Continuing with our discussion of four-room minka layouts, in this post we will take a look at how four-room layouts evolved over time by comparing some older and newer examples.

The plan below, of the Yamamoto house (Yamamoto-ke 山本家) in Osaka Prefecture, is an example of an old-fashioned four-room layout, with a relatively ‘closed’ character. The bedroom (nando なんど) in particular is completely isolated from the rest of the interior, and there is a step-in type closet in the entry doma. At the time of survey, there was a decorative alcove (tokonoma 床の間 or toko 床) in the gable wall of the zashiki, a style known as tsuma-doko (妻床, lit. ‘gable toko’), but originally the Buddhist alcove (butsuma 仏間) and the shelves (todana 戸棚) at the boundary with the nando would have been the only decorative elements of the zashiki, in the absence of a tokonoma; this style is called hira-toko (平床, lit. ‘flat toko’).

The Yamamoto house. Labelled are: the earth-floored utility area, consisting of the *niwa* (にわ), with entry *doma* (*iriguchi doma* 入口土間) and menses (*seiri* 生理) closet, and for agricultural work (*nо̄-sagyо̄* 濃作業) and feed preparation (*shiryо̄ chо̄sei* 飼料調整); the stable (*umaya う*まや) for raising livestock (*kachiku shi-iku* 家畜飼育) and composting (*taihizо̄sei* 堆肥造成); the ‘stove *doma*' (*kamaya* かまや), with stove (*kudo* くど), sink (*hashiri* はしり), ‘lever thresher' (*kara-usu* カラウス) and smoke bulkhead (*kemuri-kaeshi* 煙返し), for food storage (*shokuryо̄ chozо̄* 食糧貯蔵), meal preparation (*tabemono chо̄sei* 食物調整), and food preparation (*shokuryо̄ chо̄sei* 食糧調整); a board ‘landing' (*toko* とこ) for lunch (*chūshoku* 昼食) and handwork (*te-shigoto* 手仕事); the kitchen-dining room (*daidoko* だいどこ) for dining (*shokuji* 食事), family time (*danran* 団らん), and evening or night work (*yonabe-shigoto* よなべ仕事) with shelves (*todana* 戸棚) and bedroom entry (*nando-gamae* なんど構え); the bedroom (*nando* なんど) for sleeping (*shūshin* 就寝) and storage of family possessions (*kazai shūnо̄* 家財収納; the *zashiki* (ざしき), for ceremonies (*gyо̄ji* 行事), receiving guests (*sekkyaku* 接客), and sleeping (*shūshin* 就寝), with Buddhist alcove (*butsuma*, marked *manji* 卍) and shelves; and the ‘second room' (*tsugi-no-ma* 次の間), here *kuchi-no-ma* (くちのま), for entertaining (*о̄tai* 応対), courting (*kо̄sai* 交際), and as a ‘breakout room' for the ceremonies of the *oku-no-ma.* The ‘verandah' (en えん) is also used for handwork and entertaining. There is an outside urinal (*shо̄ben* 小便, marked 小) next to the entrance. The position of the current (*genjо̄* 現状), non-original gable-wall decorative alcove (*tsuma-toko* 妻床) is indicated with dashed lines.

Interior view of the *zashiki* of the Yamanoto house, looking towards the Buddhist alcove (*butsuma* 仏間) on the right and shelves (*todana* 戸棚) on the left. Leaning against the shelves is a low table known as a *kotatsu*, with an electric heating element visible on its underside.

A ‘lever thresher' (*kara-usu* 唐臼 or カラウス, lit. ‘Chinese mortar') for threshing grain.

The next plan, of the Nakashima house (Nakashima-ke 中島家) in the Iga district (Iga chihou 伊賀地方) of Mie Prefecture, is a representative example of what eventually became the most widely-distributed style of regular four-room layout. This (comparatively) new type is characterised by an interior that is relatively open, meaning that the boundaries between all four rooms are fitted with sliding, unfixed partitions; if these partitions are removed, a single, continuous space is obtained. This open character extends to the nando, which is no longer the dark ‘bedcloset’ of the Yamamoto house. Its private nature has been reduced and it has taken on some of the functions of a living room, necessitating the addition of a closet to store (hide) bedding during the day. The butsuma and storage are now out of the way in the gable wall, making this a true tsuma-doko layout.

Other than the blind gable wall to the nando and okunoma, the rooms are also very open to the outside, and the exterior walls of the dwelling are highly permeable: of the 43 total intra-post ‘bays’ (each around half a ken or 91cm wide) that make up the exterior walls, only 25 are solid wall; the other 18 are occupied either by sliding partitions or by windows of some description. Even the niwa has an entrance on all three of its sides.

At the border of the denoma (でのま) and the okunoma (おくのま) there are obito (帯戸), wooden panel sliding partitions (itado 板戸) with a mid-rail (obizan 帯桟), which give greater formality to the zashiki; in the feudal (hо̄ken 封建) period the obito signified that women, children, and people of low status were not to enter this room without good reason.