Higashimuro 東室

The east dormitory for Buddhist priests at Hōryūji 法隆寺 in Nara. It is located in the west precinct Saiin 西院, and has nine, two-bay quarters built between 729-49. It was remodeled in 1121 and many of the old timbers were reused. By careful examination of these old timbers, the original building's age can be placed at ca mid-8th century. The present building is 12 × 4 bays, 35.54 m × 10.33 m, and the four-bay front facade is attached to the rear of the *Shōryōin 聖霊院 (1284). The single story, gabled roof *kirizuma-zukuri 切妻造, is covered with tile roofing *hongawarabuki 本瓦葺, and has single eaves *hitonoki 一軒, boat-shaped brackets *funahijiki 舟肘木, and widely spaced rafters *mabaradaruki 疎垂木. In 1959-61 the building was dismantled, repaired, and reconstructed as closely as possible to its original form. Each room is two-bays wide and parallels the ridge. The center of the two rooms form the core in the four-bay wide structure. Because there are solid walls between these compartments, the structure is called a 'closed style'. There are one-bay aisles *hisashi 廂 on the east and west sides. The east aisle is divided into a single 1 × 1 bay room, called 'back chamber' kōshitsu 後室, with doors to the north. The remaining bay to the south is a passageway, closed on one side by plank doors, and has vertical muntin windows *renjimado 連子窓. The west aisle is an open length of two bays with outer and inner entrances in the south bay. Originally, the floor was earthen. The distance between the two dormitories changed when the south part of the Higashimuro was converted into the Shōryōin. The Higashimuro is considered to have been the living quarters for high ranking priests while their attending monks occupied the *Tsumamuro 妻室. The Higashimuro had a low ceiling and a plank floor. The rooms must have been rather dark even with the doors open. Little light would come through the spaces between the vertical muntins. The main room was for sleeping and the small back chamber for reading and study.