The plan below, of the Kurishita family (Kurishita-ke 栗下家) house in the Chūbu Sangaku Southern Alps (中部山岳南アルプス (Chūbu Sangaku Minami-Arupusu) region, Shizuoka Prefecture (静岡県 Shizuoka-ken), is a prototypical example of the ‘wrapped-hiroma type’ (tori-maki hiroma-gata 取巻き広間型) layout discussed in the last two posts. As a mountain village minka, it has a small earth-floored utility area (doma どま), probably because of constraints on the amount of land available, both to build on and to farm (the size of the doma being commensurate with the amount of land under cultivation).
Plan of the Kurishita house in Shizuoka Prefecture. An example of a wrapped-hiroma type (tori-maki hiroma gata 取巻き広間型) layout, where a formal kagi-zashiki (here kami-zashiki かみざしき, lit ‘upper zashiki’) and zashiki (ざしき) have been added to the front-zashiki type (mae-zashiki kata 前座敷型) three-room layout (san-madori 三間取り) core, consisting of the main habitable room (the ima いま), bedroom (nando なんど), and storeroom (kura くら). Notable is the unusual ‘wraparound’ or ‘returning’ earth-floored utility area (doma) with storage room (miso みそ). The doma contains the bath (nyūyoku 入浴) and is for cooking (suiji 炊事) and farm work (nо̄-sagyо̄ 濃作業); the ima contains a cupboard (todana 戸棚) and a firepit (irori, marked ro 炉), and is for dining (shokuji 食事), family time (danran 団らん), cooking (chо̄ri 調理), entertaining (о̄tai 応対), and handwork (te-shigoto 手仕事); the zashiki also contains a firepit and is for (religious) ceremonies (gyо̄ji 行事), receiving guests (sekkyaku 接客), and sleeping (shūshin 就寝); the kami-zashiki is for religious activities (shinkо̄ 信仰), ceremonies, receiving guests, and sleeping; the nando is for sleeping and storage (shūnо̄ 収納); the kura is for grain storage (kokurui 穀類); and the miso is for food storage (shokuryо̄ chozо̄ 食糧貯蔵).
Exterior (rear) view of the Kurishita house in Shizuoka Prefecture, in the mountains of the Southern Alps (Minami Arupusu 南アルプス). The kitchen/bath lean-to is on the right, against the gable wall. The low, shallow-pitched and seemingly bark-thatched roof gives the dwelling an ancient appearance.
The next plan, the Noguchi family (Noguchi-ke 野口家) residence in the Shо̄kawa (荘川) region of Gifu Prefecture (岐阜県 Gifu-ken), is another basic example of a complete wrapped-hiroma layout. The central hiroma, here called the orima (おりま), is itself centred around the firepit (irori); to the rear of the hiroma are two small bedrooms, called chо̄da (ちょうだ), and to its ‘upper’ (kami-te 上み手) side there is a kagi-zashiki (かぎざしき), called here the oku-no-de (おくので), for receiving guests. ‘Down’ (shimo-te 下も手) from the hiroma are arrayed the rear-located ‘dining-kitchen’ (daidoko だいどこ), stable (maya まや), ‘small stable’ (ko-maya こまや), and, in the perimeter geya (下屋) or ‘under eave’ space, the entry shita-en (したえん or 下縁), lit. ‘low en’). There are (or were) still a handful of earth-floor living (doza-sumai 土座住まい) thatch-roofed (kure-buki 榑葺き) board-walled dwellings (ita-ya 板屋) on the outskirts of Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture, with similar layouts.
Plan of the Noguchi house in Gifu Prefecture. A wrapped-hiroma type (tori-maki hiroma gata 取巻き広間型) layout, with a central gathering room (hiroma, here called orima おりま) around which each of the other rooms are wrapped. The earth-floored utility area consists of the shita-en (したえん) with entry (iri-guchi 入口) and area for snow removal (yuki-harai 雪払い), the stable (maya まや) for raising livestock (kachiku shi-iku 家畜飼育) and composting (taihizо̄sei 堆肥造成), and the ‘small stable’ (ko-maya こまや) for feed preparation (shiryо̄ chо̄sei 飼料調整). The rooms are the orima (おりま) with firepit (irori, marked ro 炉) and cupboard (todana とだな), for family time (danran 団らん), courting (kо̄sai 交際), ceremonies (gyо̄ji 行事), and handwork (te-shigoto 手仕事); the kitchen-dining room (daidoko だいどこ) with firepit and cupboard (todana 戸棚), for dining (shokuji 食事), family time, and meal preparation (tabemono chо̄sei 食物調整); the bedrooms (chо̄da ちょうだ) for sleeping (shūshin 就寝) and storage (shūnо̄ 収納); the rear zashiki or formal room (okunode おくので) with very large Buddhist alcove (butsuma 仏間, marked manji 卍), for ceremonies and receiving guests (sekkyaku 接客); the front zashiki (de で) with low heated table (kotatsu コタツ), for ceremonies, receiving guests, and sleeping; and another bedroom (heya へや), seemingly a later addition. There is also a board-floored lean-to area for cooking (suiji 炊事) with bath (nyūyoku 入浴), sink (nagashi ながし), and pantry for food storage (shokuryо̄ chozо̄ 食糧貯蔵). The verandah (en 縁) is used to receive visitors.
Exterior view of the in Noguchi house in Gifu Prefecture. The ‘cookhouse’ and surrounds (suiji-ba mawari 炊事場回り) with its lean-to roof (sa-kake yane 差掛け屋根) is a later addition.