*日本家屋(屏風、畳、神棚、床の間、土蔵、掛け軸、縁側、衣桁、茶室、障子、書院造り、)
Byobu, Folding Screen
Originally, this was a type of furniture used for guarding against wind or dividing a room. Later, it evolved into a board for paintings and writings, like a canvas, and reached the level of excellent artworks. It adds a touch of Japanese aesthetics to rooms.
Tatami Mat
Tatami mats are traditional floor materials. They are made of igusa. Covering the entire floor of a room with tatami mats began around the 15th century, and since then, Japanese people have used them in their rooms. When we talk about the size of a room, we use the number of tatami mats. This room is hachi-jō, or yojō-han. Jō means tatami. When you use a tatami-floored room, it is customary not to step on the borders of different colors. (This is, they say, because the cloth used for the borders is easily torn.)
Kami-dana, House Shinto Shrine
A miniature wooden altar with holy tools such as a religious writing card, a small mirror, a small sake bottle, and sakaki branches in vases is placed on a shelf set below the ceiling. A person praying is supposed to change the water and pray in a Shinto manner every day.
Tokonoma, Alcove in a Japanese Room
It is a recessed space for ornaments like a hanging scroll of writing or painting (kakejiku), a flower arrangement, a vase, or a doll. It is an important element of the aesthetic of a Japanese room.
Dozou
This is a storage house built of white mortar for a wealthy family. It is a symbol of a wealthy family. It is fireproof enough to prevent valuable items inside from being burned and lost.
Kakejiku, Artistic Scroll
A painting or writing is placed on a long piece of cloth for decoration and hung inside a tokonoma, an alcove. This is a traditional Japanese way of displaying artworks on the wall for appreciation. As art, some made by famous artists are very expensive.
Engawa, Narrow Wooden Passageway
It is located on the edge of the house facing a garden, connecting rooms. It is often used to view the garden scenery or to warm up on a cold winter day, like a sunroom.
Ikou, Rack
It is a rack for hanging kimono. It is ideal for displaying the beautiful patterns and designs of a kimono.
Tea Room
A special room for tea ceremonies, often standing alone in a garden. The interiors are very simple, based on the spirit of the tea ceremony, emphasizing simplicity. It is four and a half tatami mats in size, square-shaped, with several tools for making tea. The tea ceremony has become a discipline to learn proper behavior.
Shoji, Paper Sliding Door
They are used in traditional Japanese rooms. They consist of a wooden frame with washi (Japanese paper) glued on. Washi is translucent, so shoji doors give off an exquisite light inside the room. Fusuma is another type of sliding door, but it is thicker and not translucent. Usually, fusuma are decorated with paintings. They are placed between the passageway and the room.
Shoin Zukuri
This refers to a Japanese architectural style. It is a basic style of traditional Japanese architecture, featuring tatami, shoji, tokonoma, and fusuma. This style developed during the age of the samurai.