# Japanese Homes and Their Surroundings/Chapter 5

CHAPTER V.
ENTRANCES AND APPROACHES.
IN the study of the house-architecture of Japan, as compared with that of America, it is curious to observe the relative degree of importance given to similar features by the two peoples. With us the commonest house in the city or country will have a definite front-door, and almost always one with some embellishments, in the shape of heavy panels, ornate brackets and braces supporting some sort of a covering above, and steps approaching it equally pretentious; in the ordinary Japanese house, on the contrary, this entrance is, as we shall see, often, though not always, of the most indefinite character. With us, again, the hall or front-entry stairs may be seen immediately on entering the house, — and this portion has some display in the baluster and gracefully curving rail, and in the better class of houses receives special attention from the architect; in Japan, however, if the house be of two stories the stairway is never in sight, and is rarely more than a stout and precipitous step-ladder. On the other hand, the ridge of the roof, which in Japan almost invariably forms the most picturesque feature of the house exterior, is with us nothing more than the line of junction of the plainest rain-shed; though in great edifices feeble attempts have been made to decorate this lofty and conspicuous line by an inverted cast-iron design, which is not only absolutely useless as a structural feature, but, so far as the design is concerned, might be ​equally appropriate for the edge of a tawdry valentine or the ornamental fringe which comes in a Malaga raisin-box.
Accustomed as we are, then, to a front-door with steps and rail and a certain pretentious architectural display, it is difficult to conceive of a house without some such distinctive characters to its portal. In the ordinary Japanese house, however, we often look in vain for such indications. In the common class of their houses, and even in those of more importance, the entrance is often vaguely defined; one may enter the house by way of the garden and make his salutations on the verandah, or he may pass into the house by an ill-defined boundary near the kitchen, — a sort of back-door on the front side. In other houses this entrance is by means of a small matted area, which differs in no respect from the other rooms save that the outer edge of its raised floor is some distance within the eaves, and between this and the sill the floor is mother earth. One or two steps, consisting of single planks running the width of the room, lead from the earth to the floor. The roof at this point may be a gable, as more specially marking the entrance. These indefinite entrances, however, belong only to the houses of what may be called the middle and lower classes, though even in houses of the middle classes well-marked entrances, and even entrances of some pretensions, are not uncommon. Some may be inclined to doubt the statement that in the ordinary houses the entrance is often more or less vaguely defined. As a curious proof of this, however. I have in my possession Japanese architects' plans of two houses, consisting of a number of rooms, and representing dwellings far above the ordinary type; and though I have consulted a number of Japanese friends in regard to these plans, none of them have been able to tell me where the main entrance is, or ought to be!
In a better class of houses the entrance is in the form of a wide projecting porch, with special gable roof, having elabo​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/276 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/277 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/278 ​On the right is a small room separated from the vestibule by shōji, not fusuma. This may be considered a waiting-room, where parties on business are shown; a servant usually waits here to attend callers. Directly beyond, one enters a suite of rooms which border the garden at the back of the house. At the immediate entrance is a sill; over this sill one steps upon the earth floor.
The sill is grooved to accommodate the amado, which are put in place when the house is closed for the night. When a house has a definite entrance like this, there are usually conveniences for stowing away travelling gear, — such as umbrellas, lanterns, and wooden clogs. For example, in ordinary houses, for the sake of economy in space, a portion of the raised floor of the vestibule consists of movable planks, which may be lifted up, revealing a space beneath sufficiently ample to accommodate these articles.
The plan here given (fig. 222) shows a hall often seen in the better class of houses. The area between the entrance and the shōji projects as a porch from the side of the house, the three-matted area coming within the house proper. The lettering on the plan clearly explains the various parts.
In a narrow hall in an old house near Uyeno, in Tokio. I got the accompanying sketch of a shoe-closet (fig. 223). The briefest examination of the various clogs it contained revealed the same idiosyncrasies of walking as with us, — some were down at the heel, others were worn at the sides. There were clogs of many sizes and kinds, — common clogs of the school-children, with the dried mud of the street still clinging to them, and the best clogs with lacquered sides and finely-matted soles. At one side hung a set of shoe-cords ready for emergency.
In another house, just within the vestibule. I noticed a shelf-rack above the fusuma, designed for holding the family lanterns (fig. 224). It may as well be stated here, — a fact which is prob​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/280 ​stowed away the lanterns. On each box was painted a design corresponding to the design of the lantern within. In this case the name of the family, or the crest, was indicated.
In this vestibule the fusuma, instead of being covered with thick paper, consisted of panels of dark cedar. The effect was very rich.
In the houses of the Daimios the entrance is always grandly marked by a special roof, and by a massive structure of carved beams supporting it, — brilliantly colored often-times, and the surroundings in keeping with the dignity of this important region.
The doorways of shops and inns, when they definitely occur, are large square openings stoutly but neatly barred, — and permanently too, a portion of it being made to roll back. The sill of such an opening is some little distance from the ground, and one on entering steps over this sill to an earth floor within, called the do-ma. Here the wooden clogs are left as he steps upon the raised floor. Fig. 225 illustrates the appearance of this doorway.
