Page:Brinkley - Japan - Volume 2.djvu/82

 as they were called—there is little to be added to what has already been written on this subject with regard to the Heian epoch. Conspicuous progress was subsequently made in the matter of interior decoration, but of that it will be necessary to speak elsewhere.

Military residences, however, presented some special features. Their general character aimed at simplicity. There were two enclosures, each surrounded by a strong boarded fence. A fosse encircled the whole. Outer and inner gate alike were "two footed," and the latter had sometimes flanking watch-towers. These gates seldom carried roofs, though an occasional exception was made in favour of a roof covered with earth to a depth of some inches. Within both gates were places of arms, where various weapons stood ranged, and inside the second gate there was a kind of vestibule for depositing foot-gear. Archery ranges and ball courts were provided, but the residence itself was small and plain. It comprised a hall having a dais with a lacquered chair for distinguished persons, a women's apartment, a servants' room, and a kitchen. The heating apparatus was a hearth sunk in the floor, and all the household utensils were kept in a cupboard. It was the policy of Yoritomo and the Hōjō Vice-gerents to encourage a plain style of living. The outer fence of the great Hōjō Yasutoki's mansion being in a state of decay, his officers wished to build an embankment, but he withheld his