
machiya

gyoka
fishermen's dwellings
sanka
mountain dwellings (山家). [2]

Unlike other forms of Japanese architecture (such as the sukiya (数寄屋) style), minka emphasizes structure rather than plan. [3] The mink is divided into main pillars, which form the main frame and carry the structural load of the building; the secondary pillars are positioned according to the functional layout of the plan. [4]

Despite the wide variety of mink

, there are eight main forms:

• The "inverted U" consists of two vertical posts supported at the top by a horizontal beam; these blocks can then be connected using side beams. The joist can be attached to the top of the post either by resting on it or through a mortise and tenon. This latter method is often found in minka on the island of Shikoku. [3]
• A "staircase" has posts and beams connected to larger beams, including beams located closer to the foundation level. This form of construction originated in the townhouses of the Edo period. The system allows for irregular placement of pillars and therefore provides flexibility in plan. [3]
• In the "umbrella" style, four beams radiate from the center pillar. These posts are located in the center of the square, not in the corners. This type of minka is often found in Shiga Prefecture. [5]
• The "cross" consists of two beams located at right angles to each other, with posts in the center of the sides. It is often used for very small minks that have no other posts installed in the space, or for large minks in an area with a dirt floor. This style is most often found in Shiga and Fukui prefectures.
• “Parallel crosses” are found in Shizuoka Prefecture and occupy an area of ​​5 by 10 meters. This system doubles the "cross" design with two crosses and eight pillars.
• "Box" construction connects four or more posts and beams to form a box structure. It was invented during the Edo period and can be found in Toyama and Ishikawa prefectures. [6]
• The "Bound Box" can be found in Kyoto and Osaka.
• “Lift beams” are a form that allows for better use of the second floor. It uses beams that rise from the posts to a secondary ridge that is below the ridge formed by the rafters. [7] Thatched farmhouses, based on the "rising beam" design, can be divided into four main types. Yojiro-gumi
  and wagoya (和小屋) are rare.
  The last of these, wagoya
  , is popular in
  machiya
  .
  Much more common are sasu (扠首) (also known as gassho (合掌)) and odachi
  . [8] [9]

In odachi

there are rafters, crossbars and short vertical posts to support the ridge.
Historically, these posts extended to the ground, resulting in a row of posts extending down the center of the house and dividing it. Although they could be placed in the layout of the main house, they were impractical in an entry area with a dirt floor, so they were not used, but a special beam structure was used instead. [10] This style was widely used until the Edo period, when there was a transition to the sasu
(although both types have been in use since historical times). [eleven]

Sasu style

is a simpler triangular shape with a pair of rafters joined at the top to support a ridge post.
The ends of these rafters were pointed to fit into the slots in the grooves at either end of the crossbar. [9] Because this system does not rely on center posts, it leaves a freer plan than the odachi
.
[10]

Temple architecture of Japan

The first Japanese religious buildings appear in ancient times. In the Middle Ages, Shinto and Buddhist shrines and monasteries were actively built. China had a great influence on the temple architecture of Japan.

Shintoism

Shintoism is a traditional ancient Japanese religion based on the worship of the spirits of the dead. To build religious buildings - gates, small temples - natural materials : raw, unpainted wood (most often cypress) for the walls, grass for the roof. Shinto chapels are raised above the ground, mounted on stilts dug into the ground. The gable flat roof extends beyond the perimeter of the building. There are verandas around the main room. Shinto monasteries are a complex of symmetrically located buildings.

The following details must be highlighted in a Shinto shrine:

• Torii are leafless U-shaped gates of orange or red color. They symbolize the transition between the world of people and spirits.
• Komainu are guard statues of stylized lions or dogs on the sides of the entrance.
• A source of cleansing water for washing hands and rinsing the mouth before entering the chapel.
• The main hall with a shrine, a hall for prayers and offerings.
• Stage for performances of theater no.

The oldest Shinto shrine is located in Ise on the island of Honshu. It is dedicated to the Sun Goddess.

