Study on space composition of folk houses in Okinawa and the East China SEA area (2)

Abstract

We surveyed folk houses in Okinawa and Taiwan in 1986, this year we focused on folk houses in Foochow, Chuanchou and Amoy of Fukien Province. Foochow located at the estuary of the Min River, abounds in trees and it is not windy there. Many houses of this city are wooden Sangoin roofed with the grey-black tiles on rafters. In Chuanchou and Amoy of South Min district, however, folk houses are bricks and loam wall and their roofs are covered thickly with unglazed red tiles. The style and the environment of these houses are same as those in P'eng-hu Liehtao and south west area of Taiwan. It is a natural phenomenon, because most immigrants to Taiwan came from Chuanchou and Chang-chou after Min era. While, Ryukyu developed rapidly after trade with Min had started in the 14th century, and the contribution of 36 clans who came to Ryukyu in 1392 was helpful for this development. At that time, Chuanchou had close relation both with Taiwan and Ryukyu. It is thought that 36 clans, 40 percent of whom were from Chuanchou and Chang-chou, and their descendants influenced politics, economy, and culture of Ryukyu. For example, the feature of architectural composition that a gate, hinpun and an altar of nibanza lining up on the central axis of rectangle site surrounded with stonewall is common among Chinese folk houses. Nibanza is equivalent to altar room of Sangoin and resembles closely to that of South Min district in those points, the color and the shape of rectangular frame on the altar, and also the color, material and manufacturing method of roof tiles. It also adopted Japanese common style which is open-style wooden house with a hipped roof and deep eaves surrounded by a wind break. That is, the folk house of Okinawa established its own style combining Japanese culture and South Min culture. But this compound culture did not bloom in Amami Islands that came to be under the control of the Satsuma clan at the beginning of the 17th century, so the style and the material of folk houses of these islands are different. South Min culture spread over Fukien, west part of Taiwan, Sakizima Islands and Okinawa Islands, all of which are in the same latitude and it ended at Okinawa main island as the northern border.