# Japanese Homes and Their Surroundings/Chapter 3

CHAPTER III.
INTERIORS.
THE interior of a Japanese house is so simple in its construction, and so unlike anything to which we are accustomed in the arrangement of details of interiors in this country, that it is difficult to find terms of comparison in attempting to describe it. Indeed, without the assistance of sketches it would be almost impossible to give a clear idea of the general appearance, and more especially the details, of Japanese house-interiors. We shall therefore mainly rely on the various figures, with such aid as description may render.
The first thing that impresses one on entering a Japanese house is the small size and low stud of the rooms. The ceilings are so low that in many cases one can easily touch them, and in going from one room to another one is apt to strike his head against the kamoi, or lintel. He notices also the constructive features everywhere apparent, — in the stout wooden posts, supports, cross-ties, etc. The rectangular shape of the rooms, and the general absence of all jogs and recesses save the tokonoma and companion recess in the best room are noticeable features. These recesses vary in depth from two to three feet or more, depending on the size of the room, and are almost invariably in that side of the room which runs at a right angle with the verandah (fig. 96); or if in the second story, at a right ​Fig. 96.Guest-room in Hachi-ishi. ​angle with the balcony. The division between the recesses consists of a light partition, partly or wholly closed, which generally separates the recesses into two equal bays. The bay nearest the verandah is called the tokonoma. In this recess hang one or two pictures, usually one; and on its floor, which is slightly raised above the level of the mats of the main floor, stands a vase or some other ornament. The companion bay has usually a little closet or cupboard closed by sliding screens, and one or two shelves above, and also another long shelf near its ceiling, all closed by sliding screens. At the risk of some repetition, more special reference will be made farther on to these peculiar and eminently characteristic features of the Japanese house.
In my remarks on Japanese house-construction. in Chapter I., allusion was made to the movable partitions dividing the rooms, consisting of light frames of wood covered with paper. These are nearly six feet in height, and about three feet in width. The frame-work of a house, as we have already said, is arranged with special reference to the sliding screens, as well as to the number of mats which are to cover the floor. In each corner of the room is a square post, and within eighteen inches or two feet of the ceiling cross-beams run from post to post. These cross-beams have grooves on their under side in which the screens are to Not only are most of the partitions between the rooms made up of sliding screens, but a large portion of the exterior partitions as well are composed of these light and adjustable devices. A house may have a suite of three or four rooms in a line, and the outside partitions be made up entirely of these movable screens and the necessary posts to support the roof, — these posts coming in the corners of the rooms and marking the divisions between the rooms. The outer screens are covered with white paper, and when closed, a subdued and diffused light enters the room. They may be quickly removed, leaving the entire front of the house open to the air and sunshine. The screens between ​the rooms are covered with a thick paper, which may be left plain, or ornamented with sketchy or elaborate drawings.
The almost entire absence of swinging doors is at once noticeable, though now and then one sees them in other portions of the house. The absence of all paint, varnish, oil, or filling, which too often defaces our rooms at home, is at once remarked; and the ridiculous absurdity of covering a good grained woodsurface with paint, and then with brush and comb trying to imitate Nature by scratching in a series of lines, the Japanese are never guilty of. On the contrary, the wood is left in just the condition in which it leaves the cabinet-maker's plane, with a simple surface, smooth but not polished, — though polished surfaces occur, however, which will be referred to in the proper place. Oftentimes in some of the parts the original surface of the wood is left, sometimes with the bark retained. Whenever the Japanese workman can leave a bit of Nature in this way he is delighted to do so. He is sure to avail, himself of all curious features in wood: it may be the effect of some fungoid growth which marks a bamboo curiously; or the sinuous tracks produced by the larvae of some beetle that oftentimes traces the surface of wood, just below the bark, with curious designs; or a knot or burl. His eye never misses these features in finishing a room.
The floors are often roughly made, for the reason that straw mats, two or three inches in thickness, cover them completely. In our remarks on house-construction, allusion has already been made to the dimensions of these mats.
Before proceeding further into the details of the rooms, it will be well to examine the plans of a few dwellings copied directly from the architect's drawings. The first plan given (fig. 97) is that of a house built in Tokio a few years ago, in which the writer has spent many pleasant hours. The main house measures ​twenty-one by thirty-one feet; the L measures fifteen by twenty-four feet. The solid black squares represent the heavier upright beams which support the roof. The solid black circles represent the support for the L as well as for the verandah roof. The areas marked with close parallel lines indicate the verandah, while the double parallel lines indicate the sliding screens, — the solid black lines showing the permanent partitions. The kitchen, bathroom, and certain platforms are indicated by parallel lines somewhat wider apart than those that indicate the verandah. The lines running obliquely indicate an area where the boards run towards a central gutter slightly depressed below the common level of the floor. Here stands the large earthen water-jar or the wooden bath-tub; and water spilled upon the floor finds its way out of the house by the gutter. The small areas on the outside of the house, shaded in section, represent the closets or cases in which the storm-blinds or wooden shutters, which so effectually close the house at night, are stowed away in the day-time. The house contains a vestibule, a hall, seven rooms, not including the kitchen, and nine closets. These rooms, if named after our nomenclature, would be as follows: study, library, parlor, sitting-room, dining-room, bed-room, servants'-room, and kitchen. As no room contains any article of furniture like a bedstead, — the bed consisting of wadded comforters, being made up temporarily upon the soft mats, — it is obvious that the bedding can be placed in any room in the house. The absence of nearly all furniture gives one an uninterrupted sweep of the floor, so that the entire floor can be covered with sleepers if necessary, — a great convenience certainly when one has to entertain unexpectedly a crowd of guests over-night. Certain closets are used as receptacles for the comforters, where they are stowed away during the day-time.
