Page:Brinkley - Japan - Volume 2.djvu/84

 bamboo blinds hung round it, and was closed by latticed shutters swinging on hinges, which could be raised so as to form a kind of awning in fine weather, but, when lowered, rendered the room dark and gloomy. In the houses of the Zen monks sliding shutters covered with thin white paper, possessing the peculiar translucidity of unglazed paper made from rice-straw, were substituted for bamboo blinds, and the hanging lattices were either retained, or replaced by wooden doors which could be slid, along a groove and thus removed altogether during the day. There resulted a chamber immensely improved in the matter of light, warmth, and privacy, for although the papered doors gave free passage to light, they effectually concealed from outside observation everything within. Another feature borrowed from the Zen monasteries was an alcove. This consisted of a recessed space, on one side of which a sacred picture could be hung or a Buddhist image placed, to serve as an object for contemplation while practising the rite of abstraction; on the other side, a cupboard above and a cupboard below, separated by a shelf, were used for writing materials, books, and incense utensils. In its original form the alcove was unpretentious, being destined simply to serve the purposes just mentioned. But its decorative capabilities soon obtained recognition. Rare woods were sought for its ground slab and its shelves; curious timbers for its pillars, and pictures by great artists or rich