650 



THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



old, and other frame structures of a larger size and of far greater age, 

 which presented no visible signs of weakness. Indeed, it is a very- 

 unusual sight to see a broken-backed roof in Japan. 



Diagonal bracing in the framework of a building is never seen. 

 Sometimes, however, the uprights in a weak frame are supported by- 

 braces running from the ground at an acute angle, and held in place 

 by wooden pins. Outside diagonal braces are sometimes met with 

 as an ornamental feature. In the province of Ise one often sees a 

 brace or bracket made out of an unhewed piece of timber, generally 

 the proximal portion of some big branch. This is fastened to an up- 

 right, and appears to be a brace to hold up the end of a horizontal 

 beam that projects beyond the eaves. These braces, however, are not 

 even notched into the upright, but held in place by square wooden 

 pins, and are of little use as a support for the building, though answer- 

 ing well to hold fishing-rods and other long poles, which find here con- 

 venient lodgment (Fig. 7). 



The framework of a building is often revealed in the room in a 

 way that would delight the heart of an Eastlake. Irregularities in the 



form of a stick are not looked upon 

 as a hindrance in the construction 

 of a building. From the way such 

 crooked beams are brought into 

 use, one is led to believe that the 

 builder prefers them. The desire 

 for rustic effects leads to the selec- 

 tion of odd-shaped timber. Fig. 

 4 represents the end of a room, 

 wherein is seen a crooked cross- 

 piece passing through a central 

 upright, which sustains the ridge- 

 pole. 



As the rooms are made in sizes 

 coiTcsponding to the number of 

 mats they are to contain, the beams, 

 uprights, rafters, flooring - boards, 

 boards for the ceiling, and all strips 

 are got out in sizes to accommodate 

 these various dimensions. The di- 

 mensions of the mats from one end 

 of the empire to the other are approximately three feet wide and 

 six feet long ; and these are fitted compactly on the floor. The archi- 

 tect marks on his plan the number of mats each room is to contain — 

 this number defining the size of the room ; hence, the lumber used 

 must be of definite lengths, and the carpenter is sure to find these 

 lengths at the lumber-yard. It follows from this that but little waste 

 occurs in the construction of a Japanese house. 



Fio. 7.— Outside Brace. 



