Ryukyuan architecture

this is my draft

Construction

The history of Okinawan architecture dates back to the Shell Mound Period that lasted between 2000-1000 before Christ. During this period, houses in Okinawan were principally pit dwellings. Constructors dug houses into the red earth or encircled them by walls made of limestone material. Hearths never featured in either of the two forms of pit-dwellings. During the late quarter of the Shell Mound Period, people started building structures that pillars supported. To build the new buildings, people living in Okinawan started using the black muddy soil found in the area to produce tiles (Japan Documentaries, 2019). The first step involved mixing the mud with water and drying it for forty days. The second step involved baking the tiles and this led to the roof tiles will has the red color, which is the most significant feature of Okinawan architecture. The red roofs were a preserve of aristocrats because commoners used to live in grass-thatched houses. In 1889, however, the Shuri government abolished the exclusive use of red tiles among the aristocrats and commoners started using the design on their houses. Since then, red tiles are a common feature on houses in Okinawan.

Appearance

The extensive use of stonework characterizes Okinawan architecture. It is similar with Japan’s stacking style, but it is different in the use of white limestone. Accordingly, Okinawan houses are different from the houses found in mainland Japan in terms of aesthetics rather than style (Baker, 2015). In fact, Okinawan houses are made of three different styles of stonework including aikata-zumi, nozura-zumi, and nuno-zumi (Iitaka, 2015; Heinrich, Miyara & Shimoji, 2015). To begin with, aikata-zumi involves curving of stones in a uniform manner to make shapes such pentagons and hexagons (Iitaka, 2015). The uniformity of the stones makes it possible to remove one stone and the rest to hold up without weakening the structure. Second, nozura-zumi involves stacking stones of different sizes and shapes to form a wall without paying attention to esthetics (Japan Documentaries, 2019; Youngseo, 2015). It was the first type of stonework among the three. Finally, nuno-zumi involves cutting stones into rectangular shapes and stacking them together to form a wall. Even though it produces beautiful appealing walls, the disadvantage is that removing one stone can result in the collapse of the remaining stones. For that reason, the appearance of Okinawan depends on the choice of one of three types of stonework, which can be either aesthetically appealing or unattractive, but all are made of white limestone.  

Functions

Buildings in Okinawan served multiple functions including protecting occupants and hosting people. Primarily, walls made of white limestone surround the Okinawan homes, which serves the purpose of ensuring the privacy of the occupants. Sections of the wall remain open to ensure easy access and allow passage of breeze. Even so, the entrance opening is not wide open but is blocked by a wall section commonly referred to as hinpun, which serves the function of protecting occupants from evil spirits (Dixon, 2015). Notably, most of the houses have lion-dogs made of ceramic on top of the roof or the gate to protect occupants from evil spirits. In addition to protection, Okinawan homes consist of numerous rooms that accommodate people. A typical house in Okinawan consists of between four and five rooms plus a kitchen. There are two rooms located at the front that serve to entertain visitors. These rooms are commonly referred to as ichibanza and nibanza to represent the first and second rooms respectively (Iitaka, 2015). Behind the two rooms are two or three rooms that the family uses as private spaces and bedrooms. In some cases, Okinawan homes consist of an additional structure that serves the purpose of accommodating the aged, such as the retired former head of the house or mother to the head of the house.

Maintenance

Okinawa Island is the windiest part of Japan, which makes it easy for the tiles to fall off, which require constant repairs. For the most part, the residents of the area prefer abandoning the homes for new grounds where they start building new homes (Hagihara & Asahi, 2016). Some residents, however, prefer to repair their houses. There are masons who specialize in repairing homes wrecked by either strong winds or a typhoon at a fee. Others are knowledgeable and can repair their homes without the assistance of professionals. Notably, the regular typhoons in the region are the main reason for the change in designs of the architecture. For instance, wood was a preference in previous generations because of its ability to allow fresh air to circulate within a building. However, now, the maintenance of buildings involves the use of concrete for protection purposes. In addition, the Japanese have recently changed the design of the windows to act as a protection against debris from typhoons. Most notably, they use barred windows. In this case, most new constructions and maintenance of old buildings involve considerations for changing environmental conditions. For instance, while the roofing of traditional Japanese homes involved the layering of tiles, it now encompasses cementing of tiles, so that strong winds do not blow them away (New World Encyclopedia, 2018).

Example of Okinawan Building

Arguably, Shuri Castle is the most famous building in the history of the Okinawan architecture because of its cultural heritage and persistence since the late 1300s. Perched on a hilltop, Shuri Castle is a diplomatic, cultural and political symbol in Okinawa because it served as Kingdom’s headquarter for more than 400 years (Japan Documentaries, 2019; Tredinnick, 2019). As such, the castle is the best place from where visitors to Okinawa can start to learn about the unique culture of the place. A first look at the façade provides visitors with a first look at Okinawa’s culture, which is distinct from the rest of Japan (Leonhardt, Renzulli, White & Klebnikov, 2018). The unique aspect of the building is its hybrid architecture that blends ideas from Japan, China and Southeast Asia. In fact, the blending of the different architectural ideas originates from the extensive trade that took place in Okinawa involving Japan, China, and Southeast Asia (Figal, 2016). For instance, the castle’s main hall is decorated with embellishments and carvings such dragon figures, which were borrowed from China. Moreover, the main hall is painted in bright gold color, which is evidence of the golden age of culture and commerce that took place in Okinawa when it was part of the Ryukyu kingdom.