2.Ingenious Ideas Seen in Ancient Japanese Homes
Koichi Hatada Professor Emeritus, Osaka University(English translation by Eri Ichikawa)
Modern Japanese houses are quite comfortable with effective air-conditioning insummer as well as in winter. In exchange, however, energy consumption in day-to-day
lives has risen and no space is wasted in order to achieve efficient air conditioning. As aresult, it seems more houses are functional but without any superfluous space. The
Japanese tradition has been to live in harmony with nature and not waste energy inattempting to resist or overcome natural forces. This time-honored culture is fading out
at least from Japanese houses.
The house where I was born and lived until I finished graduate school is located in
Habikino-city, Osaka (Photo 1). Renovated about 120 years ago, it is a traditional
Japanese house reminiscent of a more relaxed age. Four rooms, forming a two-by-two
matrix is at the center of the building. The four rooms (two rooms are 6 tatami mat sizerooms and two are 8 tatami mat size rooms) are separated with “fusuma (a type of
sliding door made of wooden frame and paper)” or “itado (wooden sliding door) ”.
These doors can be removed, making it possible to alter the size of the space asnecessary. This is an idea often used in traditional village headman’s houses (Photo 2)

Photo 1: An Overall View of the Hatada-Family House1

where rooms can be used as a living spaceor meeting halls. Rooms can be expanded byremoving the “fusuma” to accommodate thenumber of people invited. In fact, by using
the sun-room, which was added to the housearound 1955, meetings for up to eighty
people are possible (Photo 3). Due to thehigh ceiling and the good flow of air fromthe two-by-two matrix through the“agarikamachi” (foyer) to the “doma”(earthen-floored area), the house is notclaustrophobic. Eighty people can enjoy thewarm atmosphere created by wood andtatami mats. Acoustics are excellent,probably because of the air flow, as well as
the effects of the old tatami mats and ancientwood which have hardened with the passageof time as the intermoleculer forces ofcellulose molecules have strengthened.
Delicates tones of instruments such as theguitar, music box and Irish harp resonate
well, making it an excellent place to enjoy
music.
The air flow in this house was better
when the “kamado (cooking stove)” wasfunctioning and the “kemuridashi (Japanesestyle chimney)” above the stove was in

Photo 2: The sitting room (one of the 8tatami mat size room in the matrix)

Photo 3: Hatada juku (The Hatada Academy)

Photo 5: Massive structure of the beams
above the “doma (earthen-floored area)”

Photo 4: Sudare shoji

2place. The smoke from the cooking
stove would seep around the houseacting as fumigation against insects
before being discharged from the“kemuridashi.”The“kemuridashi”
would also prevent poisonous gases
from filling the house in case of fire.
In summer, “akari shoji (paper
screen)” and “fusuma” are replaced with“sudare shoji” (or “yoshi shoji”) which
are screens woven with narrow slats ofbamboo or reed stems (Photo 4). These
screens allow more air to circulate andblock heat radiated from outdoors,enhancing the cooling effect of breezes.
It is a type of natural air conditioning.
People who are familiar with “sudare
shoji” may find modern air conditioning
Photo 6: “Ohdo (the door for residential use)”
to be extremely wasteful. Other practicaland “doma”
ideas to keep the house cool during
summer include designing the layout of
the rooms to bring summer breezes
inside and long eaves to shade the rooms
from the strong summer sun. Tatami
mats made of straw also regulate
humidity.
On the other hand, there is a “sudo”(Photo 5) between the “doma” next tothe “ohdo (door for residential use)”
Photo 7: Latticed window of the “tomo beya”(Photo 6) and connecting “doma” or the“naya”(shed and workshop). “Sudo” acts as a security gate as it is possible to look out
from inside but not from outside. The narrow latticed window of the “tomo beya (roomfor the attendant of the guest)” next to the “nagayamon (row house gate)” also serves
this purpose (Photo 7). There is a narrow groove on the top of the “nageshi (thehorizontal beam connecting pillars)” in the“zashiki (reception room).” It is said that
small swords, spears and rocks were stored here to arm against sudden intruders.
Storage space for various purposes is necessary in any house. There is a space about3

