Traditional japanese house

[Kincaid]

I'm wanting to know about the design and construction of Japanese houses as they would have been in the 1600's. Anything known about the wood used in the construction, the layout, the flooring, decoration, etc. would be appreciated. Also, if anyone has links or suggestions for reading so I could find some of this information myself, I would greatly appreciate it.

If possible, please include as much sensory detail as you can. The smell of the wood, texture of the various surfaces, and any other details would help. I'm trying to get a fairly accurate picture of what it would be like to be in one of these houses.

[steven]

This is a cool topic. I don't know about houses dating back to the 1600's, but I've seen and been in a lot of older houses.

Actually, there is a World Heritage Site in Gifu/Toyama prefectures (Shirakawa and Gokayama respectively). They are houses that have basically stayed the way they were for hundreds of years.
Gokayama - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Looking at the "gasshō-zukuri" link in that article brings you to another article: Minka - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That article kind of gives a run down on a lot of different styles of houses.
Machiya - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

(farmhouse/farmer in Japanese being searched in google images)
農家 - Google Search

Another subject that might be of interest to you is a special style of house that is called "azuma-dachi". That style of house is famous in Toyama.

As far as what I have seen inside older houses goes... it really depends on the style of house. Older houses in towns (machiya) are usually very narrow and really long (which I guess was for tax purposes?). Also, like most Japanese houses they are at least 2 stories high... so I see a lot of REALLY steep stair cases (like seriously border line ladders).

In my area there are a lot of fairly large older style houses (I don't think a lot of them are from the 1600's though... maybe 1700's and 1800's). The layout of them is usually similar. I wish I remembered the exact layout, because it is quite specific. A lot of older houses will have something called an "irori" (which is like a firepit) in them, which is used for heating up tea and doing a little bit of cooking with as well as for heating.

Another distinct characteristic of older houses that I've noticed is that they consist of a lot of small/medium sized rooms that are actually connected with sliding doors. These sliding doors can be taken out and stored (in a specially made storage rack). Doing so can open up the whole house to make almost one big room. This was traditionally used for gatherings like weddings, funerals, and other ceremonies. Something that I don't really know how to explain about the design, but I know is there is the airflow and the position of the house in respect to that. A lot of older houses are naturally cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter just by design. Of course certain rooms are better than others depending on the time of year.

As far as the wood goes... it's amazing what they used in older houses. That kind of wood simply doesn't exist any more. I think if you look up "azuma dachi" you will get an idea of what I'm talking about. If you can, try to find pictures looking up in the "irori" room. Another interesting design of those houses is that they aren't technically two floors. Again, looking at pictures is the best way to get an idea of what they look like. I've heard that when people tear down those old style houses the wood goes for a pretty penny. I think it's a waste though.

I think the information I gave you should give you a little bit of a start. Hopefully someone will have more specific information to give you. I have a feeling that a lot of the really good information on this kind of thing will be written in Japanese though, so doing a search in English might really limit you.

[Kincaid]

Steven, thank you very much for your reply. That was a wealth of information. I've already looked at the links up to the different styles of house construction, and will read further now. The house I'm looking to describe would specifically be a large one, not in a city, and belonging to someone with a lot of wealth. This house would be connected to a training area behind it. I'm writing a book that has some Japanese elements in it, and my main character is blind. This is why I need so much detail on other sensory input from the experience of being in a house like this. I know this is commonplace, but I became fascinated with the Japanese language and culture after a college instructor got me hooked on anime. Then I started playing "Go", and have developed a deep appreciation for the wood work that goes into the construction of their older homes. I'm not proficient in Japanese (though I can get around a little bit), but I'm learning more as time passes. Thank you again for the reply.

[Columbine]

Originally Posted by Kincaid

If possible, please include as much sensory detail as you can. The smell of the wood, texture of the various surfaces, and any other details would help. I'm trying to get a fairly accurate picture of what it would be like to be in one of these houses.

Old houses like that would have tatami, if you've never smelt one, when they're fresh they have a sweet hay-like scent, similar to those water-hyacinth woven baskets you can get in furniture stores or those woven beach mats you get all over Europe. Old very dirty or damp tatami can smell dank or mouldy. The colour goes from a fresh pale colour to brownish-grey over time. Tatami are fairly smooth to touch; the bumps aren't very big. They are faintly glossy too, not quite matt.

Lacquer-ware is very smooth to touch, it's almost plastically but definitely more organic. think like the feel of amber.

Shoji screens are light weight with smooth darker wood. The paper is taut and faintly waxy to touch. It may be smoother on one side than the other. It's not a true white either; it may be greyish or creamish depending on how and from what it was made.

Roof tiles on old buildings tend to be grey, kind of pottery I guess, or fired like bricks. On unkempt buildings or very old ones, they tend to gather a lot of moss and lichen. More rurally the roofing material is thatch. Again, new thatch has a hayish sort of scent, but less strong and less sweet than tatami. Old, damp thatch smells musty and can also reek faintly of mouse and bird waste if you're very close to it on the outside. Very old, very poorly maintained thatch that has worn thin can also make the inside of the house smell bad.

