A minka (sing & pl) was a type of farmhouse in the island nations of Wa[1][2][3] and Kozakura.[4]
Description[]
Most minka were usually single-story houses[1] constructed of wood with highly sloped roofs of reed or thatch.[2][4][3] 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,[2] and the walls were made of wooden latticework.[3] The richest of merchants occasionally lived in minka that were two or three stories.[4]
Many minka only had dirt for a floor; others had simple wood.[2][4] In Wa, like most other buildings, some minka were set upon raised posts above the ground.[1][2] This kept the home dry during the rain and cool during hot days.[2] 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 surrounding this.[1] [4] In the center of the floor was a firepit.[4] Some minka included a loft filled with straw for sleeping.[4]
In Wa, most minka had one to four bedrooms.[1] 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.[2] Among permitted decorations were shoji screens or woodblock prints.[1]
Minka were not often found within cities, instead sitting on the outskirts of cities or in the villages.[2] They often had gardens in the back of the house with springs of water.[1]
Appendix[]
External Link[]
Minka article at Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume II). (TSR, Inc), p. 176. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 David "Zeb" Cook (1987). Blood of the Yakuza. (TSR, Inc), pp. 12–13. ISBN 0-88038-401-8.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Rick Swan (1990). Test of the Samurai. (TSR, Inc), p. 10. ISBN 0-88038-775-0.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Mike Pondsmith, Jay Batista, Rick Swan, John Nephew, Deborah Christian (1988). Kara-Tur: The Eastern Realms (Volume II). (TSR, Inc), p. 148. ISBN 0-88038-608-8.