Ise-jingu Temple

Buddhism

Buddhism comes to Japan from China around the 6th–7th centuries. n. e. and brings new architectural forms:

• stone foundation;
• curved roofs with raised corners;
• bright colors;
• decorative details: carving, painting, varnishing, gilding.

For a Buddhist temple, the main thing is not symmetry, but merging with nature . Light, smooth lines, ponds, rock gardens, etc. are aimed at this. Usually the temple complex includes:

• fence with gate;
• main temple;
• sermon room;
• bell tower;
• treasury;
• book depository;
• multi-tiered tapering pagoda of 3–5 floors.

The monasteries of Todai-ji (8th century AD) and Horyu-ji (7th century AD) are the most famous Buddhist temple buildings.

Todai-ji Monastery

Floor plan design[edit]

Decorative projections at the ridge of a thatched roof
There were two main methods of marking out the plan of a minka. The kyouma (京間) method uses a standard size tatami (畳), while the inakama (田舎間) method is based on the distance between the columns. [12]

Kyoum method

works
well for minka without central columns, as mats and sliding partitions (fusuma (襖) and shoji (障子)) can be based on a standard size. It was mainly used in minka production in eastern Japan. [13] This method has its disadvantages when used with mullions because variations in mullion width can make prefabrication of sliding partitions difficult. [12]

Inakama method

is based on the distance between the center of one pillar and the center of the pillar adjacent to it, and was primarily used on the eastern side of Japan. [13]

General design[edit]

Tile udatsu
protruding above the roof

The size, design and decoration of a mink depended on its location, climate and social status of its owner. [14]

Minka was influenced by local building techniques and was built from materials that were abundant in the immediate area. For example, the minka in Shizuoka used copious amounts of bamboo for roofs, eaves, doors and floors. When miscanthus reeds were difficult to obtain for thatched roofs, tiles were used instead; in volcanic areas, reeds or boards were used instead of clay for walls. [15]

Climate influenced construction: in Kyoto in the late Heian and Muromachi periods, roofs were covered with thin wooden tiles, so owners put stones on top to prevent the tiles from blowing away. [16]

They talked about the social status of the mink's owner

size and complexity of construction.
a Minka
thatched roof, the number of crossed wooden elements (umanori (馬乗り)) or tufts of miscanthus reeds along the ridge is a good indicator of the importance of the owner's status in the village.
[17] Regarding machiya, the presence and complexity (udatsu (卯立))—the wall that projects above the roofline—has a similar status. Udatsu
inherited the fire break function, but it was originally a method of establishing the degree of ownership in the long terraces of row houses. [18]

During the evolution of minka townhouses machiya

gradually changed their design,
moving
from perishable and flammable materials to more durable ones. Thatched roofs were replaced with tiles, and exposed logs were covered with layers of clay plaster. [19]

Minka, owned by people of higher social status, began to include elements of the shoin style, especially in living rooms. The types of items included were limited by sumptuary laws to maintain strict class distinctions. [1]

Japanese traditional village dwelling

Traditionally, in Japan, minka is the home of peasants and artisans. That is, this is the home of the not very rich part of Japanese society. And when there is no money, then what to build your home from? It is clear that from scrap materials that could be obtained nearby.

The climate of Japan, located on the islands, is quite mild. The influence of the monsoons makes it warm and humid. The only exception is the island of Hokkaido, the northernmost of the four largest islands of the Japanese archipelago. Snow falls on it in winter and sometimes remains for quite a long time.

In central and southern Japan, temperatures even in winter rarely fall below zero. And even if snow falls, it melts immediately. In summer, the temperature reaches 28 - 30 degrees Celsius. Combined with high humidity it can get quite stuffy.

And another significant factor influenced the housing of the Japanese. The Japanese islands are located in a very active tectonic zone. The oceanic plate is creeping under the continental plate just in the area of ​​the Japanese archipelago. Therefore, earthquakes and destruction are frequent here.

It was under such conditions that the mink appeared. He met all the listed requirements of the main resident of Japan - the peasant and artisan. It's not very cold in winter - you don't need much heating. It's stuffy in summer - you need to ventilate often.

