Minka
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b2/Shirakawago_Japanese_Old_Village_001.jpg/220px-Shirakawago_Japanese_Old_Village_001.jpg)
Minka (Japanese:
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/Okugame_minka.jpg/220px-Okugame_minka.jpg)
Minka are characterized by their basic structure, their roof structure, and their roof shape. Minka developed through history with distinctive styles emerging in the Edo period.
Types
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![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4d/Gassho-zukuri_farmhouse-02.jpg/220px-Gassho-zukuri_farmhouse-02.jpg)
Minka come in a wide range of styles and sizes, largely as a result of differing geographic and climatic conditions as well as the lifestyle of the inhabitants. They generally fall into one of four classifications: farmhouses nōka (
Unlike other forms of Japanese architecture (such as those of the sukiya (
Despite the wide variety of minka, there are eight basic forms:
- The 'inverted U' consists of two vertical posts fixed at the top with a horizontal beam; these units can then be joined with side girders. The beam can be fixed to the top of the post either by resting upon it or via a mortise and tenon joint. This latter method is often found in minka on the island of Shikoku.[3]
- The 'ladder' has post and beam units connected with larger beams including beams that are closer to the foundation level. This form of structure originated in townhouses of the Edo period. The system allows the irregular placement of posts and, therefore, allows flexibility in the plan.[3]
- With the 'umbrella' style, four beams radiate out from a central post. These posts sit at the centre of the square rather than the corners. Minka of this type are often found in Shiga Prefecture.[5]
- The 'cross' has two beams at right angles to one another with the posts in the centre of the sides. It is often used for very small minka that have no other posts erected in the space or for large minka in the earth-floored area. The style is most often found in Shiga and Fukui prefectures.
- 'Parallel crosses' are found in Shizuoka Prefecture and cover an area 5 metres by 10 metres. This system doubles up the 'cross' structure with two crosses and eight posts.
- The 'box' structure connects four or more post and beam units to create a box-like structure. It was devised in the Edo period and can be found in Toyama and Ishikawa prefectures.[6]
- The 'interconnected box' can be found in Kyoto and Osaka.
- 'Rising beams' is a form that enables better use of the second storey. It uses beams that rise from the posts to a secondary ridge that is below the one formed by the rafters.[7]
- Thatched roof farmhouses based upon the 'rising beam' structure can be further classified into four major types. The yojiro-gumi and the wagoya (
和 小屋 ) are rare. The latter of these, the wagoya, is popular for machiya houses. Far more common are the sasu (扠首) (also known as gasshou (合掌 )) and the odachi types.[8][9]
- Thatched roof farmhouses based upon the 'rising beam' structure can be further classified into four major types. The yojiro-gumi and the wagoya (
The odachi style has rafters, crossbeams and short vertical posts to support the ridge. Historically, these posts would have extended to the ground resulting in a row of posts extending down the centre of the house and dividing it. Although these could be accommodated in the layout of the main house, they were impractical in the earth-floored entrance area—so they were omitted and a special beam structure used instead.[10] This style was in wide use until the Edo period when a shift was made to the sasu style (although both types had been used since historic times).[11]
The sasu style is a simpler triangular shape with a pair of rafters joined at the top to support the ridge pole. The ends of these rafters were sharpened to fit into mortice holes at either end of crossbeam.[9] As this system does not rely on central posts it leaves a more unobstructed plan than the odachi style.[10]
Design of the floor plan
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There were two main methods for setting out the floor plan of the minka. The kyoma (
The kyoma method works well for minka without central columns as the mats and the sliding partitions (fusuma (
The inakama method is based upon the distance between centre of one post and centre of the post adjacent to it and it was mainly used on the eastern side of Japan.[13]
Overall construction
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d3/Udatsu_closeup.jpg/220px-Udatsu_closeup.jpg)
The size, construction and decoration of a minka was dependent upon its location, climate, and social status of its owner.[14]
Minka were influenced by local building techniques and were built with materials that were abundant in the immediate locality. For example, minka in Shizuoka used abundant bamboo for roofs, eaves, doors and floors. When miscanthus reeds were difficult to obtain for thatched roofs, shingles were used instead; in volcanic areas rushes or boards were used instead of clay for the walls.[15]
Climate had a bearing on construction: In Kyoto in the late Heian and Muromachi periods, roofs were clad in thin wooden shingles so owners would put stones on top to prevent the shingles from flying away in the wind.[16]
The social status of the minka owner was indicated by the size and complexity of the building. For thatched roof minka the number of crossed wooden members (umanori (
During the evolution of minka, the machiya townhouses gradually changed its construction away from perishable and flammable materials to those of a more durable nature. Thatched roofs were replaced with tiles and exposed timbers were covered up with layers of clay plastering.[19]
Minka owned by people of a higher social status began to incorporate elements of the shoin style, particularly in living rooms. The types of elements incorporated were limited by sumptuary laws to preserve strict class distinctions.[1]
Roofing
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/Gokayama_Japanese_Old_Village_002.jpg/220px-Gokayama_Japanese_Old_Village_002.jpg)
There are four types of roof shape that can be differentiated for minka. Most machiya have gabled kirizuma (
The primary purpose of shaping minka roofs was to accommodate the extensive precipitation experienced in many parts of Japan. A steeply peaked roof allows rain and snow to fall straight off, preventing water from getting through the roof into the home and, to a lesser extent, preventing the thatch from getting too wet and beginning to rot.[20][21]
At the peak and other places where roof sections came together decorations were added. Thatched roofs would have trimmed or transverse layers of straw, bamboo poles or planks of wood.[20] Tiled roofs have a variety of decorative plates to the ends of the ridge, for example, shachi (
Farmhouse interior
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Japanese_Traditional_Hearth_L4817.jpg/220px-Japanese_Traditional_Hearth_L4817.jpg)
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Kabuto_Kazari_-01.jpg/220px-Kabuto_Kazari_-01.jpg)
The deep eaves of the farmhouse roof helped to protect the interior from driving rain. They stop the sun from entering the interior during the summer, and they allow the low rays of sun to warm the house during the winter. Often there is a timber-floored veranda (engawa (
The interior of a minka was generally divided into two sections: a floor of compacted earth, called a doma (
The raised floor often included a built-in hearth, called an irori (
Though there were many possible arrangements of the rooms in a home, one of the most common, called yomadori (
The social status of the owner of house governed the conventions of their social relationships in the house. For example, the lowliest ranked people would sit on the earth floor whilst those above them would sit on the hiroshiki and those above them on the tatami floored inner rooms. Honoured guests would sit next with their back to the tokonoma (
Typical Edo period farmhouses
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A number of styles of farmhouses came to maturity during the Edo period; some typical examples follow.
