LITTLE PAPER HOUSES OF JAPAN
FRAGILE, quaint and full of sunshine and color are the typical houses of
Japan. They are so simple in construction a child might almost build
them, generally only one story in height and always without a cellar,
chimneys, fireplaces, windows, and even without a door. Yet the dainty
abodes are flooded with light and fresh air. How is it managed? Simply
by sliding the entire front of the house to one side, leaving the
building wide open. Often the back walls, too, are opened, and in some
houses the sides also. These cottages are usually part wood and part
paper. It seems strange to think of people actually living in paper
dwellings, but the Japanese understand how to manufacture strong,
durable paper. They delight in making all sorts of paper, from the
tough, well-nigh indestructible kind to the delicate, filmy variety, and
it is adapted to innumerable uses. In Japan people not only build paper
walls, but the very poor wear paper clothing.
We will make our
Japanese House
entirely of paper (Fig. 282). Take medium-weight water-color paper, or
any kind that is stiff enough and not too brittle, cut a piece sixteen
inches long and seventeen inches wide and on it mark the plan of the
large room (Fig. 283). This should measure sixteen inches across the
back from A to A, seventeen inches along the side from A to B, and
thirteen inches across the front from B to C. The back division forms
the foliage and the back of the room, the centre division the roof, and
the front division the front and sides of the room.
[Illustration: Fig. 282.--The little paper house.]
[Illustration: Fig. 283.--Plan of large room.]
No paste is used in making the building; the design is merely cut out,
bent into shape, and fastened together with projecting tongues run
through slits. Cut all the heavy lines, lightly score, then bend all the
dotted lines, except the two immediately across the front of the room at
top and bottom. This front is five inches wide and four and a half
inches high, with two openings in it and a portion extending down in
front to form the little porch. Make a pinhole at each end of the two
lines forming top and bottom of the front of the room A and B, then turn
the paper over and draw a top line and a bottom line across on the wrong
side of the paper from pin-point to pin-point. Score these on the wrong
side of the paper, for they must bend from that side in order to extend
inward from the right side to form the projection of the roof and the
top landing of the veranda. Fasten the room together, then cut out the
floor (Fig. 284), slide it in place and also the steps (Fig. 285),
marking straight lines across the diagram to indicate steps.
[Illustration: Fig. 284.--Floor of large room.]
Build the small room (Fig. 286) in the same way that you made the large
one. Cut it from a piece of paper nine and one-half inches wide and
thirteen and one-half inches long. This room has no floor. When finished
run the tongues extending out on the back of the room through the
remaining four slits at the side of the foliage on the back of the large
room (Fig. 283). Work carefully and you will be fully repaid.
[Illustration: Fig. 285.--The steps.]
Paint the roof of each room in little black squares with white markings
between to represent black tiling. Paint the outside of the house
yellow, the back wall of the large room pale blue, the floor light
brown. Paint the back of the small room mottled green and pink. Make a
band of light blue edged with black across the outside top of the front
opening and a red band across the bottom. Let the projecting veranda be
yellow, with vines across the lower part. Edge the openings of the large
room with two narrow bands, one purple the other black, and mark black
lines from side to side crossed with lines running from top to bottom
to form a lattice-like work on the side of the smaller opening (Fig.
282).
[Illustration: Fig. 286.--Plan of small room.]
The sides of the house are supposed to be formed of paper-covered
screens which slide in grooves and may be removed entirely when
desired. The interior of a real Japanese house is divided into rooms
merely by the use of sliding paper screens, and the entire floor may
readily be thrown into one large apartment, there being no solid
partitions as in our houses. Cut out flat round paper lanterns, paint
them with the gayest of colors and make the small top and bottom bands
black; then with needle and thread fasten the lanterns along the top
front of the large opening of the small room (Fig. 282).
You need not be concerned in the least about furnishing the little
house: it does not need any furniture, for the Japanese have no stoves,
chairs, tables, knives or forks, carpets, bedsteads, washstands,
bookcases, desks, framed pictures, nor any comforts like ours.