The absence of all barns, wood-sheds, and other out-houses is particularly noticeable, and as the house has no cellar, one wonders where the fuel is stowed. In certain areas of the kitchen ​Fig. 97.Plan of Dwelling-house in Tokio.P, Parlor or Guest-room; S, Sitting-room; D, Dining-room; L, Library; St, Study; S, Servants' Room; B, Bed-room: K, Kitchen; H, Hall; V, Vestibule; C, Closet; T, Tokonoma; Sh, Shrine; U and I, Privy. ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/154 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/155 ​above, — all these would leave lasting impressions of the exquisite taste and true refinement of the Japanese.
I noticed that a peculiarly agreeable odor of the wood used in the structure of this house seemed to fill the air of the rooms with a delicate perfume; and
Fig. 98.Plan of Dwelling-house in Tokio.P, P, Parlor or Guest-room; B, B, Bert-room; K, Kitchen; S R, Servants' Room; B R, Bath-room; E, E, Side-entrances; V, Vestibule; H, Hall; W R, Wailing-room; C, Closet; T, Tokonoma; U and L, Privy. ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/157 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/158 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/159 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/160 ​remarks on house-construction. These mats, or tatami, are made very carefully of straw, matted and bound together with stout
Fig. 99.Fig. . Plan of a Portion of a Daimio's Residence.The following is a brief explanation of the names of the rooms given in plan fig. 99: Agari-ba (Agari, "to go up;" ba, "place"), Platform, or place to stand on in coming out of the Bath. Cha-dokoro, Tea-place; Ge-dan, Lower Step; Jō-dan, Upper Step; Iri-kawa, Space between verandah and room; Kami-no-ma, Upper place or room; Tsugi-no-ma, Next place or room; Keshō-no-ma, Dressing-room (Keshō, — adorning the face with powder"). Nan-do, Store-room; Naka-tsubo, Middle space; Oshi-ire, Closet (literally, "push," "put in"); Ro-ka, Corridor, Covered way; Tamari, Ante-chamber; Tsume-sho, Waiting-room for servants; Yu-dono, Bath-room; Yen-zashiki, End parlor; Watari, — "to cross over;" Sunoko, Bamboo shelf or platform. ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/162 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/163 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/164 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/165 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/166 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/167 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/168 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/169 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/170 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/171 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/172 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/173 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/174 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/175 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/176 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/177 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/178 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/179 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/180 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/181 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/182 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/183 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/184 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/185 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/186 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/187 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/188 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/189 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/190 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/191 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/192 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/193 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/194 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/195 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/196 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/197 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/198 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/199 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/200 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/201 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/202 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/203 ​are firmly attached to the walls of the kura. These hooks may be seen in fig. 57, though in the case of this building the wooden casing had never been applied. Casings of this nature are provided the better to preserve the walls from the action of the weather.
In fig. 139 (see page 162) the kura had been originally built some fifteen feet from the main house, and subsequently the intervening space had been roofed over as shown in the drawing.
The doors of the kura are ponderous structures, and are usually left open for ventilation; a heavily grated sliding-door. however, closes the entrance effectually when the thick doors are left open. Fig. 140 represents the doorway of an old kura in Kioto illustrating these features. In fig. 141 the large key is the one belonging to the inner grated door, while fig. 142 shows the padlock to the outer doors.
The upper room of the kura is often utilized as a store-room, taking the place of the country attic; and one may find here bundles of dried herbs, corn, an old spinning-wheel, chests, and indeed just such objects as ultimately find a resting-place in our attics at home.
curtains may be either plain or have traced upon them delicate designs of vines or gourds, or conventional patterns. These designs are produced either by the joints on the bamboo being adjusted to carry out a zigzag or other design, as shown in fig. 162 (A), or else the thin strips of bamboo. may have square notches cut out from their lower edges as in fig. 162 (B). In this case the shade of the room within gives the necessary back-ground to bring out the design as shown in fig. 163. These devices are called noren; if made of bamboo, they are called sudare.
In illustrated books there is often seen figured a screen such as is shown in fig. 164. This consists of a lacquered stand, from which spring two upright rods, which in turn sup​port a transverse bar not unlike some forms of towel-racks; dependent from this is a curtain of cloth, which is long enough to sweep the floor. I have never seen this object, though it is probably in use in the houses of the Daimios.
A screen or curtain is often seen in doorways and passageways, consisting of a fringe of cords, upon which have been strung like beads short sections of bamboo, with black seeds at intervals. A portion of one of these fringed curtains is illustrated in fig. 165. Such a curtain has the advantage not only of being a good screen, but the inmates may pass through it, so to speak, without the necessity of lifting it. There are many forms of this curtain to be seen, and at present the Japanese are exporting a variety of delicate ones made of glass beads and sections of rushes.
Cloth curtains are used at the entrance to the kitchen, and also to screen closet-like recesses. The cloth is cut at intervals, leaving ​a series of long flaps. This curtain is not readily swayed by the wind, and can easily be passed through as one enters the room (fig. 166). In front of the Japanese shop one may see a similar form of curtain slit at intervals, so that it may not be affected by ordinary winds.
There are doubtless many other forms of screens and curtains not here enumerated, but most of those described present the common forms usually observed.