Lots of traditional things in Japan are made using zelkova wood; in colour it's a bit like dark pine, but a harder wood. It has a woody-spicy kind of scent, but it's subtle.

Sumi-ink and to a lesser extent sumi-paintings have a pine scent.

Uh... and that's about the extent of all I know from visiting old temples.

You might want to remember though that in the 1600's certain smells would be stronger anyway; human waste for example, as that wasn't neatly scurried away in underground pipes. Ditto rubbish.

[steven]

If you really want to get a feel for it, come to Japan.

I think the last statement that Columbine made was important... in fact, in rural Japan disposal of human waste was probably not that much different in the 1980's as it was in the 1600's, believe it or not. What that implies is that the waste was taken from... well the shit-tank, and then put into the fields as a kind of fertilizer.

As for other kinds of smells, remember that you'll often find a "butsudan" inside of houses, and in my experience the older the house, the more elaborate the butsudan usually is. That means that you'll get the smell of incense on certain occasions.

Also, if you have an irori, that has a very particular smell and frankly I couldn't describe it. I would imagine that back in the 1600's they didn't have kerosene heaters... so I think (but honestly have no idea) that an irori would be the main source of heat.

Also, depending on the season certain smells can change. As a general rule, smells are amplified during the summer (which is hot and humid) and maybe a little less poignant during the winter (which is cold and dry... because the moisture freezes).

Another thing to keep in mind is that, even today, rural Japanese often dispose of their trash by burning it. That also means that after the rice harvest in the fall, there is a lot of burning going on, so you get a lot of smoke and haze.

I'm sure there is no end to describing these things about Japanese houses... I imagine that certain things have been the way they've always been while other things have completely changed since the 1600's. Keep in mind that Japan has a culture that is very different from western cultures. On the surface it is very similar, but when you really get down to it there are a bajillion little nuances and characteristics that have nothing to do with western culture. Keep in mind that rewinding the tape 400 years would basically removed any modern western influence making it even more complicated!

[dogsbody70]

talking about houses in japan. (NOW)

Last night there was a short film about tokyo--it is a series covering some large cities-- and it showed that there is a real shortage of space in tokyo-- and showed one building surrounded by glass-- and literally just an outer corridor in which to live. Everything was in that corridor which encircled the inner section-- weird-- totally exposed to the outside world-- many other buildings-- including a bath a cooker a toilet and not a lot else.

[dogsbody70]

Originally Posted by steven

If you really want to get a feel for it, come to Japan.

I think the last statement that Columbine made was important... in fact, in rural Japan disposal of human waste was probably not that much different in the 1980's as it was in the 1600's, believe it or not. What that implies is that the waste was taken from... well the shit-tank, and then put into the fields as a kind of fertilizer.

As for other kinds of smells, remember that you'll often find a "butsudan" inside of houses, and in my experience the older the house, the more elaborate the butsudan usually is. That means that you'll get the smell of incense on certain occasions.

Also, if you have an irori, that has a very particular smell and frankly I couldn't describe it. I would imagine that back in the 1600's they didn't have kerosene heaters... so I think (but honestly have no idea) that an irori would be the main source of heat.

Also, depending on the season certain smells can change. As a general rule, smells are amplified during the summer (which is hot and humid) and maybe a little less poignant during the winter (which is cold and dry... because the moisture freezes).

Another thing to keep in mind is that, even today, rural Japanese often dispose of their trash by burning it. That also means that after the rice harvest in the fall, there is a lot of burning going on, so you get a lot of smoke and haze.

I'm sure there is no end to describing these things about Japanese houses... I imagine that certain things have been the way they've always been while other things have completely changed since the 1600's. Keep in mind that Japan has a culture that is very different from western cultures. On the surface it is very similar, but when you really get down to it there are a bajillion little nuances and characteristics that have nothing to do with western culture. Keep in mind that rewinding the tape 400 years would basically removed any modern western influence making it even more complicated!

were futons used in those days?

[RealJames]

Originally Posted by dogsbody70

talking about houses in japan. (NOW)

Last night there was a short film about tokyo--it is a series covering some large cities-- and it showed that there is a real shortage of space in tokyo-- and showed one building surrounded by glass-- and literally just an outer corridor in which to live. Everything was in that corridor which encircled the inner section-- weird-- totally exposed to the outside world-- many other buildings-- including a bath a cooker a toilet and not a lot else.

All I can say is that if it's strange and crazy that you're looking for, you certainly can find it in Japan, perhaps a tad more easily than elsewhere, but that what you're explaining sounds crazy and strange to Japanese people also

[bELyVIS]

There is a great museum of old houses and buildings in Osaka near Ryokuchi Koen.

[BenBullock]

Originally Posted by Kincaid

I'm wanting to know about the design and construction of Japanese houses as they would have been in the 1600's. Anything known about the wood used in the construction, the layout, the flooring, decoration, etc. would be appreciated. Also, if anyone has links or suggestions for reading so I could find some of this information myself, I would greatly appreciate it.

There's a book called Japanese homes by Edward Morse which might help.

If possible, please include as much sensory detail as you can. The smell of the wood, texture of the various surfaces, and any other details would help. I'm trying to get a fairly accurate picture of what it would be like to be in one of these houses.

What, sorry?