The Floors
are covered with clean, thick, soft matting rugs and are just the place
for girls and boys to play, and have a good time running about in their
stocking feet, for in Japan people always take off their shoes before
entering a house and everyone goes either stocking-footed or barefooted
when indoors, so the floor-mats are kept free from dust.
Of course, men, women, and children all sit on the floor; and when
Breakfast is Ready
the floor is set instead of a table, and each person receives his own
little lacquer tray placed on the floor, or on a low wooden stool, with
the individual portion of rice in a delicate china bowl, pale tea in
dainty teacups and shredded or diced raw fish in china a queen might
envy. On the tray are also a pair of ivory chopsticks, which even a
little child can manage skilfully, in place of the spoon, knife, or
fork that our girls or boys would use. The Japanese do not have bread,
butter, milk, or coffee, and never any meat, but they cultivate a
mammoth radish which is cut up, pickled and eaten with relish. For
dinner they take pale tea, rice, and fish, and for supper fish, pale
tea, and rice. Often the fish is cooked, sweetmeats are served and
pickled radish also, but frequently the breakfast consists of merely a
bowl of cold rice. These unique people do not seem to think or care much
about their food; many times they deny themselves a meal that they may
spend the money on a feast of flowers in some garden where they can
enjoy gazing upon masses of exquisite cherry blossoms, chrysanthemums,
or other flowers. No nation in the world loves flowers more than the
Japanese, and none can rival them in the beautiful arrangement of their
blossoms.
When night comes the natives
Never Go to Bed,
for there are no beds. Soft silk or cotton comforts are brought to each
person, and the people roll themselves up in the comforts and sleep any
place they wish on the floor, using little wooden or lacquer benches for
pillows; usually these have a roll of soft paper on the top, making them
a little more comfortable. Take a comfort and try sleeping on the floor
with some books under your head and you will know how it feels to sleep
in Japanese style.
Every Japanese house should have its
Fenced-in Garden.
Make your fence of paper cut according to Fig. 287, and mark the pattern
(Fig. 288) on it with two tones of yellow paint. Paint the convex top of
the gate-way a bright red with narrow black border, and mark the white
gate-posts with black Japanese lettering like Fig. 289. Paint the
remaining portions of the gate-way yellow, the edges black. Fig. 282
will help you to grasp the idea of the fence and gate-way. The names of
the streets are not on the corners as in our cities, so a panel of white
wood is nailed to the gate-posts with both the name of the street and
householder on it, and often a charm sign is added.
[Illustration: Fig. 287.--Fence and gate-way.]
[Illustration: Fig. 288.--Draw this pattern on the fence.]
Put up the fence by slipping the upper tongues on each end through the
slit on the outside front edge of each room, then sliding the lower
tongues of the fence through the lower outside edges of rooms and
porches (Fig. 282).
[Illustration: Fig. 289.--Signs for gate-posts.]
Both boys and girls have fine times in Japan, and they are as happy as
the day is long. On the fifth day of the fifth month the boys reign
supreme, and their relatives and friends vie with each other in their
endeavors to render the day a happy one for the little fellows. All
Japan is alive and anxious to celebrate the occasion. Quaint flags in
the shape of enormous fish swim in the air and float over the towns,
forming bright masses of color. Every home that is blessed with one or
more boys displays a fish banner for each son, the younger the child the
larger the fish, and the proudest house is the one that can boast of the
greatest number of fish flying from its bamboo pole. Every Japanese
boy's birthday is celebrated on this day with great rejoicing, no matter
at what time of the year he was born.
[Illustration: Fig. 290.--Upper half of koi.]
[Illustration: Fig. 291.--Under half of koi.]
[Illustration: Fig. 292.--The koi--emblem of undaunted determination.]
[Illustration: Fig. 293.--Boy's birthday pole.]
Make
Several Fish
for the pole to be placed in front of the little paper house; they look
very comical, bobbing and swinging high in air with their wide-open
mouths. Cut Fig. 290 of white tissue-paper, also Fig. 291, which is a
trifle larger than the first and is slashed along three edges. Lay Fig.
