Japan Style. Geeta Mehta
storage compartments (ji-bukuro) in the recess adjoining the tokonoma is part of the traditional Shoin-style décor.
The small stand and the writing case (suzuri-bako) is beautifully decorated by exquisite artwork known as maki-e. In this technique, a design with lacquer and fine specks of gold and silver is painted in several layers on a prepared wooden surface.
The tokonoma alcove in a tearoom named Zanyu is decorated by a hanging scroll (kakejiku) with five Chinese characters which represent prosperity. On the left of the tokonoma is the “sleeve wall” that separates the tearoom from the host’s entrance. The post at the end of this half wall is called nakabashira, or the central pillar, and this as well as the corner post in the tokonoma alcove (toko-bashira) is selected with great care as they set the aesthetic mood of the tearoom.
The square entrance to the tearoom, called nijiri guchi, is made very small, just 60 centimeters high in this case. The traditional reason for making the guests enter the tearoom on their hands and knees was to make them leave their swords and egos behind, coming in with a humble and pure mind. The soft outline of shitaji mado, the bamboo and reed lattice is seen through the shoji screen. Japanese paper (washi) is pasted to the lower portion of the walls (koshibari) to protect the guest’s kimonos from the mud plaster on the walls.
This mizuya with a cupboard for tea utensils and a sink in which to wash them adjoins a formal area. Every little detail is thought through and made as beautiful as possible. The floor-level sink covered with a bamboo mat is one example of this attention to detail.
Utensils used in the tea ceremony are made of bamboo. At left are the whisks (chasen), used to briskly stir the green tea (matcha) in the teacup with the hot water. The flat scoop, called chashaku, is used to measure the powdered green tea into the tea bowl. The flat toothpicks (kuromoji) are used by guests to eat Japanese sweets during a tea ceremony. The guests often bring their own kuromoji, along with Japanese paper napkins, in a special bag tucked inside the collar of their kimonos when they arrive for the tea ceremony.
A humble hook is provided on a post in the small kitchen (mizuya) for hanging the tea cloth.
A path of stepping-stones, also called “dewy path” or roji, leading to the tea hut is seen here through the glass window. A simple gate (nakakuguri) in the middle of the garden separates the inner and outer tea garden. Passing through the middle gate is symbolic of entering the tea world. Moss is a prized element of a tea garden and is carefully cultivated.
The veranda (engawa) modulates the area between the inner and outer zones, allowing sunlight into the house and protecting it from rain. In summer it forms part of the garden; in the winter the engawa can be closed off to form an extension of the interior space.
The toko-bashira, or the main post between the tokonoma and chigaidana, is made of northern Japanese magnolia wood, and has been selected for its artistic effect. The ceiling made from a variety of woods, paper and reeds adds an air of rustic elegance to this anteroom.
The large panel in this tokonoma (toko-ita) measures 360 centimeters across and is made from a single piece of very rare pinewood.
The door pulls (hikite) — depicting a pigeon (top), a peacock (middle) and a boat oar (bottom)—are selected to suit the theme of the room. The peacock hikite is fashioned from lacquer and real gold.
The alcove in a room named Takatori-no-ma has a fine post (toko-bashira) made of kitayama-sugi, a very high-quality wood. The wall on the side of the alcove has a window with a graceful bamboo lattice in an unusual diagonal pattern.
Rooms designed in a manner less formal than the Shoin style are referred to as hira-shoin rooms. The lower part of this hira-shoin has a sliding slat window (muso mado). The checkered openings on the front and back slats can be lined up to allow for air circulation.
A small wooden case (suzuri-bako) holds an ink stone, an ink stick, a brush and a tiny water bottle used for mixing ink.
Elegant Style in a Kyoto Machiya
Located in the heart of Kyoto, the Imperial capital of Japan for over 400 years, Kondaya Genbei is an excellent example of an elegant Kyoto-style machiya, or merchant’s townhouse. Muromachi, the district where this townhouse is located, was once a powerful trade center known for its aristocratic tastes and many elegant buildings. Kondaya Genbei was established in the 1730s and has since served as a residence and a shop where traditional kimonos and obi sashes are crafted and sold. The prosperous business is presently run by the tenth generation owner, Genbei Yamaguchi, who is also a kimono designer himself. In 2002, he helped revive a species of silk cocoons called koishimaru. These cocoons was used in ancient Japan for making a delicate variety of silk capable of taking on vivid dyes, but had been replaced with larger cocoons because they were too small for the efficient production of silk. Due to Genbei Yamaguchi’s efforts, silk of this sort is in production again after a hiatus of many decades.
This two-story timber building sits on a deep rectangular lot along the street, with a 30-meter façade several times larger than the neighboring lots. Narrow frontages are typical of machiya since the properties were taxed based upon the width of their street fronts. The outside of the house is made up of wooden lattice painted with Bengala, a reddish colcothar so named because it was first imported from Bengal in India. The entrance leads into a doma, a room with an earthen floor, used for casual meetings or the receiving of supplies. One does not need to take shoes off here. Rooms beyond this one are raised on a wooden plinth and get more sophisticated and private along the tori-niwa corridor leading into the house. The inner part of the house also contains a small garden (tsubo-niwa), a tearoom (cha-shitsu) and two storerooms (kura). The tsubo-niwa helps ventilate the interior, while bringing nature in. The storerooms, set apart from the main house, are protected by heavy, fire-resistant plaster walls. Merchandise and family treasures are stored in them to this very day.
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