Veranda - Engawa

A wooden walkway that runs around the perimeter of a Japanese house, or a wooden area for ascending and descending from the garden. Those installed inside the building are called irikawa or irikawa-en, and in recent years have been called engawa. Among these, those with tatami mats are sometimes called enzashiki. Those installed on the perimeter of a building are called engawa or nure-en, and are also called otochi-en as the floor is usually one step lower than the interior. In addition to these classifications, there are distinctions based on the way the boards are laid, such as koguchi-engawa, which uses wide boards about 30 cm wide laid along the short side, kure-engawa, which uses long boards about 10 cm wide laid along the length, and suko-engawa, which is laid open between the boards to improve drainage.

Historically, verandas were created after the floors of buildings were made of planks. The earliest example of verandas attached to the perimeter is found in the Denpodo Hall of the Eastern Temple of Horyu-ji Temple, a remnant of a house from the Nara period, and this style has been passed down in the main hall of Ise Shrine and the main hall of Daijokyu. Verandas began to be installed inside buildings in the Middle Ages. Typical examples are the guest hall of Kangakuin Temple at Onjo-ji Temple, the Tosaburai, Daihiroma, and Kuroshoin of the Ninomaru Palace at Nijo Castle, and the Koshoin, Nakashoin, and Shingoten of Katsura Imperial Villa. Of these, the guest hall of Kangakuin Temple and the various palaces at Nijo Castle also have verandas on the perimeter. At the guest hall of Kangakuin Temple and the Koshoin of Katsura Imperial Villa, there are only pillars on the outside of the entrance veranda, but no fixtures. At the back of the Tosaburai and Daihiroma of Nijo Castle, mairado and shoji screens are erected between the outer pillars, bringing the veranda inside the building. The Nakashoin of Katsura Imperial Villa originally had no fittings on the outside, but later shoji screens were placed between the pillars and sliding shutters were added to the outside of the pillars. The front side of the great hall and Kuroshoin of Nijo Castle originally had sliding shoji screens and shutters on the outside of the pillars, but now it has the same style as the Nakashoin of Katsura Imperial Villa. Furthermore, of these, the New Palace of Katsura Imperial Villa, which was built the latest, had shoji screens set up between the pillars from the start and shutters running through to the outside of the pillars. As mentioned above, in the first half of the 17th century, there was a change from an open entrance veranda to a veranda that was brought inward. Furthermore, after the Meiji period, the shoji screens set up between the pillars were changed to glass shoji screens.

Structurally, verandas from the Meiji period onwards were added to the main house, and the roof was lowered one level to expose the attic instead of a ceiling. After World War II, houses had less space, and many did not have verandas.

[Hirai Sei]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

日本住宅の建物周囲に巡らした板敷きの通路部分、あるいは庭からの昇降のための板敷き部分。建物内に設けられたものを入側(いりかわ)あるいは入側縁といい、近年は縁側とよんでいる。そのうちで畳敷きのものを縁座敷とよぶこともある。また、建物外周に設けられたものは縁、濡(ぬ)れ縁といい、通常床(ゆか)が内部より一段下がっているので落ち縁ともいう。これらの分類のほかに板の張り方によって、短辺方向に幅30センチメートルほどの広い板を張った木口(こぐち)縁、長手方向に幅10センチメートルほどの長い板を張った榑縁(くれえん)、板の間を透かせて張り、水はけをよくした簀子(すのこ)縁などの区別がある。

　歴史的にみると、縁は建物の床が板敷きになってから発生した。外周についた縁の例は奈良時代の住宅の遺構である法隆寺東院伝法堂の場合がもっとも早く、伊勢(いせ)神宮本殿や大嘗宮(だいじょうきゅう)正殿にその形式が伝えられている。建物内に設けられるようになるのは中世からである。典型的な例は園城寺(おんじょうじ)勧学院客殿、二条城二の丸御殿遠侍(とおさぶらい)、大広間、黒書院、桂(かつら)離宮の古書院、中書院、新御殿などにみられる。これらのうち勧学院客殿、二条城の諸御殿には外周の縁もつけられている。勧学院客殿と桂離宮古書院では、入側縁の外側は柱が立っているだけで建具はない。二条城の遠侍や大広間の背面では外側の柱間に舞良戸(まいらど)と障子を立て、縁側を建物内部に取り込んでいる。桂離宮の中書院では、初め外側に建具はなかったが、のちに柱間に障子が入れられ、柱の外側に引通しの雨戸がつけられた。二条城の大広間、黒書院の表側は、初め柱の外側に引通しの障子と雨戸が用いられていたが、現在は桂離宮の中書院と同様の形式である。また、これらのうちでもっとも後につくられた桂離宮新御殿では最初から柱間に障子を立て、柱の外側に雨戸を引き通す形式である。以上のように、17世紀前半に吹き放しの入側縁から内部に取り込まれた縁側に変化している。さらに明治期以後に柱間に立てられた障子がガラス障子に変わった。

　明治期以後の縁側は、構造からみると主屋に付加されていて、屋根も一段下げてさしかけ、天井を張らずに屋根裏をみせるのが常である。第二次世界大戦後は住宅の面積に余裕がなく、縁側のない家が多い。

［平井　聖］

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