50 THATCHED ROOFS. Chap. III. 
we examined minutely the manner in which the 
temples were built, and more particularly their 
thatched roofs. The walls were formed of a 
framework of wood nicely fitted and joined, but 
apparently not very massive in construction. This 
was rather extraordinary, owing to the great 
thickness and weight of the framework of the 
roof. No doubt, however, the sides were strong 
enough to support the roof, heavy though it was. 
All the roofs of the temples were thatched with a 
reed common to the country, and never, in any 
other part of the world, have I seen such beautiful 
thatching. Indeed this is a subject of admiration 
with every foreigner who visits Japan. On care- 
fully examining the structure of one of these 
buildings, one soon sees the principles on which it 
is put up, and the reasons for its peculiar construc- 
tion. Buildings such as we erect in England 
would be very unsafe in a country like Japan, 
where earthquakes are so common and so violent. 
Hence the main part of a Japanese house is a sort 
of skeleton framework ; every beam is tied or 
fastened to its neighbour ; so that, when the earth 
is convulsed by these fearful commotions, the 
whole building may rock and sway together with- 
out tumbling down. In order to render these 
buildings more secure, it seems necessary to have 
the roof of great strength and weight, and this 
accounts for their heavy and massive structure. 
In the woods of this part of Japan there is a 
very fine elm-tree, called by the Japanese Keaki 
