the ceremonial tea-parties take place. High fences, either of board or bamboo, or solid walls of mud or tile with stone foundations, surround the house or inclose it from the street. Low rustic fences border the gardens in the suburbs. Gateways of various styles, some of imposing design, form the entrances; as a general thing they are either rustic and light, or formal and massive.
Whatever is commonplace in the appearance of the house is toward the street, while the artistic and picturesque face is turned toward the garden, which may be at one side or in the rear of the house—usually in the rear. Within these plain and unpretentious houses there are often to be seen marvels of exquisite carving and the perfection of cabinet work; and surprise follows surprise as one becomes more fully acquainted with the interior finish of these curious and remarkable dwellings.
The framework of an ordinary Japanese dwelling is simple and primitive in structure; it consists of a number of upright beams which run from the ground to the transverse beams and inclines of the roof above. The vertical framing is held together either by short strips, which are let into appropriate notches in the uprights to which the bamboo lathing is fixed, or by longer strips of wood, which pass
Fig. 2.—Pounding down Foundation-stones.
through mortises in the uprights, and are firmly keyed or pinned into place (Fig. 1). In larger houses these uprights are held in position by a framework near the ground. There is no cellar or excavation beneath the house, nor is there a continuous stone foundation as with us. The uprights rest directly, and without attachment, upon single uncut
