Notice the manner of the working class when they are doing work; they take rest irregularly while working; tea, tobacco, newspapers are things to interrupt the continuity of working hours, and even a little time is stolen by talking over some matter which appeared in the newspaper. This is not only the case with working class, but in some extent may be applied to the officials of some public and private establishments. There may be various causes of this manner of irregularity of working, still I dare to say that the construction of our houses is one of the influences which tends to this abominable habit. At least we are trained to do so in our houses. If we do so in the house, why not so outside of the house? Nearly all wall surfaces of Japanese houses are open for Shōji (sliding sashes lined with white paper having grooves on a sill, sashes sliding on these grooves) or Fusuma, so that the temperature of inside and outside is nearly the same in winter. The perfect ventilation is secured only at the expence of heating. And if this imperfectness of heating be ascribed to the situation of the country which, in most part, lies in the temperate zone, we find quite a contradiction to this in the fact that Japan contains states in the south whose average temperature is just as warm as the Sandwich Island and in the north the states whose temperature is just as cold as Boston, and yet the feature of houses is about the same in both extremities except a little modification in construction. We find such a fact in all countries in the world. Architecture is more affected by the influence of style and materials than climate itself.
Japanese houses are heated by “hibachi” (literally means a fire box: a box generally made of wood, the inside of which is lined with a sheet of metal and in it fine ashes are filled and in the middle of it charcoal fire is placed. It is an exquisite piece of cabinet work. The average size is One foot six inches square and about one foot high though there are great many different sizes and designs) in winter. It is not indeed sufficient to meet the requirement for heating, and is not admissible from the sanitary point of view. As we have nothing for heating purpose but this “hibachi”, the only way to get warm is to expose our face and hands over the fire so that our working hands are practically tied up, for “hibachi” is not intended to warm the room, inasmuch as the box is not designed to do so. Tea, teapot, teacups, and hot water are generally seen around “hibachi” and attract one’s temptation. This is a part of home life and often seen even in old business offices and work shops. In winter we have such a system of heating far more primitive than fireplace which was much admired by J.P. Putnum. How can we hope from such institution a satisfactory result of working? This custom leads us to do work irregularly indoors as well as outdoors. In a word the construction of our houses is responsible for a large share with this evil result.
[Plate 7.] “SHŌJI”
[Plate 8.] “FUSUMA”
The rareness of partition walls is a main feature in our houses. “Shōji” and “Fusuma” are only partitions which divide one room from another. (“[Shōji]” and “[Fusuma]” are illustrated in the plates) A house itself is one vast room if “Shōji” and “Fusuma” be removed, and from a master’s room a kitchen and servants’ room are visible, for there is no distinct partition between them. Because “Shōji” and “Fusuma” are not sufficient partition to separate one room from another, simply we are careful not to intrude one another’s rooms. In respectable families etiquette is strictly observed, and by this imaginary partition alone one room is divided from another. As we cannot expect such an imaginary partition in ordinary families, an inevitable rude practice of intruding on other’s room is unavoidable. Although in our houses a long narrow veranda serves the requirements of a hall or a passage in European houses, still the lack of hall system might be a main cause of the careless practices referred to. Even though one dares not pass through the “Fusuma”, for instance in a hotel, the voices can be heard and dust can penetrate through the open joint of “Fusuma” into the next room. This makes evident that the fact that our houses are so arranged that the privacy of rooms is totally neglected. On the whole, abolish “hibachi” so as to avoid an irregularity of working; put up partition in order to secure privacy. Then one of the material aids of promoting the spirit of selfrespect may be established.
It is generally conceived that Japanese do not lay much stress on individual rights. This is well understood from the utter lack of privacy of rooms. We can notice it specially in hotels under pure native plan. Privacy of a room as I said is not well observed by the average Japanese, notwithstanding much attention has been paid to that in the form of etiquette by the higher class of people, though the planning and construction of Japanese houses make it inconvenient to enforce it. “Privacy”, said the authors of “The Decoration of Houses”, “would seem to be one of the first requisites of civilized life, yet it is only necessary to observe the planning and arrangement of the average house to see how little this need is recognized. Each room in a house has its individual uses: some are made to sleep in, others are for dressing, eating, study, or conversation; but whatever the uses of a room, they are seriously interfered with if it be not preserved as a small world by itself”. The authors do not recognize that privacy has been well observed even in European houses. How far this was observed in our houses needs to be considered.