Engawa
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An engawa or en is an edging strip of non-tatami-matted flooring in Japanese architecture, usually wood or bamboo. The en may run around the rooms, on the outside of the building, in which case they f
A Meiji era engawa bearing a resemblance to a veranda, with people for scale. Note the slope of the ground under the engawa, and the traditional stone step.
Engawa, with sliding glass doors outside, and yukimi shōji (shōji with both paper and glass panes) inside. The solid wood amado leaning up against the corner is a storm shutter, and is usually stored away.
A temple in Kyoto with, from top to bottom, hiro-en, ochi-en, and nure'en. Note that part of the hiro-en is enclosed. Drainage provision is obvious.
Mawari-en, an en which continues all around the building
Tsubo-niwa
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A tsubo-niwa is a type of very small garden in Japan. Tsubo-niwa have been described as "quasi-indoor gardens", and are a key feature of some traditional Japanese homes, such as the machiya. They are
Engawa
…of tatami-floored rooms, with a hard-floored en running outside it. En looking onto a courtyard, illustration c. 1130 Low kirime-en running around a tsubo-niwa courtyard, 2012 After rain; the eaves have kept the en mostly dry, and the en has kept the foundations of the house quite dry. Cultural role Engawa are…
A tsubo-niwa is meant to be seen from indoors. Note sliding glass doors.
Straight-on view of the same garden. Note shitaji or renji windows, water basins, lanterns, and shade-loving plantings, including ferns, Soleirolia soleirolii, and a moss lawn.
The courtyard garden of a former geisha house (okiya) in Kanazawa, Ishikawa. The trees are covered with straw to protect them from the snow.
Courtiers around a tsubo-niwa, illustration from The Tale of Genji, Heian period (c. 1130)