Minka

A minka was a farmhouse in the island nations of Wa   and Kozakura.

Description
Most minka were usually single-story houses constructed of wood with highly sloped, thatched or reed roofs. The roofs were supported by a single ridge-pole and had large, overhanging eaves, extending a yard (meter) or more beyond the house to provide shade and direct rainwater. Inside the house, there were no ceilings; the rafters were exposed, and the walls were made of wooden latticework. The richest of merchants occasionally lived in minka that were two or three stories. Many minka only had dirt for a floor; others had simple wood. In Wa, like most other buildings, some minka were set upon raised posts above the ground. This kept the home dry during the rain and cool during hot days. However, the central area of the minka, called the doma, was simply earth. The rest of the floor of the house thus served as a raised interior porch, which was called the hiroshiki, and the other rooms of the house were sorrounding this. In the center of the floor was a firepit. Some minka included a loft filled with straw for sleeping.

In Wa, most minka had one to four bedrooms. The interior of most minka were not highly decorated, as ornamentation was forbidden by the laws of the land for farmers and others of lower class. Among permitted decorations were shoji screens or woodblock prints.

Minka were not often found within cities, instead sitting on the outskirts of cities or in the villages. They often had gardens in the back of the house with springs of water.