Japanese architecture

By Arsh and Nathan

Japanese CastlesWere used as Fortresses Were built to guard strategic and important sitesThere used to be 5000 castles in Japan50 castles remain todayWere first made in the 7th centaury Declared Japans national treasures

DefenseMost of the castles were used as defenseWere built on hills, so they could see the attackers

comingSpaces in the walls for firing were called SamaSama were used to pour hot liquids on attackers

climbing the wall Some had moats

Stone walls to prevent attackers

Early Fortifications

Were primarily made of wood and earthworksUsed natural defenses for defense( hills,

landscaping)Most were influenced by Chinese and Korean

ArchitectureWere built on higher grounds to give it an

imitating look

Himeji Castle in Japan.

Modern TimesMost of the castles were destroyed in World War 2Many castles today are rebuilt versionsAll castles were turned over to the Meji

government in 1871All of the castles are opened as museums todayMost castles in the south of Japan are in Kyuushuu

Himeji CastleIs located on a flat-land mountainNamed the First National TreasureKnown as “The White Heron Castle” Because of

the white exteriorGreatest Defense is a maze leading to the front

of the castleHas appeared in many movies like “You only live

twice”Panorama

view of Himeji Catles

Walkthrough

Now we will take a walkthrough through a Japanese Castle

Housing In JapanIn Modern day Japan there are two styles of

housing, a detached single family home and a multi-unit building (apartment).

Traditional days there were two types of housing. Minka, a typical freestanding house. Nagaya, row house.

Inside the HouseGenkan: Also know as the entrance. In this area the shoes are

removed to prevent the tatmani mats from being damaged and placed into little cupboards. The tatmani mats where what traditional home floors were covered with.

トイレ : Also known as the bathroom. In a Japanese bathroom

there a two rooms, one for undressing which also has a sink and actual bathroom with a shower and deep bathtub.

Kitchen Modern Japanese kitchen include stoves and

broilers. Have electric exhaust fans. Built in dishwashers are uncommon. Includes hot and cold running water faucets.

Washitsu A traditonal styled room in modern homes. They

include tatami flooring, shoji that cover the window, and a wooden ceiling. This room could be used in a variety of ways due to it being common for it being unfirnished.

Construction and MaterialsTraditonal Homes: Kitchen usually had dirtfloors,

wood was used to construct the building. There were some options for roofs, they could be thatch, cypress bark, tile, or bare wood.

Modern Homes: For most freestanding houses today wood frames are popular. For the extirior ceramic tile is most common , the intirior is very similar to the common Candian home. Apartments are usually made of concrete, as for the roof ashhalt and synthetics.

One Room MansionA Japanese apartment style with only one small

room Usually around 110sq ft. Include a compact bathroom Often rented by one person due to the very small

size.

Heating Modern Heating: Unlike most houses where central heating is used to

heat the home, in Japanese homes space heating is used. As most Japanese homes have space heating the equipment is usually taken when they move.

Traditional Heating: The kotatsu is a traditional type of heater that is

still widely used today. A light duvet cloth is used to keep the heat it.

WalkthroughNow we will take a walkthrough a traditional

Japanese home.