Photo 9 The east, central and west storehouse
Photo 8: The base of the pillar in the sittingroom(Photo was taken during theearthquake-proof renovation)

60 centimeters high beneath the floor which is used tostore potatoes and miso(soybean paste) as thetemperature is relatively stable throughout the year.
Bamboo and wooden poles used in farming as well asbuilding material is stored here. Lumber left over fromthe renovation done 120 years ago is stored here andused for repairs. By crawling under the floor, we cansee that pillars are not joined to the foundations. It isbelieved that this type of building method with its Photo 10: Sudo of the storehousefloating structure (Photo 8) is resistant to earthquakes
with linear motions.
The storehouse building is divided into three
sections; the east, central and west storehouse(Photo 9). The central storehouse is used for rice
and its wooden walls and floors are of soundstructure. The west storehouse is used for
miscellaneous goods while the ground floor of theeast storehouse is used to store “sudare shoji,”“fusuma” and measuring devices such as scales andlarge measuring boxes. The upper floor of the east
storehouse is ventilated using a small single window.
A year’s supply of “kaki mochi (dried rice cake)” isdried and stored here along with some household
utensils. All the storehouses have double doors andthe inner door is “sudo” (Photo 10) to allow light to Photo 11: Door and Nezumi gaeshi(mice barriers) of the storehouse4filter in when working inside and to prevent
rodents from entering. There are also
“Nezumi gaeshi(mice barriers)” about 20
centimeters high outside every threshold(Photo 11). The eaves of the ground floor
ceiling of “taka kura” (raised storage) in
Amami Islands are also a type of micebarrier.
There are two barns (used for farm work and storing
goods, Photo 12) connected to the storehouse. Eachbarn has a mezzanine which is used to store goods
made of straw such as baskets, mats and rainwear
which must be kept dry. In the barn next to the “doma”
of the main house, part of the ceiling is used as an
entrance to the “tsushi” (loft) and another part is used
as a mezzanine that served as maid’s quarters (Photo13). Small spaces throughout the house are cleverly
used for storage such as under the eaves for storinglong poles [some are used to fly koi-nobori(koi-carp
streamers)], Photo 14) as well as the aforementioned
spaces under the floor and “nageshi” in the reception
room.
There are two latticed windows each on opposite
walls in the “tsushi (Photo 15),” the loft in the mainhouse. With good ventilation, the loft is used to dry andstore firewood throughout the year. It is believed thatthe structure of the loft, which allows winds to blow
through, reduces the impact of cross winds of typhoons.
Based on Bernoullian principle, air pressure above theroof is lower than its surroundings during typhoons.
The roofs of Japanese houses are designed to mitigate
typhoon hazard by using this effect and prevent the roof
tiles from being blown off. The heavy roof tiles also
weigh down and stabilize the house and act asinsulation to regulate internal temperature.
The kitchen connected to the “doma” beyond the“ohdo” (door for residential use) is not by any means

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Photo12: Barns

Photo 13: Ladder going up into
the “tsushi”

Photo 14: Poles for flying
koi-carp streamers

functional. However, there are some usefulideas such as the rings for the three-burnercooking stove(Photo 16). These rings come invarious sizes and can be combined so that pots
and pans of different sizes can be used on therange. The cooking stove is fueled by
firewood. Left over embers are placed inside alidded container “hikeshi tsubo (shown inphoto 16, right-hand side of the stove)” where
it is extinguished by cutting off the air supply.
The resulting “karakeshi” is similar to
porous charcoal and very flammable. It is
used as fuel in the “shichrin (small cooking
stove)” for quick cooking or to light the
charcoal in “hibachi (charcoal brazier).”

