Kuromaru Residence Part ONE

                         

A Rural Mansion

I first came across the Kuromaru residence in 2015 when I made my first visit to the Noto Peninsula.  It was early evening when I spotted the large roof of this imposing property backed by a considerable stand of cedars—both house and trees were shrouded in the light of approaching dusk.  I was anxious not to be late for another appointment, so I took a few photographs and sped off toward Wajima, while promising myself that I would return to find out more about this building on a subsequent visit to the area.

In June 2018 I made sure to allocate some time to visit the Kuromaru residence along with Shinji Takagi, an architect and resident of Wajima.

He was hoping that we would be able to see the interior of the house, which is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property dating from the second half of 17th century.  It all depended on whether or not a member of the family was there to show us around.

In a slightly untypical Japanese manner, we made no appointment.  Instead we hoped that our combined humility and professional credentials would be enough to grant us access.  Sadly we were wrong.

There was someone there, however, so we did hear something of the culture of the property.  Well, perhaps we should call it the “agricultural culture” of the property.

The lady who was there—we never did find out if she was a family member or not—was busy tending the neatly arranged vegetable garden across a narrow lane in front of the house.

Noto has severe winters.  It is not uncommon for there to be a metre of snow in such a mountainous area as Wakayama where the building stands, a short distance from Suzu in the north of the peninsula.

The debris from the reed-thatched roof has a second life on the vegetable patch.

The lady told us that the reed thatched roof of the building actually provides a nutrient for the vegetable patch she was lovingly tending.  The snow which settles on the roof breaks down small shreds of the reeds.  These fall to the ground as and when the snow thaws.  Then, when all the snow has melted this reed debris is collected and spread among the vegetables like a fertiliser.

Just being able to approach the house was in fact a welcome bonus for us.  The details of the building are special and amply made up for not being to see the interior.  After all, the main building covers some 400 sq. m. composed of more than 15 individual spaces of various sizes, most of which can be screened off from one another.  It would have been a overwhelming experience to be sure but almost too much to fully appreciate in a short time.

Reading the plan of the building, however, can provides us with an opportunity to more fully understand what is so special about this really outstanding piece of traditional Japanese rural architecture.

Reference:  Japanese Folk Houses, Vol. 2, Farmhouses II, First Published 10th June 1980 by Gakken.

「日本民家」第2巻　農家Ⅱ、1980年6月10日出版、出版社：株式会社学習研究社。

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What? Roban-hakase!?

鑪盤博士

ろばんはかせ

What?  Roban-hakase!?

I first came across the word roban-hakase in a text book about Japanese architecture. I was studying to take the entrance exam to the Masters Course at Tokyo University of Art and Music (now Tokyo University of the Arts), so I needed to become familiar with some of the most important historical buildings in the country, about which there were bound to be questions in the exam.

A roban-hakase was just one of a number of the highly skilled specialists who were welcomed by the Japanese Court, and came from the Korean peninsula to pass on the skills needed to build a Buddhist temple.  Buddhism is said to have been introduced to Japan in the early part of the 6th century and the building of temples followed in its wake.

Simply speaking roban-hakase were skilled metal workers, proficient in the use of a furnace.  They were accompanied by other artisans such as roof tile makers, artists as well as others skilled in the building of temples. Much would have been unfamiliar to the Japanese as there was a need to follow precepts often symbolising the cardinal doctrines of Buddhist believes.

In time the layout and style of Buddhist temples built on the archipelago began to reflect Japanese taste and conditions.  This is particularly true of the buildings, which were constructed from the readily available resources of fine timber to be found in the country.  The pagodas were no exception. The making of the finials, however, would no doubt have been closely monitored by the roban-hakase as metalwork skills were needed.

The Pagoda and Main Hall (Kondo) of Horyuji Temple.  The asymmetrical arrangement of these two buildings within the temple compound is so unusual.  The Pagoda is thought to date from around 700.

The asymmetrical arrangement of the main buildings at Horyuji Temple in Nara is a fine example of how Japanese inclinations were perhaps satisfied, although the layout of the temple is almost unique and was hardly ever repeated.

Other than the pagoda finial, the making of a multitude of other metal fittings would most certainly have kept the roban-hakase and their apprentices fully occupied.

A glimpse of the Pagoda and finial seen from the Daikodo or lecture hall.

Even before the introduction of Buddhism, Japanese carpenters would have certainly had the skill to build what was required.  Nevertheless, they might have been fazed by the requirements of the Buddhist faith.

They would not, however, have shrunk from the challenge of constructing a residential building of any size.  On the contrary.  They were in their element when building farmhouses, palatial homes and dwellings for the common man.

But that will be dealt with in a subsequent blog post.

Tatara

The first character of the word roban-hakase is used when referring to an ancient form of furnace.  Please refer to the links below, either in English or Japanese, to find out more about the tatara furnace.

About tatara in English

http://tetsunomichi.gr.jp/lang-en/history-development-tatara/what-is-tatara/

About tatara in Japanese

https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/たたら製鉄

For more information on Horyuji Temple please refer to the link below.

About Horyuji Temple in English/Japanese

http://www.horyuji.or.jp/en/

Do feel free to pass on the address of this blog to anyone you think will be interested.  Or share it on a social media site.  Should you wish to leave a comment, please do so by clicking on the comment mark at the bottom left of this or any of the other posts.   If you have found this blog interesting, why not become a follower.  Thank you.