Future Development of Japanese Dwelling Houses

by Shigetsura Shiga

From the early part of the fifteenth century, the latter part of middle ages in Europe, the whole empire had fallen into a scene of chaos; innumerable old edifices, public documents, private writings, in a word, the whole art and literature were destroyed under the merciless fire of war. Amid this confusion, we can trace the gradual outgrowth of another type of art; the Shinden type gave place to Shoin type or “Shoin-tsukuri”. Shoin in modern idea means a room for study; but on certain occasions it was used as a reception room. The Shoin type proves that the mere copying of Chinese palace like “Shinden” no longer satisfactorily fulfilled the requirement of the day. The “Shoin-tsukuri” is indeed a prototype of our modern house. Our “Zashiki” (parlor) was surely modeled after it, for it has “Tokonoma”, “Tsuke-shoin” (a recess for books) and “Tana”, (“Chigai-tana” in the modern house) all of which are main feature of our parlor. Shinden being surrounded by corridor, a vast main middle room is shut out from light, on the contrary the Shoin has light in abundance. It may not be amiss to add a few lines here in regard to “Tokonoma”. What the “Tokonoma” is in Japanese parlor the fireplace is in American parlor. The use of “Chigai-tana” in the former house is like an alcove and shelf put together in the latter house. The fireplace or mantel-piece in American house affords dignity and cheerfulness to the room besides the proper use beautifying and warming the room. “Tokonoma” and “Chigai-tana” in our houses may give thoroughness of the room by breaking up the feeling of vastness and bareness of the whole appearance, and the nature of decorative treatment may impart the sense of reverence and dignity but no feeling of cheerfulness is imparted. It is altogether too formal, too traditional, and too conservative, and is more formal than is the American fireplace.

Plate 13.

Plate 14.

Without “Tokonoma” and “Chigai-tana” and a few hanging frames of paintings or ideograms a Japanese parlor is one empty box surrounded by “Shoji” and “Fusuma”; no furniture, no carving, no moulding to give grace to the form, no ceiling cornice, no chandelier, these places are being filled by using wood in the horizontal and vertical pieces specially rare species as a post at “Tokonoma”, in all showing beautiful natural grain without varnishing or painting. It only displays the skill and manipulation of handling tools in joints and in dressing the face of the pieces. In the interior the wall surfaces are plastered with natural sand[B] glittering with minute particles of mica and felspar. It gives a very good effect. If comfort is one of the main objects, as I said, in the designing of a house, Japanese parlor affords no comfort whatever either to the host or to the guest mentally or physically. Too much conventional rule of procedure in the design of the Japanese parlor unnecessitated the hands of architects and as a consequence no scientific idea was evolved in the design. Here I should not hesitate to state that the comfort was not an object to be observed in the Japanese parlor, nay, not in the Japanese house. Comfort was not much cared for; how can the science develop in such a country?

[B] Sand is found everywhere along the sea coast of Japan in various colors according to places, some times it is colored.

We had been taught from our boyhood not to complain of cold or heat, not to strive after attaining physical comfort, not to show any meanness or sillyness in the traits of daily life, somewhat like an old Spartan mode of training children connected with an oriental religious feeling: the idea is quite oriental or rather Japanese. This unwritten code of Samurai had strictly been observed in former times and educated conservative families are still adhering to it; and I should say that this idea put our country much behind our brother nations on earth in the advancement of science. The modern architects of Japan are often compelled to struggle with this conception which is quite military and not scientific. Simple, natural, tasteful, and clean are words which will express the pervading feature of the Japanese parlor. Should we follow or maintain this unscientific and consequently uncomfortable method of treating our parlor in the future dwelling house?

The Japanese dark ages, the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, left us a memento the architecture of “Chashitsu”, (tea-house architecture) the oddest and most unique architecture the world has ever known. Without an adequate knowledge of the treatment of this architecture no one can reach a true kernel of Japanese domestic architecture. “Chashitsu” is a little house in which a Cha-no-yu (tea sipping ceremony) is to be held. The practice of Cha-no-yu was much encouraged by the Ashikaga and Toyotomi families, the supreme lords or Shōgun of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This partly as a policy, as I understand, to subdue the rough, rigorous, warlike spirits of Daimio and Samurai at the time of a confused order of society. Let me quote from Professor Nitobē’s “Bushido, the Soul of Japan” a very interesting article concerning Cha-no-yu.

“As an example of how the simplest thing can be made into an art and then become spiritual culture, I may take Cha-no-yu, the tea ceremony. Tea-sipping as a fine art! Why should it not be? In the children drawing pictures on the sand, or in the savage carving on a rock, was the promise of a Raphael or a Michael Angelo. How much more is the drinking of a beverage, which began with the transcendental contemplation of a Hindoo anchorite, entitled to develop into a handmaid of Religion and Morality? That calmness of mind, that serenity of temper, that composure and quietness of demeanor which are the first essential of Cha-no-yu, are without doubt the first conditions of right thinking and right feeling. The scrupulous cleanliness of the little room, shut off from sight and sound of the madding crowd, is in itself conducive to direct one’s thoughts from the world. The bare interior does not engross one’s attention like the innumerable pictures and bric-a-brac of a Western parlor; the presence of Kakemono calls our attention more to grace of design than to beauty of color. The utmost refinement of taste is the object aimed at; whereas anything like display is banished with religious horror. The very fact that it was invented by a contemplative recluse, in a time when wars and rumors of wars were incessant, is well calculated to show that this institution was more than a pastime. Before entering the quiet precincts of the tea-room, the company assembling to partake of the ceremony laid aside, together with their swords, the ferocity of battle-field or the cares of government, there to find peace and friendship.