Last week’s post introduced the ‘middle-zashiki lineage’ hiroma-type layout (naka-zashiki-kei hiroma-gata 中座敷系広間型), and mentioned that it is considered to be one of the precursors of the wrapped-hiroma type (tori-maki hiroma-gata 取巻き広間型) layout. The Shiina family (Shina-ke 椎名家) house in Ibaraki Prefecture, designated an important cultural property, is a surviving example of this transformation. When the house was dismantled for repair, an ink inscription reading 「延宝二年十二月三日」 (Enpou ni-nen juu-ni-gatsu mikka, the third day of the twelfth month of the second year of Enpou era, i.e. 1674) was discovered on the tenon of one of its lintel beams (sashi-gamoi 差鴨居), making it the oldest extant minka in eastern Japan of all those whose date of construction is inscribed somewhere on the building.

Its current layout is a wrapped hiroma type, as shown in the plan below, but a reconstructed layout, based on historical documents and on a survey of the traces left on its timber joints (shiguchi 仕口) undertaken at the time of the house’s repair, revealed that it was once a middle-zashiki lineage hiroma-type layout. This reconstructed plan is also shown below.

The Shiina house in its present state as a wrapped-*hiroma* layout. Labelled are the earth-floored utility area (*daidoko* だいどこ), with ‘big door’ (*о̄do* 大戸) and stoves, for cooking (*chо̄ri* 調理), food preparation (*shokuryо̄ chо̄sei* 食糧調整), farm work (*nо̄-sagyо̄* 濃作業), and storage (*shūnо̄* 収納), processing (*shori* 処理), and drying (*kansо̄* 乾燥) of tobacco leaves (*tabako-ha* 煙草葉); the ‘dining room’ (*katte* かって), with cupboard (*todana* 戸棚), for dining (*shokuji* 食事); the walk-in storage (*shūnо̄* 収納) closet (*mae-no-heya* まえのへや); the *hiroma*, here *cha-no-ma* (ちゃのま), with Buddhist alcove (*butsuma* 仏間, marked 卍), shelves (*tana* たな), and firepit (the crossed square), for family time (*danran* 団らん), courting (*kо̄sai* 交際), handwork (*te-shigoto* 手仕事) and religious activities (*shinkо̄* 信仰); the *koma* (こま, lit. ‘small room’) for entertaining (*о̄tai* 応対) and weaving on a loom (*shokki* or *oriki* 機織); the formal vestibule or ante-room (typically *genkan* 玄関, here *genka* げんか) with a broad, formal ‘step platform’ (*shikidai* 式台), for receiving guests (*sekkyaku* 接客), entertaining, and entry of important guests (*shо̄kyaku* 正客); the *zashiki* (ざしき), for ceremonies (*gyо̄ji* 行事), receiving guests, and sleeping (*shūshin* 就寝); and the bedroom (*heya* へや), for sleeping and storage.

A reconstruced plan of the Shiina house in its earlier state as a ‘middle-*zashiki* lineage’ *hiroma*-type layout. Labelled are: the earth-floored utility area (*daidoko* だいどこ) with ‘big door’ (*о̄do* 大戸) and stove, the board-floored (*ita-yuka* 板床) *hiroma* (ひろま) or *chanoma* (ちゃのま), with Buddhist alcove (*butsuma* 仏間, marked 卍); the *yogoza* (よござ), presumably the ‘dining-kitchen area’, with firepit, jutting out into the *daidokoro*; the large bedroom (*nema* ねま); the *zashiki* (ざしき) with decorative alcove (*toko* とこ), and the vestibule (*genkan* げんかん) or ‘small room’ (*koma* こま).

By comparing the present layout with the earlier, we can see that the daidoko (だいどこ) has been expanded by half a ken (0.91m) to the left, the nema (ねま) has been partitioned into the heya (へや) and the mae-no-heya (まえのへや), the yogoza (よござ) has been partitioned off from the hiroma (ひろま) to become the katte (かって), the hiroma has been divided into the cha-no-ma (ちゃのま) and the koma (こま), the zashiki (ざしき) has remained largely unchanged, and the genkan (げんかん) has been extended forward with the addition of a tiled ‘lean-to’ roof and formal shikidai (式台) step platform. While the present structure is not significantly larger than the earlier, taken together the changes suggest an increase in the status and affluence of the family over time, perhaps due to tobacco farming.