Tag Archives: history

More on Japanese Roofing

Posted on by
1

Aside from a childhood obsession with Legos, I’ve never really been huge into architecture and building, yet something about Japanese style roofing has always caught my eye.  I did another post on roofs in Kyoto and one on clay that showed a bit about how roofs are put together in Okinawa and Japan, but a recent trip to the Shikina Royal Gardens gave me the opportunity to learn more about how Okinawan roofs were made while at the Udun Palace.

The first part of any roof is a frame, and like most roofs I’ve seen, the Okinawan roofs use simple wood, similar to 2×4 to create a rigid grid.  On top of that is where things start to very by time and location.  In the Shikina Gardens, I found one roof with a layer of thin sticks, above the frame  You might wonder at this, but the sticks are likely far cheaper than finely cut boards.  In order to cover a roof in boards, you would need planing saws and nails.  Japan is often very humid, so nails were never a good option for building.  Instead, most Japanese architecture relied on interlocking joints that also made for easy rebuilding after natural disasters.  Japanese saws are also not well suited for horizontal cutting, making it far easier to cut large rough wood for the frame.  Since the sticks would do little to protect against rain, above that was placed red clay tiles joined with a kind of plaster.

How to Make Okinawan Roof Tiles

Inside Shikina Garden’s Kago House was a selection of original tiles as well as a drawing of the process used to create them.  The main tiles use were simply 1/4 of a topless cone of clay.  The end and corner pieces were smaller but more ornate.  The quarter pieces were alternated up and down, and interlocked to create a water-proof barrier and the distinctive Okinawan style still seen today.  Where the curving ends met, the decorative corner pieces were installed to cap the gaps.

This drawing shows the various tools used in the creation of the roof tiles on the left.  The right shows the beginning of the process, including the creating of clay and the rolling of clay on a rock guide.

This drawing shows the creation of the smaller, decorative, end and corner pieces. These did not taper and were about 30cm long by 15cm wide.  They were full halves rather than quarters.

Finally, this shows the creation of the larger tiles.  The clay from the first image is wrapped around a form and sealed.  When it dries, the inner mold is removed and the cone is broken in half, then quarters.  The final dimensions were about 24cm wide tapering to 18 cm along the 24cm length.

These heavy clay tiles, combined with generally low sturdy construction of older Okinawan homes helped combat turbulent weather such as typhoons.  Sometimes, bags of small rocks were also placed on the roofs to help keep the tiles in place during extreme weather.

Clay in Okinawa

Posted on by
3

Every culture has its own history of art and tool development.  One of the most interesting things about Japan, is that it has such a long and isolated history.  The fact that for much of Japan’s history it was culturally isolated, means we can find answers to some of today’s questions in the relics of the past.

There are many questions, but if you travel through Okinawa Prefecture, you might find yourself wondering about the red roofs, the shisa lions, and the many pottery shops.  Its true, Okinawa has its own history and culture, separate yet intertwined with mainland Japan, yet like many of Japan’s questions, the answer lies clearly in history.

Where Clay Comes From

The Okinawan Islands, like Japan, are volcanic.  Most of them were created by tectonic movements around the Eurasian, Pacific, Filipino, and North American Plates.  In Okinawa, the islands were mostly volcanic sea mounts that built up coral lacing before being thrust out of the water by more geologic forces.  This is why there is a proliferation of white coral rocks throughout Okinawa.  But what about the fine red clay?

Like many aspects of Okinawan and even Japanese culture, clay comes from China.  Vast swaths of China, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan* are desert.  Storms and wind suck the fine particles of dust into the atmosphere where prevailing winds take hold and send it over Japan.  Over the centuries the slow accumulation of these fine particles of dust have led to large quantities of clay on the Okinawan Islands.

Historic Clay

It’s no wonder that humans put such an easily sculpt-able material to use.  With the most basic tools, clay can be used for anything from housing to food containers.  At most major castle ruin sites there are ample examples of past clay usage.

Pottery is perhaps most useful as a container, since simple trays and plates are easy enough to form from wood, or even from beating metal.  The convenient curves make the containers useful for rice, sake, water, and other materials.  Where creating waterproof metal is difficult, clay is simple and plentiful in Okinawa.  At the Katsuren Castle Ruins, there is a museum that shows the remains of clay pottery used for grain storage, eating, and decoration.

In other places in Okinawa, clay pots were used to hold the dead when cremation was unavailable.  Since remains were usually stored in ohaka, clay pottery provided a convenient vessel.  These remains are from the Yajiyagama Caves on Kume Island. Its unknown where these remains came from, but it is certain that they are very old.  It is supposed they are the remains of war or famine and were placed in the caves since no ohaka was available or large enough.

