House

House

Japanese miniature "okimono" (object for display) of a country hut made of bamboo. Model includes house with verandah front and side yard bathhouse fence and gate. Entire model held together with joinery or wooden pegs however some pieces are secured with glue. A: Base of model stained varnished wood surrounds an unstained off center inset square. The outer covering of the bamboo is varnished and cut into squares to indicate the stepping stones to the building. B: Roof has individually cut wave shaped tiles covering the four corners. Two sides of the roof meet to make a long peak on which there is a three-tiered ridgepole. Underneath beams are indicated but do not create an actual support. The roof is designed more as a "lid" with a square lip which fits neatly into the base of the house. From one corner dangles a square "lantern" made of solid bamboo. C: Wall with a little shelf at the base which slides under the inset part of "A"; has a rectangular window with 4 sliding shoji screens and a hinged 3 sided box attached to the wall which is used to hold pieces "S-U". The edges of the shoji screens and the rim around the window are stained a redish brown. The screens also have a dark brown rectangle inset near their base. Thin unstained pieces of bamboo crisscross to support the thin rice paper behind them. The pale shiny exterior of the bamboo is used above the window and a speckled piece of it is placed above the box. There are 4 notches at the top of the wall. Two cut at angles into which the beams of part "H" fits and 2 outside of these cut square so that the lip around the inside of the roof can fit into them. On the inside of the wall are 2 long vertical grooves one on each side into which the 2 perpendicular walls slide. D: Wall facing "C" has a shelf which fits into "A" and notches at the top for "H" and "B". It too has a hinged 3 sided box but it swings off to the side and fits into wall "E". Outside are 3 large slabs of speckled bamboo; inside is coverd by 6 thinner plain outer bamboo. Dark stained piece overhangs a scroll. These are part of a "tokanoma" which is completed by floor pieces. E: Wall that slides between "C" and "D" and contains 2 shoji screens. It also contains 2 small screens which serve as sliding window coverings. F: Floor panel slides in before "E" and "G" and rests on ledges of "C" and "D" so that there is space betwen it and the floor of the inset on "A". Two large pieces of bamboo make up the floor with a gap between them. On the side against wall "O" is a dark stained altar-like slab holding a little vase with silk and paper flowers (ikebana) below the scroll. A cabinet with dark sliding bamboo doors sits next to the tokonoma. G: Wall has 5 vertical strips of light colored varnished bamboo facing on the inside and 3 vertical strips of speckled bamboo facing outside. It slides between "C" and "D" and faces "E" on the end furthest from the tokonoma. H: Ceiling which lies below the roof and fits into the grooves at the top of "C" and "D". Two beams lie across the ceiling and fit into the grooves. Below the panels making the smooth ceiling are thin strips running perpendicular across the bottom as supports. I: Outhouse with a tiled roof like the main house and sliding doors. Two pegs underneath fit into "A" to hold it in place. Inside a partition divides the building in two one with a hole in the floor and the other with a cylindrical attachment on the back wall. A window extends across the back. J: Gate has a smooth curved roof and the sliding gate doors have rectangular lattice work. K: Patio has a peg which fits into a hole on the outside of wall "C" and legs to hold it above "A". L: Patio smaller than "K" and fits into "E"; dark stained. M N O: Fence pieces made up of sturdy posts and two cross bars to which twigs are attached. (M has 4 posts N has 3 and O has 2. P Q: Patio railings which fit on the patio ledges. "P" has post on one side and fits on "L" and "Q" has posts on both sides and fits on "K". R: Solid fence section with light colored bamboo sandwiched between two darker pieces on top and bottom; 2 pegs beneath which fit into "A" at right side of "M" fence. S-W: Solid panels which are housed in the 3 sided boxes attached to "C" and "D". They have one smooth side and one side with horizontal bars. They would be used to cover the shoji screens on the outside of the house. X-Z AA-AC: Tatami mats which cover the floor; rectangular pieces of bamboo varnished on top with their long edges stained a darker brown.

1991.031.008