Guest room - kyaakuma

A room in a house used to receive guests. The first known rooms for receiving visitors were the dei in shinden-zukuri houses from the Heian period, but this did not necessarily mean that a specific room was created for that purpose; instead, a futamunero or part of a eaves was used. Entertaining high-ranking visitors became common during the Middle Ages, and in shuden-zukuri houses, the central room in the shuden was used as a guest room. At the beginning of the Edo period, customs for receiving guests were established, and in shoin-zukuri houses, two buildings called shoin came to be used for receiving guests. In modern urban houses, it is common for Japanese-style rooms that continue the shoin tradition from the Edo period to be prepared for receiving guests, as well as Western-style reception rooms that were created after the Meiji period as Western lifestyles were introduced. However, guest rooms, i.e., Japanese-style rooms and reception rooms, were usually built in sunny areas facing south, and were large in size, while living areas such as the living room were placed in the sunless north side. As a result, they were the first to be rejected under the banner of housing improvement that "changed the focus on hospitality to the focus on family" in the movement for improving living standards that gradually gained strength from the end of the Meiji period. Before World War II, guest rooms did not disappear from ordinary urban housing, despite the progress of the movement for improving living standards. However, in urban housing immediately after the war, even before the results of the movement for improving living standards had been achieved, it became impossible to build reception rooms or Japanese-style rooms due to economic circumstances and a lack of materials, and they were lost. Even after that, many urban housing homes could not have guest rooms due to land and economic circumstances, and if there was a separate living room, close friends would invite guests into the living room. As a result, the living room took on the characteristics of a guest room, hindering its original function as a place for family gatherings.

In foreign countries, for example in the UK, a guest room is a guest room, but its function is different from that of a Japanese guest room; it is a room mainly for guests staying at a hotel, and is equipped with a bed, wardrobe, desk and chairs, just like an individual family bedroom, and usually has a toilet, bath and dressing room attached (guest rooms in hotels, which have similar functions, are also called guest rooms). Guests eat with the family in the dining room and spend time together in the living room. This type of guest room is common in European and American homes. In Japan, however, there is no room equivalent to a guest room, and guests stay in a Japanese-style room with a tokonoma alcove.

[Hirai Sei]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

住宅において、客を通し応接するための部屋。訪れる人を通す部屋としては、平安時代の寝殿造の住宅における出居(でい)が明らかになる最初であるが、かならずしもそのために特定の部屋がつくられたのではなく、二棟廊(ふたむねろう)や廂(ひさし)の一部が使われている。身分の高い訪問者をもてなすことが一般的になったのは中世に入ってからで、主殿造の住宅では主殿の中央の部屋が客間にあてられていた。江戸時代の初めには接客のしきたりも定まり、書院造の住宅では書院とよばれる二棟の建物が接客のために使われるようになった。近代の都市住宅では、江戸時代以来の書院の伝統を継ぐ和風の座敷と、明治以降洋風の生活様式が入ってきてできた洋風の応接間とが接客のために用意されるのが普通である。しかし、客間、すなわち座敷と応接間は、通常南に面する日当りのよい場所につくられ、面積も広く、北側の日が当たらない場所に茶の間など生活にあてる部分が回されていたために、明治末期ごろからしだいに強くなる生活改善運動では「接客本位を改め家族本位に」の住宅改良の旗印の下で真っ先に排斥されることになる。第二次世界大戦前には、生活改善運動の進展にもかかわらず、客間が一般の都市住宅から消滅はしなかったが、敗戦直後の都市住宅では、生活改善運動の成果をまつまでもなく、経済的な事情や材料の不足から、応接間も座敷もつくれなくなり、失われてしまった。その後も土地の事情や経済的な事情から都市住宅では客間を設けられない家が多くなり、独立した居間がある場合には、親しい間柄なら居間に客を通すことになる。したがって、居間が客間の性格を帯び、本来の家族のだんらんの場としての機能が阻害されている。

　外国、たとえばイギリスではゲスト・ルームguest roomが客間にあたるが、これは日本の客間とは機能が違い、主として宿泊客のための居室で、家族個々人の寝室と同様に寝台や衣装掛け、机と椅子(いす)などを備え、便所、風呂(ふろ)、化粧室を付属しているのが普通である（同様の機能をもつホテルにおける客の宿泊室をもguest roomとよんでいる）。客は家族とともに食堂で食事をし、居間でだんらんの時を過ごす。このような客間はヨーロッパやアメリカの住宅では一般的である。それに対して日本ではゲスト・ルームに相当する部屋はなく、床の間のある座敷に客を泊めていた。

［平井　聖］

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