The materials needed for construction are minimal and not very expensive, of local origin. If destroyed by an earthquake, the house can be easily rebuilt. In the end, the mink's house appeared. Like the traditional dwellings of other peoples, it corresponded to the conditions of the surrounding nature.

Roof [edit]

Minka
houses in Gokayama surrounded by snow.

For a mink, four types of roof shape can be distinguished. Most have machiya

there are gabled

(切妻)
roofs Most noka

yosemune
(寄せ棟)
style thatched hip roofs irimoya (入母屋) roof

shingle-covered
sections .
Finally, hogyo
(方形) also tilts in four directions, but has a more pyramidal shape. [20]

The main purpose of shaping mink

was an adaptation to the heavy rainfall that occurs in many parts of Japan. A steeply peaked roof allows rain and snow to fall straight, preventing water from leaking through the roof into the house and, to a lesser extent, preventing the thatch from getting wet and rotting. [20] [21]

Decorations were added at the peak and other places where the roof sections met. Thatched roofs would have cut or cross layers of thatch, bamboo poles or wooden planks. [20] Tiled roofs have many decorative plates at the ends of the ridge, such as nets

(鯱) (fish).
[22] They also had round plates at the ends of the tiles near the eaves, called gato
(瓦当), which helped drain rain. [23]

Farm interior[edit]

Irori
(囲炉裏)
Jizai kagi
hearth hook with fish-shaped counterweight

The deep eaves of the farmhouse roof helped protect the interior from heavy rain. They prevent the sun from penetrating inside in the summer, and the low rays of the sun warm the house in the winter. There is often a veranda with a wooden floor ( engawa

(縁側 or 掾側) around the house under the eaves and protected from the outside by storm shutters. In areas with heavy snowfall, there may be a lowered dirt area behind the veranda, additionally protected by shutters that help prevent snow from getting inside. [24]

Mink inside

usually divided into two parts: a compacted earth floor called
a house
(土間) (predecessor
to genkan
), and a raised floor (usually
about
20 inches (50 cm) above the
house
), called
a hiroma
(広間), and in In larger and wealthier homes, an area or set of rooms covered with tatami or
mushiro
called
zashiki
(座敷).
[25] Large farmhouses sometimes had a raised interior veranda with a wooden floor ( hirosiki
(広敷)) separating
the house area
and
the tatami
. [1] In older houses, such as the 17th-century Yoshimura House, this dividing area was up to 2.5 m wide and was apparently where servants slept. [26]

The raised floor often included a built-in hearth called an irori (囲炉裏). Above the ash-filled hearth hung a teapot, suspended from the ceiling on an adjustable hearth hook made of wood, metal and bamboo. This jizai kagi

(自在鈎) could be raised or lowered depending on the amount of heat needed, and was often shaped like decorative fish or blades.
[27] The house had no chimney, and the smoke from the irori
rose through the roof,
drying
the reeds and repelling insects.
The irori
was the social center of the home, where the family gathered to chat and eat, and it was a cozy place to sleep. [28]

Although there are many possible arrangements of rooms in a home, one of the most common is called yomadori

(四間取り), consist of four rooms in the raised floor part of the house, adjacent to
the Doma
.
[25] The layout and size of these rooms were made more flexible using fusuma
and
shoji
. [29]

The social status of the owner of the house determined the conventions of their social relationships in the house. For example, people with the lowest ranking will sit on the ground floor, while those above them will sit on the hiroshiki.

and those above them are on
the tatami floored
interior rooms.
Guests of honor sat nearby, with their backs to the tokonome (床の間). [30] Requirements of social etiquette extended to the family, and designated seating areas ( yokoza
(横座)) were provided around the fireplace.
[31]

Japanese style

Of course, time and technological progress have changed the way of life and housing in Japan. Classical Japanese houses now remain only in rural areas. But every Japanese tries to preserve the spirit of national traditions in their home. Almost every Japanese apartment, even the most modern and “European” apartment building, has at least one room in a traditional style. And this is not a tribute to fashion, but something natural and logical, without which a Japanese cannot imagine his home.