The verandah is an essential part of the Japanese house. The word itself is of Oriental origin, and it is difficult to imagine an Oriental house of any pretensions without a verandah of some kind. In the Japanese house it is almost a continuation of the floor of the room, being but slightly below its level. The verandah is something more than a luxury; it is a necessity arising from the ​peculiar construction of the house. The shōji, with their delicate frames and white paper-coverings, which take the place of our glass windows in admitting light to the room, are from their very nature easily injured by the rain; the edge of the room therefore, where these run, must come a few feet within the eaves of the roof, or of any additional rain-shed which may be built above the shōji. At this line, therefore, the matted floor ceases, and a plank floor of varying width continues beyond, upon the outer edge of which is a single groove to accommodate another set of screens made of wood. These are called the amado, literally "rain-door," and at night and during driving storms they are closed. At times, however, the rain may beat in between the amado; but though wetting the verandah, it rarely reaches the shōji.
In ordinary houses the verandah has no outer rail, though in the houses of the nobility a rail is often present. The width of the verandah varies in proportion to the size of the house. In some of the temples the verandah floor may be ten feet or more in width, and thickly lacquered, as in some of the Nikko temples. In common houses this area may be three or four feet in width. A reference to the plans (figs. 97 and 98; pages 113, 116), and also to the vertical section (fig. 103; page 126), will give a clear idea of this platform and its relation to the house. There are various ways of treating this feature; it is always supported on wooden posts, rough or hewn, which, like the uprights of the house, rest on single stones partly buried in the ground. The space between the edge of the verandah and the ground is almost invariably left open, as will be seen by reference to figs. 37, 48, 49, 50, and 95 (pages 55, 66, 68, 70, 106), though in Kioto houses it is sometimes filled. up by simple boarding or panelling; and here and there are one. or more panels which run back and forth in grooves, so that one can go beneath the house if necessary. The planks composing ​the floor of the verandah may be narrow or wide; usually however they are quite narrow, and run parallel with the edge of the verandah, though in some cases they are wide planks running at right angles. When this platform turns a corner, the ends of the planks may be mitred (as in fig. 226, A), or square (as in fig. 226, B), in which latter case the ends project beyond each other alternately. Sometimes the floor is made up of narrow strips of thick plank with the edges deeply chamfered or rounded (fig. 226, C). In this style a considerable space is left between the planks. The effect of this treatment is looked upon as rustic and picturesque, but is certainly not so pleasant to walk upon. In such a form of verandah the amado runs in a groove in close proximity to the shōji.
The verandah varies considerably in its height from the ground; more often it is so low that one sitting on its edge may rest his feet comfortably on the ground. In this case a single wide block, either of stone or wood, forms the step. When the verandah is at a greater height from the ground, permanent or adjustable steps, two or three in number, are placed in position. A common form of verandah-step is shown in fig. 179 (page 199). A very good type of verandah sketched from an old house in Kioto is shown in fig. 227. The manner in which the uprights support the broad over-hanging eaves, the appearance of the supplementary roof called hisashi, the shōji as they are seen, some closed and some open, disclosing the rooms within, ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/284 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/285 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/286 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/287 ​of thin boards held together by a light frame-work having a few transverse bars. The amado run in a single groove on the outer edge of the verandah; at night the house is, effectually closed by these shutters, and during hot summer nights the apartments become almost stifling. In many houses, however, provision is made for ventilation in the shape of long, narrow openings just above the amado. Panels are made to fit into these openings, so that in winter the cold to some extent may be kept out. On unusually stormy days and during the prevalence of a typhoon, the house closed in this way is dark and gloomy enough.
These shutters are the noisy features of a Japanese house. Within are no slamming doors or rattling latches; one admires the quiet and noiseless way in which the fusuma are gently pushed back and forth; and the soft mats yielding to the pressure of still softer feet, as the inmates like cats step lightly about, are soothing conditions to overstrained nerves, and one cannot help contrasting them with the clatter of heavy boots on our wood floors, or the clouds of filthy dust kicked out of our carpets in any rough play of children. All these miseries are happily avoided in a Japanese house. Truth compels me to say, however, that in the morning you are roughly awakened by the servants pushing back into their appropriate recesses these outer wooden screens; and this act is usually noisy enough. In public houses this performance takes the place of clanging bell or tympanum-bursting gong (a Chinese instrument of torture which our people seem to take peculiar delight in); for not only the rattling bang of these resonant shutters, but the bright glare of daylight where before you had been immersed in darkness, assails you with a sudden and painful shock.
The Japanese have a number of curious devices by which to lock or bolt these shutters. So far as I know, the only night​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/289 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/290 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/291 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/292 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/293 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/294 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/295 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/296 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/297 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/298 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/299 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/300 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/301 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/302 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/303 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/304 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/305 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/306 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/307 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/308 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/309 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/310 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/311 ​Page:Japanese Homes and their Surroundings 1885 by Edward S. Morse (1889 4th ed).pdf/312