akujunkan: (Default)
akujunkan ([personal profile] akujunkan) wrote2009-02-22 11:42 pm
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Today's Picture: 028

Is of:

old school Japanese architecture. This picture was taken in the genkan of the kuri at Shokokuji. (Incidentally, the kuri's function varies by sect/temple, but it's generally some combination of monk quarters and kitchen.)

Probably the most obvious feature is the mortise and tenon jointing--no nails were used anywhere in the building. The horizontal crossbeams are all made from the trunk of a single tree, each carefully selected for the natural warping and curvature of the wood. The walls are dozozukuri, or "earthen storehouse construction;" you see this not just in temples but in traditional townhouse and wall construction as well. I used to know the vocabulary for all these elements in Japanese (don't ask); hopefully having posted this will motivate me to relearn them.

Although it doesn't look that impressive in my photo, here is a picture of the kuri's facade to give an idea of scale. The main doors are about six feet tall; the main beam in my photo is right below the eaves.

That will be all.