The style of minimalism also prevails in Europeanized Japanese housing - it perfectly corresponds to the conditions of scarcity and high cost of square meters, overloaded with the stress of life in megacities. The attitude towards one’s space, towards residential territory in overpopulated Japan is reverent, because out of the seven thousand islands under the Japanese flag, only 25% of the land is suitable for living.

Japanese interior design has not lost its relevance over many centuries, and this is confirmed by its popularity all over the world. From Japan came the fashion for remodeling apartments with the expansion of the recreation area by demolishing unnecessary walls and doors, the tendency to conditionally divide the space with screens, whatnots, floor patterns or ceiling reliefs.

After the era of chipboard, plastic and toxic dyes, the world has returned to the healing properties of breathable wood, the warmth of natural materials and natural colors - something that Japanese home improvement traditions . The main thing in a Japanese interior (both classic and modern) is compactness, convenience and environmental friendliness. Movable walls, strict decor, mysterious ikebana - in all this there is an incomprehensible desire for the modern consumer consciousness to make the simple multifunctional and at the same time even simpler. A kind of minimalism of the material world, leaving space for contemplation, reflection, and admiration of the spiritual.

By and large, for the Japanese there is no division of his existence into the inner and outer world. There is a single whole, indivisible neither by walls nor concepts. For the Japanese, a home is a part of nature, its continuation, so it must have an energy and aura similar to nature. And this will ensure natural harmony in the lives of its inhabitants.

Typical farmhouses of the Edo period[edit]

Honmune

style house with bird decoration on the pediment

Many farmhouse styles reached maturity during the Edo period; Below are some typical examples.

Gasshaw [edit]

Gassho-zukuri (合掌造) style minka has huge roofs that represent a large form of sasu

. Their name comes from the similarity of the shape of the roof with two hands in prayer. They can often be found in Gifu Prefecture. [32] The upper floors of the two- and three-story houses are used for sericulture, with storage space for trays of silkworms and mulberry leaves. [33]

Honmune [edit]

Honmune-zukuri (本棟造) literally means "true comb": this style has an almost square plan with a gabled roof covered with boards. The gable of the house is particularly impressive with its composition of beams, cornices and struts. The pediment is topped with a bird design called suzume-odori (雀踊り). [32] Houses of this type can be found in Gunma, Nara, Yamaguchi, and Kouchi prefectures. [34]

Famous Architects of Japan

The Japanese National School of Architecture has existed for just over 100 years. In 1873, the Imperial Technical College opened in Tokyo, where they began to train architects. Many graduates have received worldwide recognition: Tatsuno Kingo (Bank of Japan, Tokyo Station), Katayama Tokuma (Akasaka Palace, Jinpukaku residence).

Architect Tadao Ando cleverly combined traditional features of Japanese architecture with modern technologies. Major works: Azuma House (Osaka), Rokko Residential Complex (Kobe), Naoshima Museum of Contemporary Art, etc.

Famous modern architects:

• Kengo Kuma (Suntory Art Museum, Plastic House, Tokyo);
• Shigeru Ban (Japan Pavilion at EXPO 2000, Cardboard Cathedral in Christchurch);
• Toyo Ito (Mikimoto House Center in Tokyo, Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in London).

Modern Japanese architecture does not stand still, but continues to develop. It uses the best world achievements without losing traditional features and uniqueness .

Saving [edit]

Gassho-zukuri
, Ogimachi Village

Minka

are generally considered historical landmarks, and many have been preserved by municipalities or the national government.
Vast regional variations of minka
are also preserved in open-air museums such as the Nihon Minka-en in Kawasaki, which displays specimens from all over Japan. [35] Minka was also used as hotels and restaurants, which need to be preserved.

