DAY 5 (4/5): YOSHIJIMA HOUSE (吉島家住宅), Hida-Takayama (飛騨高山), Gifu Prefecture (岐阜県), Japan, 2018.05.29

Other than the Hida beef and sake, the other two places we planned to visit in Takayama were the Miyagawa Morning Market (宮川朝市) and Yoshijima House (吉島家住宅). According to guidebooks, for anyone who are interested in architecture and design, Yoshijima House is a must-go in Takayama. The Yoshijima House has been published in various design magazines and is considered an excellent example of machiya or traditional townhouse architecture of the Hida region. Built in 1907 by master carpenter Nishida Isaburo (西田伊三郎), the student of the fourth Mizuma Sagami (水間相模), the timber house of Yoshijima exemplifies the supreme craftsmanship of the traditional Hida carpentry. Today, the house is designated as a national important cultural property and a popular tourist attraction. From Sanmachi Suji (三町筋) or the old town, Yoshijima House is just a few blocks to the north beyond a water channel.

The sugitama (杉玉) outside of Yoshijima House reveals its original identity as a well known sake breweries in Takayama.

From outside, a traditional outer wall conceals the inner garden of the Yoshijima House.

Beyond the entrance vestibule, we entered into a large and airy hall. The middle part of the hall with hard flooring indicated where the sake shop was once situated, whereas the raised tatami areas belonged to the living spaces of the Yoshijima family.

We were told by the museum staff to take the wooden stair and visit the upper level first.

On the upper level, we walked through a series of tatami spaces. These spaces were used by the children of the family back in the old days.

The simplicity of design details and building materials express a sense of minimalism that is still dominating Japanese architectural design.

Occasional design elaborations such as the painted cupboard panels provide a touch of artistic beauty and focus.

Level difference is being used as a means to define two separated spaces.

The wood stairs are beautiful but a little steep.

Small architectural details throughout the building highlight the level of family status and quality of the carpentry.

The ground floor of Yoshijima House reveals the flexibility of partitioning in a traditional Japanese house. All rooms are interconnected with sliding doors, allowing utmost freedom for space planning.

There is no specific function for each 6-tatami room. When a table is set up in the tatami room then it will become a dining room. And when bedding is arranged, the same room will be transformed into a bedroom.

When all sliding panels are removed, the ground floor will become one large space for special uses.

Like many Japanese houses, a courtyard flanked with verandas provides pleasant semi-outdoor spaces for the house users.

During our visit, artworks and magazines about the Yoshijima House were on displayed at the former sake making and storage area, where beautiful jazz music was playing in the background.

The most famous feature of the Yoshijima House is the prominent posts and beams at the main hall. The spaces with the charcoal brazier set were used as living and dining room for the family.

The high windows allow light to create a pleasant ambience at the main hall.

The beauty of wood is essential to the interiors of the house. The wood beams and posts are covered with thin layer of lacquer, and have been periodically polished with cloth by the family since completion.

The antique clock on the wall reminded us the Meiji Era at the turning of the 20th century when Japan opened its doors to welcome Western technologies and knowledge and went through a rapid process of modernization.