Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1886-06-18
JAPANESE HOUSES.
ORIENTAL DWELLINGS, AMI
WHAT THEY CONTAIN.
lpiminutive Structures Which Con
tain no Tables. Chairs or Bed.
steads-A Farmhouse
Interior Decorations


Interior Decorations
A japanese house, even Of d person
quite well-to-do, is a comparatively
diminutive affair. Miss Bird, cele.
brated lady traveller, says that whenever
she enters one, she feels ''like bull in
a china CLOSET" To us, with our English
and American notions of comfort tLe5e
houses look very empty. Tables, chairs
and bedsteads are unknown to the PEG
pie, and when, as is sometimes the case,
our servants have friends visiting them
from the country, to whom they wish to
show the strange possessions of their
foreign masters and mistrcsses, nothing
delights them so much as the sight of a
foreign bed, with its futed shams and
dainty hangings. l might, perhaps, ex-
cept the bureau, with its large mirror.
Until quite recently metallic mirrors only
have been used and it is amusing some
times to watch japanese rustics, when
they see them selves for the first time re-
dected in foreign mirror.
The manufacture of glass Is quite a
new thing in Japan, but both the cOlored
and nOn-colorei are now made in con-
siderable quantities. Even yet, how
ever, glass is but little used for windows.
Ordinary japanese houses still have
| paper windows only.
The decorations of japanese house art
very simple. Uusually at one end of the
sitting-room is raised platform, called
the toko-no- ma, above which is hung a
kake mono, or picture scroll. On the
part of foreigners taste for kake mono
is an acquired one, but in time "curio"
hunters often become possessed of such a
passion for the works of old Japanese
masters that they are willing to pay
almost fabulous prices for pieces of work
! which, viewed from European standpoints
of criticism, would be utterly devoid of
merit.
On the toko-no-ma one usually sees
vases of bronze or porcelain, containing
branches of Towering shrubs, and often
in the homes of people really poor, valu-
/ able art treasures are to be found. Every
family of means has go-down, or fire
proof warehouse on the premises in which
are kept the family heirlooms and other
valuables. Fires are so frequent in the
large cities that the people expect to be
burned out every two or three years.
The houses of the better classes are
surrounded by high hedges, and are
usually quite concealed from the public
road. At the back of the house there is
often pretty garden, in which miniature
mountains, grottoes, bridges and water
falls surround one at every step, and
even the houses of the very poor have
usually few feet of ground, either at the
front or back, devoted to some favoritC
flower.
Japanese farmhouses at distance are
very picturesque. The roofs are of thatch
and are often crowned with row O.
blue-eyed iris. Hedges of graceful BAN
boo surround the premises, while thu
camellia and other Towering shrubs O.
great beauty give variety to the scene.
Japanese women talk much about be
ing isogashii, or busy, but on account O
the simplicity of their habits, their house
keeping is much less burdensome thai
that of American women, and they spenC
large portion of their time in gossip
ing with their neighbors. At the clos
of the year they have what is called tn
osoji, or the great cleaning, when all tn
mats aretaken up, and every part of tn
house is swept and garnished in prepa
ration for the New Years festivities, bu
at other times the homework goes Of
with very little excitement.
One popularity of japanese houses i
the butsu dana, or the shelf on which tn
household gods are kept, for the masse
of the people are idolaters. Tablets t.
the memory of deceased members of tn
family are also kept on this shelf, ant
on anniversary days offerings of rice AM
tea are placed before them as an act 0
worship, it seems to us; but the Japan
csc tell us it is done only as sign O
respect to the memory of the deceased
Along all the government roads, an,
even in some places not much frequente'
by foreigners, good japanese inns are t
be found where nights lodgings wit
breakfast of japanese food may be ha
for about fifty cents.
Any traveller fastidious about pillow
should take his own with him. A Japan
csc pillow is merely block of WOO
about foot long. upon which rests
small roll of cloth, and for us to attemp
to sleep on one would be torture. Th
japanese rest with the neck on the phi
low, not the head, and the object of lyin
in this uncomfortable position is to pre-
vent the hair from being disarranged
The couture of japanese lady is so feal
fully and wonderfully made that she can
not arrange it herself. She is oblige
always to get the assistance of pre-
fessional hair dresser, or of some persona
friend, and on this account she usual
dresses her hair but once a week.
Even. the old palatial residences O
Japan are characterized by the same sim
plicity that marks the humber homes
but their exquisitely fine mats, carve
panels and painted screens are very beau
tiful to tourists eyes, Youths Com