Minka are vernacular houses constructed in any one of several traditional japanese building styles.
Traditional japanese house roof.
The roof is the most visually impressive component often constituting half the size of the whole edifice.
The wooden floor of a traditional japanese house is covered with rectangular tatami mats which are made from straw but with a top layer of woven grass.
Other traditional roofing materials include timber shingles called kokera buki and hiwada buki shingles made from cypress bark.
Tatami date back to the heian period 794 1185 ce and both the thickness and the pattern of the weaving of tatami mats was an indicator of status in medieval japan.
They consist of a stone lined square pit built into the center of a floor.
In the context of the four divisions of society minka were the dwellings of farmers artisans and merchants.
2 the slightly curved eaves extend far beyond the walls covering verandas and their weight must therefore be supported by complex bracket systems called tokyō in the case of temples and shrines.
A decorative adjustable hook called a jizaikagi hangs from the ceiling above the pit can be used to suspend a pot over the fire.
The roof tiles commonly seen nowadays on traditional style homes in japan became common during the latter part of the eighteenth century.
The roof is the dominant feature of traditional japanese architecture.
Minka are characterized by their basic structure their roof structure and their roof shape.
Minka developed through history w.
This connotation no longer exists in the modern japanese language and any traditional japanese style residence of appropriate age could be referred to as minka.
One characteristic of japanese houses is that they have a large roof and deep eaves to protect the house from the hot summer sun and the frame of the house supports the weight of the roof.
An irori is a traditional japanese sunken hearth that is used both to cook food and heat a room.
In the old days the walls of houses were made of woven bamboo plastered with earth on both sides.
Taruki 垂木 rafters.
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