Photo 15: “Tsushi (loft of the main house)”

The “hikeshi tsubo” is an example of alifestyle based on the spirit of“mottainai ”(never wasting something thatcan be used). The spirit of “mottainai” is a
Photo 16: “kamado (cooking stove)”core philosophy of the traditional Japanese
lifestyle. For example, Japanese roof tiles are effective insulators, cooling the house insummer and warming it in winter. However, one of its drawbacks is that they tend tochip or become loose with age, resulting in leakage or being blown-off during typhoons.
Therefore, it is necessary to repair the roof every 30 to 40 years. In old days, it wascommon practice to remove the old tiles, repair the roof and then retile the roof using
old tiles. In the process, any cracked or damaged tiles had to be replaced. A supply ofsome several hundred tiles were kept for this purpose whenever a roof was made withnew tiles because it is difficult to make exactly the same type of tiles. If new tiles wereused for the replacing, they would not fit
completely and were likely to cause leaks or
to be blown off during typhoons. By
keeping a supply of spare tiles, the sameroof tiles could be used for more than one
hundred years. At my house, we ultimately
used new tiles as we ran out of replacement
tiles when the roof had to be repaired in its
Photo17: Spare tiles (Okinawa)
110th year. However, nowadays roof tiles

6roughly thirty-years old are been discarded without second thought. What a waste! It isalso destructive to the environment. As the island of Okinawa is frequented by typhoons,more buildings are constructed of reinforced concrete in recent years. However, there
are still many wooden homes with roof tiles. Since the roof tiles in Okinawa arecemented with plaster to secure them against typhoons, it is necessary to carefully wash
away the plaster to retile the roof by the aforementioned resource-saving /environmental friendly method. This is a labor intensive process, but the traditional
method is still being conducted and roof tiles are being stored for this purpose (Photo
17).
The Construction Material Recycling Act which came into force in May 2002 aims torecycle construction waste materials and to prevent environmental pollution caused bythem. When houses are dismantled by the so-called “minced meat scrapping” method inwhich the house is taken down by heavy machinery, all building material including roof
tiles turn into waste. It is a terrible waste of valuable resources. The frame of traditional
Japanese houses is built using joints called “shiguchi”
and “tsugite.” Therefore, it is possible to reuse almost
all of the material if the house is disassembled
carefully. Professor Toshio Ojima of Waseda
University is conducting the following continuous
experiment in the campus of Toyama International
College of Crafts & Arts. A two-story wooden housewith nine rooms covering 254.5 square meters in total
is constructed using traditional Japanese methods.
After using the house as a residence for several years,
the house is dismantled and reassembled in a different
location then used once again. It is reported that 95
Photo 18: Vase made frompercent of the building material including the plastera cartridge
used for the walls could be reused. This
experiment proves the superiority of traditional
Japanese building methods.
In addition to the method for retiling the roof,
there are many ideas to conserve energy based on
the spirit of “mottainai.” One example is placing
the bathroom and lavatory next to each other andcreating an opening in the wall between the tworooms. A light bulb is placed in the opening and a
glass pane is installed on the bathroom side. The

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Photo 19: Go game board made froma sluice material discarded from
Sayama pond

light illuminates both rooms.
Recycling is also a daily activity based on the spirit of“mottainai” as well as a mean to pass on the history associatedwith the product. Examples of such recycled goods that pass on
historical events including those experienced by my ancestors are avase (Photo 18) made from a cartridge used in cannons during the
Russo-Japanese War and a go game board (Photo 19) made from a
discarded sluice material presented to my grandfather who served
as the village head when Sayama pond was restored.
There were also many interesting things for children. Because ofdrafts, open flames tend to flicker and die in traditional Japanesehouses. Therefore, people used a clever device called “andon”
which is a lamp with a paper shade. The “andon” remaining at myhouse has a wooden frame covered with paper(Photo 20). Inside, there is a Japanese candle above
a saucer of oil with a wick. There are two identicalsets of frames so that “andon” can be used when
one of the frames is being repapered. Although thisis not necessary an innovative idea, it is only
possible when people are free from stress. Anotherclever device is the “gando.”(Photo 21) This is a
handheld lantern with a candle that uses themechanism of the “daruma doll.” Used like amodern day flashlight, the candle never goes out nomatter at what angle it is held. A weighted candle isplaced inside a bell-shaped copper or tin frame. Lightcan be directed in any direction, just like a flashlight.
As a child, it was always fun to light the “gando” andwander in the dark. It was also impressive to be able
to use candles as flashlights during the resource
scarce postwar period.
Well water felt very cool in summer and was used
as a refrigerator to chill watermelons and somen (fineJapanese noodles) during my childhood. When therope broke for anything that was suspended into thewell to be chilled, a device called the “hasami” (Photo22) was handy. Pulling a rope connected to one

