Minka

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A -styled home in Shirakawa village, Gifu Prefecture

are vernacular houses constructed in any one of several traditional Japanese building styles. In the context of the four divisions of society, were the dwellings of farmers, artisans, and merchants (i.e., the three non-samurai castes). This connotation no longer exists in the modern Japanese language, and any traditional Japanese-style residence of appropriate age could be referred to as .

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Okugame minka farmhouse

are characterized by their basic structure, their roof structure, and their roof shape. developed through history with distinctive styles emerging in the Edo period.

Types

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-style roof

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under repair

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Looking around a preserved old minka in Tokyo

come in a wide range of styles and sizes, largely as a result of differing geographic and climatic conditions as well as the lifestyle of the inhabitants. They generally fall into one of four classifications: farmhouses town houses , fishermen's dwellings and mountain dwellings .

Unlike other forms of Japanese architecture (such as those of the style), it is the structure rather than the plan that is of primary importance to the . are divided up with primary posts that form the basic framework and bear the structural load of the building; secondary posts are arranged to suit the functional arrangements of the plan.

Despite the wide variety of , there are eight basic forms:

• The 'inverted U' consists of two vertical posts fixed at the top with a horizontal beam; these units can then be joined with side girders. The beam can be fixed to the top of the post either by resting upon it or via a mortise and tenon joint. This latter method is often found in on the island of Shikoku.
• The 'ladder' has post and beam units connected with larger beams including beams that are closer to the foundation level. This form of structure originated in townhouses of the Edo period. The system allows the irregular placement of posts and, therefore, allows flexibility in the plan.
• With the 'umbrella' style, four beams radiate out from a central post. These posts sit at the centre of the square rather than the corners. of this type are often found in Shiga Prefecture.
• The 'cross' has two beams at right angles to one another with the posts in the centre of the sides. It is often used for very small that have no other posts erected in the space or for large in the earth-floored area. The style is most often found in Shiga and Fukui prefectures.
• 'Parallel crosses' are found in Shizuoka Prefecture and cover an area 5 metres by 10 metres. This system doubles up the 'cross' structure with two crosses and eight posts.
• The 'box' structure connects four or more post and beam units to create a box-like structure. It was devised in the Edo period and can be found in Toyama and Ishikawa prefectures.
• The 'interconnected box' can be found in Kyoto and Osaka.
• 'Rising beams' is a form that enables better use of the second storey. It uses beams that rise from the posts to a secondary ridge that is below the one formed by the rafters.
  • Thatched roof farmhouses based upon the 'rising beam' structure can be further classified into four major types. The and the are rare. The latter of these, the , is popular for houses. Far more common are the (also known as ) and the types.

The style has rafters, crossbeams and short vertical posts to support the ridge. Historically, these posts would have extended to the ground resulting in a row of posts extending down the centre of the house and dividing it. Although these could be accommodated in the layout of the main house, they were impractical in the earth-floored entrance area—so they were omitted and a special beam structure used instead. This style was in wide use until the Edo period when a shift was made to the style (although both types had been used since historic times).

The style is a simpler triangular shape with a pair of rafters joined at the top to support the ridge pole. The ends of these rafters were sharpened to fit into mortice holes at either end of crossbeam. As this system does not rely on central posts it leaves a more unobstructed plan than the style.

Design of the floor plan

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Decorative roof projections on the ridge of a thatched roof

There were two main methods for setting out the floor plan of the . The method uses a standard size of mat, whereas the method is based upon column spacing.

The method works well for without central columns as the mats and the sliding partitions ( and ) can be based on a standard size. It was mainly used in in western Japan. The method has its disadvantages if used with posts because variations in post width can make the prefabrication of the sliding partitions difficult.

The method is based upon the distance between centre of one post and centre of the post adjacent to it and it was mainly used on the eastern side of Japan.

Overall construction

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Tiled projecting above the roof

The size, construction and decoration of a was dependent upon its location, climate, and social status of its owner.

were influenced by local building techniques and were built with materials that were abundant in the immediate locality. For example, in Shizuoka used abundant bamboo for roofs, eaves, doors and floors. When miscanthus reeds were difficult to obtain for thatched roofs, shingles were used instead; in volcanic areas rushes or boards were used instead of clay for the walls.

Climate had a bearing on construction: In Kyoto in the late Heian and Muromachi periods, roofs were clad in thin wooden shingles so owners would put stones on top to prevent the shingles from flying away in the wind.

The social status of the owner was indicated by the size and complexity of the building. For thatched roof the number of crossed wooden members () or bundles of miscanthus reeds along the ridge are a good indicator of the importance of the owner's status in the village. For , the presence and elaborateness of an —a wall that projects above the roof line—has a similar status. The inherited the function of a fire break, but initially it was a method of establishing the extent of ownership in long terraces of row houses.

During the evolution of , the townhouses gradually changed its construction away from perishable and flammable materials to those of a more durable nature. Thatched roofs were replaced with tiles and exposed timbers were covered up with layers of clay plastering.

owned by people of a higher social status began to incorporate elements of the shoin style, particularly in living rooms. The types of elements incorporated were limited by sumptuary laws to preserve strict class distinctions.