 

There are many other uses for clay though.  In Okinawa, where strong fall storms demand strong housing, many traditional buildings and houses are roofed with tiled clay set in a white paste concrete over a wood frame.  The white and red housing has become a symbol of Okinawa, with a unique aesthetic appeal.  The style perhaps has its roots in China, which makes sense due to the large amount of economic and cultural trade between the old Ryukyu Kingdom and China.

Another item made of clay seen throughout Okinawa are the shisa lion protectors.  These little statues are placed outside Okinawan buildings to protect them from evil spirits.  Usually they are paired, with the male on the left with open mouth, and the female on the right with closed mouth.  There are many variations in shisa, and I’ll do a more in-depth post later.

Modern Clay

Today clay is still widely available and used for shisa, farming, roofing (though not as often), and decorative tableware.  If you stroll through any tourist area in Okinawa, you’ll likely find artisan galleries with interesting cups, hashi holders, plates, jugs, bowls, and more.  These artisans produce interesting and useful wares that harken back to traditional Okinawa.

Where many westerners pride symmetry and perfection, the innate imperfections in handmade pottery often appeal to the Japanese aesthetic, making each piece unique and beautiful in its own right.  If you visit or live in Okinawa, take the time to find a few pottery shops and find something unique you can use every day.

On Kumejima, you can even take classes to make your own shisa!

 

Dejima Island – Nagasaki Bay

Posted on by
3

Dejima Island in Nagasaki bay was the only point of formal international trade and communication during Japan’s  period of isolation in the Tokugawa period.  Construction of the artificial land mass ended in 1636 and was for use by Portuguese traders.  The missionaries that accompanied them were viewed as a threat and were eventually banished.  The Dutch took over the island and were sequestered there.  Dejima was eventually surrounded as land reclamation began from 1861, where it eventually lost its original boarders in 1904.  The island is currently being restored, and now serves as a museum with artifacts and recreated buildings. Below are a few pictures from my trips to Nagasaki with my schools on their Shugakkoryoko (school trip).

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Today there are many interesting things to see, with a self-guided one hour course, and a two-hour course. It’s a good place for history buffs, or for families, with many interactive experiences for young children and English language signs and information.

*Information on dates from the English language tourist pamphlet.  For more information visit http://www1.city.nagasaki.nagasaki.jp/dejima

Ovens

Posted on by
Reply

OvenJust as stoves are different in Japan, compared to those in America, so too are ovens.  Many of the reasons are the same, but Japan’s history plays its role here too.  Japanese ovens are usually small electric affairs rather than built-in behemoths.  As with many Japanese appliances, ovens are packed with features.  Mine steams, microwaves, grills, and has several oven settings all in one compact box.  The size fits with the smaller kitchens and lack of space in some Japanese houses.  Since space is at a premium, electronics companies have innovated to bring what would likely be several devices in an American kitchen into one device for Japan.

Japanese Food

Aside from space requirements, why can most Japanese people get away with a smaller oven, if they even have one at all?  It’s because Japanese cooking is so different from that of the west.  Japanese food requires far less baking than we see in western cooking. As an island nation, Japan has always had limited space.  Its mountainous terrain further limited areas suitable for agriculture.  Conversely, much of Japan has ample rainfall making it easier to irrigate fields for water hungry plants.  As it has done throughout history, Japan learned of rice cultivation from China, and then adopted it for itself.  Rice cultivation turned the Japanese from nomads to village dwellers, and eventually into an Empire.  Rice became such a stable of the Japanese diet that for much of the history of Japan it was currency, wages, and life.

Rice required no stone ovens, simply an open flame and a pot.  Other grains were grown, but they were mostly for animals and the poor.   When not eaten mixed with rice, they became noodles or at most were fried as tempura.  Nearly all Japanese cooking could be made over the simple fires available.  Though much has changed, Japanese food still retains its ancient characteristics, and its dependence on rice.  While it is hard to define a cuisine, its hard to think of a proper Japanese meal without a bowl of rice, or at least noodle. So if the majority of food that is cooked in Japanese kitchens still does not require an oven, why would even the affluent give over such a large portion of their limited kitchen space and budget to a contraption they might only use occasionally?  They wouldn’t, and they don’t.

Rice Cookers

RicecookerWhere Ovens are the center of an American kitchen, with ever newer features such as convection cooking and self-cleaning settings, Japanese companies are ever striving to differentiate their rice cookers with features and quality.  If you go into a Japanese store, often one whole area will be devoted to just rice cookers.  They range in size, price, and features but they all make great rice.  They can even be used to bake cakes and other foods since they are essentially small pressurized ovens, with a single removable pan .  In some ways they can even cook better than ovens since they are designed to heat evenly over the entire metal insert.

Portable, relatively automatic, and essential to cooking the main ingredient in many Japanese dishes, the Rice cooker is probably one of the top three most common Japanese appliances.

A Few More Things Japanese

Just because rice is so ‘Japanese’ doesn’t mean other western foods aren’t consumed in copious amounts in Japan.  Instead of making bread or cookies at home, Japanese people are more likely to simply buy them, or find a more Japanese way of cooking them.  Also, portions tend to be smaller, as do families, so smaller Japanese ovens still get the job done.

