Interior

Do you know what “ハレ(Hare)” and “ケ(Ke)” are?

　“ハレ(Hare)” is an expression for extraordinary events, such as weddings and funerals.

　“ケ(Ke)” is an expression for everyday life.

Japanese traditional houses that incorporate this concept are considered very functional.

(For more information on “Hare” and “Ke”, please refer to “Investigation and Rebuilding of Old Japanese Houses” by Kosei Kawakami). )

The interior layout of the house consists of a ceremony table, entrance, front hall, great hall, altar room, front inner parlor, back inner parlor, tea room, etc. The front two levels are the “ハレ(Hare)” space, and the back one is the “ケ(Ke)” space.

The building is about 400m2 with a frontage of 20m and a half and a depth of 22m. It has an almost square plan, with a three-row, three-tiered two-story gabled tiled roof on all four sides of the main building, and a one-and-a-half-bay shed mainly on the dirt floor and edge.

Floor Plan of "ハレ（Hare)"

Entranceway and street dirt concrete

On the right side of the building, open the normal entrance, and when you enter, you will find a spacious street with a width of 3m and a depth of 18m. On the left-side of the floor, thick zelkova trees（欅）and thick lacquer-coated giramon (指鴨居) with a height of less than 60 cm run in a straight line, creating a deep and unique space.

Shikidai（式台）

On the left side of the front entrance, there is a 5.5m wide Shikidai（式台）entrance, and in front of the tatami hall, there is a about 4.5m Shikidai that goes along stepping stones from the garden. Both sides are approximately 2.7m, dirt floor in front, a Kunugiishi stone（沓脱石） in the center, an approximately 1.8m deep zelkova edge, and a lacquered ceiling. The coffered ceiling is painted. Here, various visitors have taken memorable photos.

　（Click here for old photos：こちら）

Front hall(前広間）

The hall adjacent to the entranceway has a unique structure with a flat roof around all four sides, but with the beam members placed one level higher and with a sliding screen between the beams. This is thought to be not only for design, but also to prevent structural weakness due to the concentration of holes in the pillars. In addition, the fittings used to partition a hall are generally lacquered obi-do (sliding doors) to create a solid atmosphere, but in the case of the Hamamoto family, sliding doors with a middle opening are used to soften the interior space in consideration of lighting.

It is said that the cypress used for the construction of the Ise Jingu Shrine was used for the ceiling panel of the ceiling in the front hall.

View of the Okunohosomichi Japanese garden from the front hall toward the front inner parlor.

Great hall

The beams on the upper part of the atrium are made of materials of the same size and curvature and are coated with lacquer. It has a unique structure with shoji windows on the second floor above the beams, and the ceiling is a coffered ceiling with black lacquer and a gold leaf surface.

　Old wall clock; 掛け時計

Inner parlor

The front inner parlor consists of a front tatami room of 12.5 tatami mats and an back inner parlor (奥座敷：Okuzashiki）of 10 tatami mats with a floor, a different shelf, and a study room. In addition, in the left corner of the front, there is a four-and-a-half tatami mat tea room for entertaining guests.

The design of the alcove and the study room is also innovative, and precious wood is used for the materials, and the highest quality lacquer is applied. The fusuma and shoji screens are made using the best of the techniques of joiners and Kyoto craftsmen. A transom and a rare transom with a painting of yellowtail on pure silk are inlaid.

The ceiling is also lacquered with black lacquer around the rim and neck, and a 2-shaku wide Yakusugi ceiling board is attached.

All the members of each room are made of high-quality wood that has been thoroughly dried without cracks, smooth carpentry with a smooth plane finish, and a high-quality lacquer finish that shines like a mirror.

(Commentary: Professor Yukio Ueno, Toyama International College of Professional Arts)

（解説：富山国際職藝学院教授　上野幸夫）