290 on top of Fig. 291; bend the flaps over and paste them on Fig. 290.
Form a little hoop of a strip of stiff paper with the ends pasted
together; blow the fish open, then paste the hoop on the inside of the
open edge of the head to form its immense mouth. When dry mark the fish
with red paint like Fig. 292. Tie a thread on the two opposite sides of
the mouth and with another thread attach the loop to a slender stick on
the end of which you have fastened a gold disk made of two pieces of
gilt paper. This is intended to represent the rice ball with which the
real fish are fed. The fish banners are hollow so that the wind may fill
them, causing the fish to rise and fall as the breeze comes and goes.
Push the end of your fish-pole through the centre of a small box-lid or
button mould (Fig. 293) and stand the decoration outside the gate-way of
the little house. The fish used on this eventful day are the famous
carp, which the natives call _koi_, the unconquerable. The Japanese carp
stands for good cheer, indomitable will, perseverance and fortitude, and
it is used to impress these virtues upon the boys, but all the good
qualities named are fully as necessary for girls even though the
Japanese do not mention the fact, but girls are not forgotten. The
nation gives them the third day of the third month for their festival.
It is called the
"Feast of Dolls,"
and is a gala day for little girls. Dolls and gorgeously dressed images,
representing the Mikado, nobles, and ladies, are brought out and placed
on exhibition, along with beautiful jars containing queer little trees
and rare vases filled with flowers. The day is made a joyous one and a
day long to be remembered by the little girls.
[Illustration: Fig. 294. Pattern of kago.]
There are no sidewalks in Japan, the pavements being laid lengthwise
through the centre of the streets, and on this path people stroll or
hurry along. Mingled with the others are the Japanese laboring men,
called coolies, carrying between them
The Kago,
which swings from a pole the ends of which rest on the men's shoulders.
The _kago_ is a sort of canopied hammock chair. You can easily fashion a
tiny one from paper and straw. Cut Fig. 294 of stiff paper, make it
three inches long and at the broadest part an inch and a quarter wide.
Paint the _kago_ yellow, and to form the framework sew on each end a
piece of heavy broom straw, jointed grass, or straw which has been
limbered by soaking, and cut a piece six and three-quarter inches long
for each side. Bring the side straws together beyond each end and bind
them (Fig. 295). Then hunt up a slender round stick six inches long and
sew the _kago_ on it by means of thread loops at each end (Fig. 296).
Make the canopy of a piece of stiff paper three and one-half inches long
and two and one-quarter inches wide, paint it yellow, and with stitches
only at each end sew it firmly on the pole over the seat of the _kago_
(Fig. 297).
[Illustration: Fig. 295.--Bind the edges of the kago with grass or straw
like this to make the frame.]
[Illustration: Fig. 296.--Tie the kago to the pole.]
[Illustration: Fig. 297.--Sew the top on over the pole.]
[Illustration: Fig. 298.--The little lady rides in her kago.]
Either buy a little
Japanese Umbrella
or make one of a disk of green tissue-paper folded and crimped from
centre to edge. Use a heavy broom straw for the handle and lighter ones
for the ribs; stick them in, gluing them only to the centre, which is
now the top of the umbrella; wind the top of the umbrella, the ribs, and
the handle firmly together with black thread. The umbrella will not open
but looks well closed. Place a tied bundle of red tissue-paper and the
green umbrella on top of the yellow _kago_ and fasten them securely in
place with black thread (Fig. 298). Fold a piece of soft,
lavender-colored material on the seat of the _kago_ as a comfort for the
doll to sit on; then fit in a little Japanese doll or any kind of doll
dressed and painted to resemble a little Jap. The doll's head should
reach up, or almost up, to the canopy. Pull part of the comfort over the
doll and fasten her snugly up in a sitting position. Make a gay paper
fan and attach it to one of the doll's hands, and the little lady will
be ready to go on her journey.