Another hold over from historic Japan still shows through to today.  Without refrigerators, and with much of Japan being hot and humid, food would not last long.  Shopping was done almost daily for the food that would be consumed that day (or it was taken from the garden) so less was cooked and there were fewer leftovers to be reheated.  This tradition still carries on today, where Japanese shoppers are more likely to shop for less more often, have smaller refrigerators (again space is limited) and thus cook less than their American counterparts.

Japanese culture, and the way kitchens are used also have their roles to play in what and how food is made.  The difference in cultures lead to unique requirements and features that reflect the way we live.

Culture in the Kitchen

Posted on by
Reply

History comes to life in every aspect of Japanese culture, it even comes into play in the kitchen. If we understand culture in the kitchen we can perhaps understand more about Japanese Culture at large.

Gender Roles

Even before social castes in Japan formally divided people into formal groups, women had their specific roles to play in society.   From once being Empresses they progressively became ever more connected to the home.  During World War Two they were called upon to be “good wi[ves], wise mother[s].”  The different castes prevalent throughout the era of the samurai, drew women ever more towards the home.  On farms women would struggle in the fields with the men, bent over the rice paddies.  Yet they also raised their children and were responsible for shopping, maintaining the home, and often finances.  In other fields, though, they were excluded.  Actors and warriors were exclusively male, leaving wives little work to do outside the home in those and other exclusive industries.

Although laws changed throughout the years, generally land was passed from father to son, which lead to decisions being made ever more by the male family members.  Since women did not have land then, they became ever more expensive since dowries were often required to marry them off.

Even more than the images portrayed of American women on the sitcoms of the 1950′s, 60′s, and 70′s Japanese women found their domains ever more connected to the kitchen.  Even in farm families, men would mostly focus on farming food for sale, while women would be in charge of the gardens for the family’s table.

In today’s society women have found new places for themselves.  They work, fewer are getting married, and they are ever on more equal footing with men… Still habits, history, and culture die hard.

Learning to Cook

I learned to cook from my mother.  During the big holidays she would cook tons of food and my siblings and I would watch, lick the spoon, and as the years went by take on more important roles.  Eventually I became responsible for making certain family recipes.  I never took home economics in school, so my education was strictly from watching, and later from TV and the internet.

In Japan, all students take home economics classes where they learn to peel potatoes with knifes and make basic meals.  At the junior high and elementary schools I taught at, I would see girls and boys dress up in aprons and cook various dishes.  During school outings they had to cook in groups, yet here things began to separate.  The girls in the group took charge of preparing the food and the boys would hang back.

Like for me, most students learn to cook at home. With students at school until 7 or later most have little time to see their parents make dinner, even those whose parents do cook it.   This means their best chance to participate in cooking are the large events that require the entire family’s help.

 Parties and Holidays

In the west as in Japan many boys might stay out of the kitchen, but for those families that still cook all the children will help for the big holidays.  For any big family gathering it takes all hands to make cookies, bake cakes, and trim turkeys.  In Japan there are major events and parties that will also require the entire family to help.

I lived in a place that showed Japan more as it was, than perhaps as it is, but still my observations might shed light on why things are as they are in Japan.  Where I lived there would be several large gathering throughout the year.  Men would busy themselves preparing the location, moving tables, getting ice, etc.  Women would join together and start cooking, working to prepare innumerable dishes.  When they were done setting up, the men would deal with the fish, cleaning, and cutting it for sashimi and sushi.  It was interesting to see such clear divisions in the workload.  While both groups worked hard (and there was some overlap), for the most the women stayed in the kitchen, and the men outside it.

On a smaller scale, after graduations, individual families would host parties that all the villagers would attend.  Fathers would greet guests and sit with them, while most of the women in the family would attend to food and drinks, again staying in the kitchen.

From a young age, girls in Japan are expected to help out at such family events, and learn from their mothers, aunts, and other family members how to cook.  Boys most often found reasons to be away.

Why the divisions?  One reason might be the social pressures for girls to help prepare the food. From a young age they are expected to help out so it becomes almost second nature.  Other women become their ‘in’ group so it is more comfortable for them to work together.

Another reason might be that many Japanese women tend to drink less, or avoid drinking around men.  By staying in the kitchen they can socialize with each other and don’t have to spend their entire evening dealing with drunk men.  Instead the men and women form their own social groups which creates a cyclical pattern of division by gender that is difficult to escape or change.

In general the lack of skill and knowledge by men, and the historic social divisions keep men out of the kitchen.  Oddly enough chefs still tend to be men.

Like any social analysis this is all general and there are many men who do cook with their wives, and many women who don’t cook at all.  In general, though, there are still clear gender roles in the kitchen, and understanding them can help us understand other aspects of Japanese Culture.