The Borders of Shindenzukuri: "Inside" and "Outside" as Staged by Uchi'ide

Abstract

Shindenzukuri 寝殿造 refers to a form of residential architecture popular in Japan from the tenth through the thirteenth centuries. Shindenzukuri spaces served as important venues for the performance of noble culture, which centered heavily on the emperor. In modern Japan, the term shindenzukuri conjures images of pictures in history textbooks, miniatures in museums, and movies, paintings, or manga which take up topics such as the famous Heian period text Genji monogatari 源氏物語 (The Tale of Genji) as their subject matter. An element of Japanese traditional culture which emerged in the Heian period, shindenzukuri estates are considered emblematic of the ostentatious Heian noble life. The shinden 寝殿 (“dwelling hall”) served as the main building, with tai 対 (wings or subsidiary living quarters) flanking it on the left and right, creating an open-style palace bounded on the outside with greenery and man-made streams. The tsuridono 釣殿 (“fishing pavilion”), izumidono 泉殿, a building built over the source of the garden pond or stream, and tsukiyama 築山, a miniature artificial mountain constructed of sand or stone, served as the stage for imperial court ceremony. As important cultural arenas in the classical and medieval periods, how did shindenzukuri spaces treat the subjects of class and gender? In this paper, I will draw upon preceding research to contemplate anew the question of gender through the lens of uchi’ide 打出, a form of female garment display which took place within shindenzukuri spaces.