is a type of audience hall in Japanese architecture that was developed during the

Muromachi period The is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate (''Muromachi bakufu'' or ''Ashikaga bakufu''), which was officially established in 1338 by t ...

. The term originally meant a study and a place for lectures on the

sūtra ''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an ap ...

within a temple, but later it came to mean just a drawing room or study.Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version From this room takes its name the ''

shoin-zukuri is a style of Japanese residential architecture used in the mansions of the military, temple guest halls, and Zen abbot's quarters of the Muromachi (1336－1573), Azuchi–Momoyama (1568–1600) and Edo periods (1600–1868). It forms the basi ...

'' style. In a shoin-zukuri building, the ''shoin'' is the ''zashiki'', a tatami-room dedicated to the reception of guests. The emerging architecture of the Muromachi period was subsequently influenced by the increasing use and appearance of ''shoin''. One of the most noticeable changes in architecture to arise from the ''shoin'' came from the practice of lining their floors with

tatami mat A is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. Tatamis are made in standard sizes, twice as long as wide, about 0.9 m by 1.8 m depending on the region. In martial arts, tatami are the floor used for train ...

s. Since ''tatami'' mats have a standardized size the floor plans for ''shoin'' rooms had to be developed around the proportions of the ''tatami'' mat; this in turn affected the proportions of doors, the height of rooms, and other aspects of the structure. Before the ''shoin'' popularized the practice of lining floors with ''tatami'' mats it had been standard to only bring out a single ''tatami'' mat for the highest-ranking person in the room to sit on. The architecture surrounding and influenced by the ''shoin'' quickly developed many other distinguishing features. Since the guests sat on the floor instead of on furniture, they were positioned at a lower vantage point than their Chinese counterparts who were accustomed to using furniture. This lower vantage point generated such developments as the suspended ceilings which functioned to make the room feel less expansive, and also resulted in the ceilings rafters being no longer visible as they were in China. The new suspended ceilings also allowed for more elaborate decoration, resulting in many highly ornate suspended ceilings in addition to the much simpler ones. Another characteristic development to arise from the lower vantage point were the ''

tokonoma A , or simply , is a recessed space in a Japanese-style reception room, in which items for artistic appreciation are displayed. In English, a could be called an alcove. History There are two theories about the predecessor of : the first is ...

'' and ''chigaidana''. The ''tokonoma'' was an elevated recess built into the wall to create a space for displaying the

Chinese art Chinese art is visual art that originated in or is practiced in China, Greater China or by Chinese artists. Art created by Chinese residing outside of China can also be considered a part of Chinese art when it is based in or draws on Chinese ...

which was popular at the time at a comfortable eye level. The ''chigaidana'', or "staggered shelves", were shelving structures built into the ''tokonoma'' to display smaller objects. Occurring at the same time as the development of the ''shoin'' architecture, the ''

fusuma In Japanese architecture, are vertical rectangular panels which can slide from side to side to redefine spaces within a room, or act as doors. They typically measure about wide by tall, the same size as a ''tatami'' mat, and are thick. The ...

'', or "sliding doors", were becoming a popular means to divide rooms. As a result, columns began to be created that were square-shaped to accommodate the sliding doors. The asymmetry of the ''tokonoma'' and ''chigaidana'' pair, as well as the squared pillars differentiated the ''shoin'' design with the Chinese design at the time which preferred symmetric pairs of furniture and round pillars. Soon after its advent ''shoin'' architecture became associated with these evolving elements as it became the predominant format for formal gathering rooms.

References

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