Roofing

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homes in Gokayama surrounded by snow

There are four types of roof shape that can be differentiated for . Most have gabled roofs, covered in shingles or tiles, and slanting down on either side of the house. The majority of have either thatched -style hipped roofs, which slant down on four sides, or the more elaborate roof with multiple gables and a combination of thatched sections and shingled sections. Finally, the also slopes in four directions but is more pyramidal in shape.

The primary purpose of shaping roofs was to accommodate the extensive precipitation experienced in many parts of Japan. A steeply peaked roof allows rain and snow to fall straight off, preventing water from getting through the roof into the home and, to a lesser extent, preventing the thatch from getting too wet and beginning to rot.

At the peak and other places where roof sections came together decorations were added. Thatched roofs would have trimmed or transverse layers of straw, bamboo poles or planks of wood. Tiled roofs have a variety of decorative plates to the ends of the ridge, for example, (fish). They also had circular plates to the ends of the tiles at the eaves called that helped to deflect rain.

Farmhouse interior

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(

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A hearth hook with fish-shaped counterbalance

The deep eaves of the farmhouse roof helped to protect the interior from driving rain. They stop the sun from entering the interior during the summer, and they allow the low rays of sun to warm the house during the winter. Often there is a timber-floored veranda () around the house under the eaves and protected on the outside by storm shutters. In areas where there is heavy snow there may be a lowered earth-floored area outside the veranda further protected by shutters which helps to stop snow from blowing inside.

The interior of a was generally divided into two sections: a floor of compacted earth, called a (the precursor to a Genkan) and a raised floor (generally around 20 inches (50 cm) above the level of the ), called a , and, in larger, richer houses, an area or set of rooms covered in tatami or mats, called a . Large farmhouses sometimes had a raised, timber-floored internal veranda () that separated the and the areas. In older houses, like the 17th century Yoshimura house, this separating zone was up to 2.5 m wide and servants apparently slept there.

The raised floor often included a built-in hearth, called an . Above the ash-filled hearth would hang a kettle suspended from the ceiling by an adjustable hearth hook made of wood, metal and bamboo. This could be raised or lowered depending on the amount of heat required and was often shaped into decorative fish or blade shapes. There was no chimney in the farmhouse and the smoke from the irori would rise through the roof drying the reeds and deterring insects. The was the centre of communication for the house where the family gathered to chat and eat, and it was a cozy place around which to sleep.

Though there were many possible arrangements of the rooms in a home, one of the most common, called , comprised four rooms in the raised floor portion of the house, adjacent to the . The arrangement and size of these rooms was made more flexible with the use of sliding fusuma and shōji partitions.

The social status of the owner of house governed the conventions of their social relationships in the house. For example, the lowliest ranked people would sit on the earth floor whilst those above them would sit on the and those above them on the floored inner rooms. Honoured guests would sit next with their back to the . The requirements for social etiquette extended to the family and there were particular seating positions () positioned around the hearth.

Typical Edo period farmhouses

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-style house with birdlike decoration on the gable

A number of styles of farmhouses came to maturity during the Edo period; some typical examples follow.

Gasshou

The -style have vast roofs that are a large form of the structural system. Their name derives from the similarity of the roof shape to two hands in prayer. They are frequently found in Gifu Prefecture. The upper floors of the two- and three-story houses are used for sericulture, with storage space for trays of silkworms and mulberry leaves.

Honmune

literally means "true ridge": The style has a nearly square plan with a gabled roof that is board covered. The gable end of the house is particularly impressive with its composition of beams, eaves and braces. The gable is topped by a birdlike ornament called a . Houses of this type can be found in Gunma, Nara, Yamaguchi and Kouchi prefectures.

Preservation

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, Ogimachi village

are generally treated as historic landmarks, and many have been designated for preservation by municipalities or the national government. The tremendous regional variation of has also been preserved in open-air museums such as Nihon Minka-en in Kawasaki, where examples from around Japan are on display. Minka have also been used as hotels and restaurants to be preserved.

Of particular note is the , which is preserved in two villages in central Japan — Shirakawa in Gifu Prefecture and Gokayama in Toyama Prefecture — that together have been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

In 1997, the Japan Minka Reuse and Recycle Association (JMRA) was established to promote the benefits and conservation of . One that belonged to the Yonezu family was acquired by the JMRA and donated to Kew Gardens as part of the Japan 2001 Festival. The wooden structure was dismantled, shipped and re-assembled in Kew with new walls and a thatched roof.

See also

• Historic Villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama
• Nihon Minka-en
• A-frame house
• Machiya, traditional Japanese townhouses
• Kura (storehouse)

References

• Japan Live. (2020). Komika. 2nd ed.

Further reading

• Suzuki Mitsuru (1985). "Minka." Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Kodansha Ltd.
• Taro Sakamoto, et al. (1964). Fuzoku jiten (A Dictionary of Popular Culture). Tokyo: KK Tokyodō

External links

• The Herbert Offen Research Collection of the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum
• Definition of Minka at JAANUS

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