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Photo 20: Andon

Photo 21 “Gando-(handheld
lantern with a candle”

Photo 22: “Hasami (device used
to retrieve things dropped into
the well)”handle would open the prongs whilepulling another rope connected to theother handle would close them. With
practice, most things could be retrieved.
Seeing my father expertly retrieve things,
I longed to be able to do the samemyself. Looking back, there were other
instruments
that
were
practical
applications of the principles learned in
Photo 23: Pestle for hulling ricesenior high school physics such as thefoot operated pestle for hulling rice (Photo 23), stone mill (using this was hard work,
Photo 24) and beam balance (Photo 25). For example, the “Principle of the Lever” iseasily understood by anyone who has used a foot operated pestle or beam balance.
In old Japanese houses, there are many spaces and tools for which their purpose or
method of use is unclear. They spark a child’s imagination by getting them to muse:“How was this enclosed corner of this room used?” “Why is this window placed here?”and “What was this tool used for and how was it used?” The house invites children toplay hide-and-seek.
In my opinion, the time children spend
experiencing and imagining past people’s
lives in a house will foster creativity over timeand it will eventually lead to the creation ofculture. Recently, I discovered that the size ofthe stone terrace under the roof of the“nagayamon” (Photo 26) is exactly the same
Photo 24: Stone millas a 6-tatami mat room. Imagination expands
as “How was this space used?” or “Was it
used as a stage in a certain occasion?” I
remember that gazing at the high wooden
ceiling in the dim light when I was ill with acold, I was never bored because of thegrains in the wood panels would turn into
various shapes and figures; surf lappedbeach, human faces, dogs, cats, fish, even a
fearful demon’s face. In sharp focus thefigures would be two dimensional, but insoft focus, they would become three

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Photo 25: Beam balancedimensional. I believe children were
happier when there was no television.
Perhaps, this is because those who canleisurely enjoy a secretive and imaginative
world, a dream world unshared by others,
can move onto a unique original andcreative world that can be shared withothers as they grow older. Spaces andthings that are dismissed by modern
people as “useless” may pass on history
Photo 26 Stone terrace under the roof of theand enrich culture. In an extreme sense,“nagayamon”(6 tatami mat size)
the dust in the nooks and crannies and on
the beams are a collection of molecules from the past reflecting the characteristics of theage. If the analysis of very small amount of molecules becomes more readily available,
such dust could become precious historical relics. This is one reason that old houses
should be preserved
Modern Japanese houses are functional and do not have any unexplained nooks.
Every part of the house is visible and there is no place to play hide-and-seek. In otherwords, there are no inessential elements. A relaxed and comfortable society is difficult
to achieve from a house with no inessential elements. A relaxed style of education withlatitude is difficult to achieve from a stressed society. It is difficult to nurture anddevelop new culture including education in a stressed society. Old Japanese houses not
only carry on traditional Japanese culture but also act as a location to generate newculture. The concept is clearly outlined in the aim of the Law for the Protection ofCultural Properties as “preservation and utilization of cultural properties in order topromote the cultural well-being of the Japanese people as well as the global
development of culture.”
The author would like to thank Mr. Isamu Hatada, Ms Tomoko Ishii and Mr. Sadao
Nakamura for their valuable input.

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