Dwellings of the common folk
Throughout the Nara and early Heian periods the rural lower classes continued to reside in structures which had changed little since prehistoric times, including
heichi jukyo (flat land dwellings built directly on the ground),
tateana jukyo (pit dwellings) and
hottatebashira tatemono (stilted dwellings). However, the late Heian and Kamakura periods witnessed the introduction of more advanced construction techniques, leading to the appearance of larger and more sophisticated dwellings. With the development of towns and the growth of a merchant class there emerged two related but distinct styles – the farmhouse (
noka) and the urban residence (
machiya).
By the Muromachi period the farmhouse had developed its characteristic division into a raised-floor (toko) living area covered in tatami mats and an earthen-floor (doma) kitchen and service area. Hipped or gabled thatched roofs were supported by a roof frame known as a koyagumi, which rested on a proliferation of widely-spaced pillars and beams. As this design developed, the koyagumi became more complex, allowing for a reduction in the number of supporting pillars and an opening up of the interior space, thereby adding to the grandeur and aesthetic appeal of the design. Increasingly too, the toko was expanded and, as with the shinden of aristocratic residences, partitioned into smaller spaces.
One of the best-known farmhouses is the Yoshimura House in Habikino, Osaka Prefecture, the oldest section of which dates from 1615. Covered in a large hipped-and-gabled thatched roof, the main building features a six-room raised living area connected to large earthen-floor service space by a spacious interior veranda (
hiroshiki).
During the Edo period farmhouse designs proliferated, with great variation according to region and climate.
Built between the 17th and early 20th centuries, the unique Gassho (‘praying hands’) -style farmhouses of modern Gifu and Toyama Prefectures were characterised by steeply-pitched roofs designed for heavy winter snow. The roof space itself was divided up to form three or even four additional storeys which were traditionally used for raising silkworms or making washi paper.
The L-shaped Magariya-style farmhouses of modern Iwate, Ibaragi prefecture and Tochigi Prefectures included a wing at right angles to the house for stables to keep the animals warm and provide direct access in times of inclement weather. Meanwhile the Kudo-style houses of modern Saga Prefecture, believed to have developed in response to the frequent typhoons that strike southern Japan, employed three thatched-roof sections connected at their ends to form a rectilinear ‘U’ in plan, with an enclosed central space roofed in tile.
Other important regional farmhouse designs included the Honmune-style farmhouse of modern Nagano Prefecture with its ‘sparrow dance’ roof ornamentation; and the Totsukawa-style farmhouse of modern Wakayama and Nara Prefectures, with its wooden shingle roof and vertical boards under the eaves designed to protect against heavy rain.
The late Heian and Kamakura periods also witnessed the development of urban dwellings (machiya), which combined the function of a residence with that of a workshop or retail space. This style of architecture underwent significant development during the late Muromachi period, when the growth of castle towns (jokamachi) around major fortifications and post towns (shukubamachi) along major arteries resulted in a significant expansion of urban settlement.
By the Muromachi period the typical
machiya was a plank-roofed single-storey wooden structure, no more than 6 metres wide but up to 20 metres deep. Sliding or folding shutters opened at the front to facilitate the display of goods and wares. Like the rural farmhouse, the
machiya featured a raised-floor living area covered in
tatami mats and an earthen-floored service area which contained the kitchen and provided access to the rear of the plot, where storehouses known as
kura were located.
During the Edo period houses of two and even three storeys were built with greater frequency, the upper spaces being very low at the eaves. At this time too in urban centres such as Edo (Tokyo), Osaka and Nagoya, wooden roofing materials were replaced with tiles and structural timbers were covered by thick plaster in order to protect against the risk of fire. Small courtyard gardens or tsuboniwa were often incorporated into the design.
The earliest surviving machiya are the Kuriyama House in Gojo, Nara Prefecture (1607) and the Imanishi House in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture (1650). Many other extant examples survive in Kyoto.