Gassho-zukuri deserves special attention

(合掌造り, literally "with folded hands"), which is preserved in two villages in central Japan—Shirakawa in Gifu Prefecture and Gokayama in Toyama Prefecture—which together have been designated a World Heritage Site. from UNESCO. [36]

In 1997, the Japan Mink Reuse and Recycling Association (JMRA) was established to promote the benefits and conservation of mink

.
One minka
, owned by the Yonezu family, was acquired by JMRA and donated to Kew Gardens as part of the Japan 2001 festival. The timber structure was dismantled, shipped and reassembled at Kew with new walls and a thatched roof. [37]

Footnotes [edit]

1. ^ a b c
   Nishi and Hozumi (1996), pp.
2. "Minka". JAN. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
3. ^ a b c
   Ito (1979), p. 44
4. Ito (1979), p43
5. Ito (1979), p45
6. Ito (1979), p46
7. Ito (1979), p47
8. Ito (1979), p81
9. ^ a b
   "sasu". JAN. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
10. ^ a b
    Ito (1979), p110
11. Ito (1979), p84
12. ^ a b
    Engel (1980), pp. 78-81
13. ^ a b
    Ito (1979), p.112
14. Ito (1979), p70-72
15. Ito (1979), P118
16. Ito (1979), P124
17. Ito (1979), p120
18. Ito (1979), P122
19. "machiya" JAN. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
20. ^ a b c
    Far-Becker (2001), p196
21. "Kayabuki". JAN. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
22. "shachi". JAN. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
23. "gatu". JAN. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
24. Ito (1979), p66-68
25. ^ a b
    "minka". JAN. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
26. "Hiroshiki". JAN. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
27. Fahr-Becker (2001), P191
28. Fahr-Becker (2001), P193
29. Ito (1979), p27
30. Ito (1979), p72
31. "yokoza" JAN. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
32. ^ a b
    Ito (1979), p.150
33. Fahr-Becker (2001), P194
34. "Suzumeodori". JAN. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
35. "Nihon Minkaen". Japanese Open Air Folk Museum. Archived from the original on 2013-11-10. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
36. "The Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama". UNESCO. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
37. "Japanese Minka". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved November 9, 2013.

Links[edit]

• Far-Becker, Gabriele (2001) [2000]. Ryokan is a Japanese tradition
  . Cologne: Könemann Verlagsgesellschaft mbH. ISBN 3-8290-4829-7.
• Engel, Heinrich (1980) [1964]. The Japanese house is a tradition of modern architecture
  . Rutland/Tokyo: Charles E. Tuttle. ISBN 0-8048-0304-8.
• Ito, Teiji (1979) [1972]. Traditional domestic architecture of Japan
  . New York/Tokyo: Weatherhill/Heibonsha. ISBN 0-8348-1004-2.
• Japan live. (2020). Komika. 2nd ed.
• Nishi, Kazuo; Kazuo Hozumi (1996). What is Japanese Architecture - An Overview of Traditional Japanese Architecture
  . Tokyo: International Kondansha. ISBN 978-4-7700-1992-9.

New time and modernity

Having embarked on the path of modernization by the middle of the 19th century, Japanese architects mastered Western technologies and new materials, but, at the same time, retained their originality. By the end of the 19th century, neo-styles and eclecticism began to develop. The main achievements of Japanese architecture at this time:

• the use of brick and stone in the construction of government buildings and institutions;
• formation of western neighborhoods in port cities;
• use of reinforced concrete floors;
• development of projects for earthquake-resistant building types .

After World War II, concrete and steel began to be used to build Japanese houses. The country is gradually becoming a leader in architectural technologies.

In the 1950-70s, the architectural direction of metabolism . Its main principle is incompleteness, understatement. The most striking example is the Nakagin capsule tower (Tokyo).

Nakagin Capsule Tower

Nowadays, Japanese houses are mostly built on stilts. In this case, pendulums, shock absorbers, steel frames and rail platforms are used to protect against earthquakes. High-tech materials are intelligently combined with natural elements: rock gardens, ponds, bridges, green areas, etc.

The most unusual modern Japanese buildings:

• 634-meter Tokyo skyscraper Skytree;
• glass school in Kanagawa;
• curtain house in Tokyo;
• Science Museum in Nagoya.

Nagoya Science Museum