Last week’s post looked at one structural response to the high snow loads of the Hokuriku region of northern Japan: the waku no uchi zukuri method of beam framing. There are also gable-entry, front doma (mae-doma-gata 前土間型), hiroma-gata (ひろま型, ‘living room type’) plan form dwellings whose post layout differs from that of the typical waku no uchi zukuri, and it follows that their beam framing system also differs. In these minka, four main posts are located at the internal boundaries of the iri-gawa 入側 on each side of the dwelling, and form a square or rectangle. The iri-gawa is the corridor-like space at the building perimeter between the inner zashiki and the external verandah (nure-en 濡れ縁), typically of 1 ken width and often with a raked ceiling under a lean-to roof.

A very refined example of an *iri-gawa* 入側 in a relatively modern traditional building.

A fifth ‘centrepiece’ post, the naka-bashira, is placed more or less in the centre of the dwelling. These posts together are referred to as go-yaku 五役, lit. ‘five roles’).

Diagrammatic example of a five post (*go-yaku* 五役) gable-entry, front *doma* (*mae-doma-gata* 前土間型) *minka.*

Of the two posts at the boundary between the raised floor rooms and the earth-floored doma (here called niwa にわ), the post on the uwa-te (上手) side (the right side when looking from the niwa towards the raised floor rooms) near the entrance (kado-guchi) is nominated as the daikoku-bashira (大黒柱); that on the shimo-te (下手) side (the left side) near the sink and oven/stove is variously called the ebisu-bashira (えびす柱 or 恵比須柱, Ebisu is a Japanese deity), nagashi-bashira (流し柱, lit. ‘sink post’) or in some areas toudai-bashira (灯台柱, lit. ‘lamp post’), because the location of this post at the heart of the danran (団らん, the ‘family circle’) meant that a shelf was often attached to it for a lamp to sit on to illuminate the space.　

As for the beam framing, the terminology is somewhat confusingly and contradictorily presented in my sources. The main longitudinal beam (ushi-bari 丑梁, lit. ‘ox beam’), here known as the komokake-bari (菰掛梁, lit. ‘mat hanging beam’), spans from the naka-bashira (中柱) post across the front raised floor rooms and the niwa to a post in the facade wall known as the ushi-bashira (丑柱, lit. ‘ox post’) or komokake-bashira (菰掛柱, lit. ‘mat hanging post’); this beam is crossed at right angles by a beam called the norikoshi-hari (乗越梁, lit. ‘ride over beam’) or komo-tsuri (菰吊り, lit. ‘mat hanger’) which spans between the daikoku and ebisu posts. On the interior sides of the iri-gawa, spanning from the daikoku-bashira and ebisu-bashira posts back to the two other main posts (unnamed) in line with the naka-bashira, and parallel with the ushi-bari, are two longitudinal beams called the keta-uke-bari (桁受梁). This is a basic layout but as always there are many variations.

In these minka, the round ‘log’ beams such as the ushi-bari are referred to as marumon (まるもん, lit. ‘round thing’), and the lintel beams (sashi-gamoi 差鴨居) are called hiramon (ひらもん, lit. ‘flat thing’). On the beams are set roof posts (tsuka-bashira 束柱) supporting the ‘upper roof’ beams (jо̄ya-bari 上屋梁) which in turn support the tsushi-yuka (つし床) floor. This type of two-tiered beam framing is known as maya-date (真家建て, lit. ‘true house construction’). The principal rafters (sasu 扠首) terminate at the upper roof beams above the keta-uke-bari, i.e. on the internal sides of the iri-gawa; only the common rafters (taruki 垂木 or 棰) extend out to the longitudinal external walls and the lower roof (geya 下屋) structure. These rafters are called kudari-take くだり竹, lit. ‘descending bamboo’; as they are visible from within the interior, they may be covered with a reed screen (yoshi-zu 葦簀) lining.