Gasshou
[edit]The gasshō-zukuri (
Honmune
[edit]Honmune-zukuri (
Preservation
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Ogimachi_Village-02.jpg/220px-Ogimachi_Village-02.jpg)
Minka are generally treated as historic landmarks, and many have been designated for preservation by municipalities or the national government. The tremendous regional variation of minka has also been preserved in open-air museums such as Nihon Minka-en in Kawasaki, where examples from around Japan are on display.[35] Minka have also been used as hotels and restaurants to be preserved.
Of particular note is the gasshō-zukuri (
In 1997, the Japan Minka Reuse and Recycle Association (JMRA) was established to promote the benefits and conservation of minka. One minka that belonged to the Yonezu family was acquired by the JMRA and donated to Kew Gardens as part of the Japan 2001 Festival. The wooden structure was dismantled, shipped and re-assembled in Kew with new walls and a thatched roof.[37]
See also
[edit]- Historic Villages of Shirakawa-gō and Gokayama
- Nihon Minka-en
- A-frame house
- Machiya, traditional Japanese townhouses
- Kura (storehouse)
Footnotes
[edit]- ^ a b c Nishi & Hozumi (1996), p82
- ^ "minka". JAANUS. Retrieved 2013-11-09.
- ^ a b c Itoh (1979), p44
- ^ Itoh (1979), p43
- ^ Itoh (1979), p45
- ^ Itoh (1979), p46
- ^ Itoh (1979), p47
- ^ Itoh (1979), p81
- ^ a b "sasu". JAANUS. Retrieved 2013-11-09.
- ^ a b Itoh (1979), p110
- ^ Itoh (1979), p84
- ^ a b Engel (1980), p78-81
- ^ a b Itoh (1979), p112
- ^ Itoh (1979), p70-72
- ^ Itoh (1979), p118
- ^ Itoh (1979), p124
- ^ Itoh (1979), p120
- ^ Itoh (1979), p122
- ^ "machiya". JAANUS. Retrieved 2013-11-09.
- ^ a b c Fahr-Becker (2001), p196
- ^ "kayabuki". JAANUS. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
- ^ "shachi". JAANUS. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
- ^ "gatou". JAANUS. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
- ^ Itoh (1979), p66-68
- ^ a b "minka". JAANUS. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
- ^ "hiroshiki". JAANUS. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
- ^ Fahr-Becker (2001), p191
- ^ Fahr-Becker (2001), p193
- ^ Itoh (1979), p27
- ^ Itoh (1979), p72
- ^ "yokoza". JAANUS. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
- ^ a b Itoh (1979), p150
- ^ Fahr-Becker (2001), p194
- ^ "suzumeodori". JAANUS. Retrieved 2013-11-10.
- ^ "Nihon Minkaen". Japan Open-Air Folk House Museum. Archived from the original on 2013-11-10. Retrieved 2013-11-09.
- ^ "Historic Villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama". Unesco. Retrieved 2013-11-09.
- ^ "Japanese Minka". Kew Royal Botanic Gardens. Retrieved 2013-11-09.
References
[edit]- Fahr-Becker, Gabriele (2001) [2000]. Ryokan: A Japanese Tradition. Cologne: Könemann Verlagsgesellschaft mbH. ISBN 3-8290-4829-7.
- Engel, Heinrich (1980) [1964]. The Japanese House: A Tradition for Contemporary Architecture. Rutland/Tokyo: Charles E Tuttle. ISBN 0-8048-0304-8.
- Itoh, Teiji (1979) [1972]. Traditional Domestic Architecture of Japan. New York/Tokyo: Weatherhill/Heibonsha. ISBN 0-8348-1004-2.
- Japan Live. (2020). Komika. 2nd ed.
- Nishi, Kazuo; Kazuo Hozumi (1996). What is Japanese Architecture: A Survey of Traditional Japanese Architecture. Tokyo: Kondansha International. ISBN 978-4-7700-1992-9.
Further reading
[edit]- Suzuki Mitsuru (1985). "Minka." Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan. Tokyo: Kodansha Ltd.
- Taro Sakamoto, et al. (1964). Fuzoku jiten (A Dictionary of Popular Culture). Tokyo: KK Tokyodō
External links
[edit]- The Herbert Offen Research Collection of the Phillips Library at the Peabody Essex Museum
- Definition of Minka at JAANUS