36 AMAM.OBERLIN.EDU URBAN RESIDENCES: CHŌNIN Urban townspeople, or chōnin 町人, made up 44 percent of the population of Edo but lived on just 18 percent of the land. This meant their districts were densely populated, their residences tightly packed together, and their surroundings bustling and noisy. The dirt streets could get muddy, but the rain was quickly absorbed, and in Japan the streets were free of the manure or even rotting trash typical in other countries of the era; all of it was hauled off for composting. As much as possible, streets were laid out in a grid system that organized urban residences into blocks. Blocks had streets on all sides, with a large, central open square behind the street-facing buildings. This could be a gathering space in case of fires or earthquakes, but also a quiet retreat, often used for vegetable gardens and shade trees. It also allowed better and cooler airflow from the street side through the buildings. Some residences had smaller open-air courtyards within them called tsubo-niwa 坪庭, which further enhanced the light and airflow. Most plots were long and narrow from the street to the rear square, due to taxes that were levied on the basis of valuable street frontage. For wealthier chōnin, plots could house a single family or a shop with an upstairs residence. For other working people, plots could be subdivided into multiple one-room living spaces, with shared toilets, wells, and public baths. Below: UtagawaHiroshige I 初代目歌川広重 (Japanese, 1797–1858) Act 10, TheRoninDisguisedas PoliceVisit AmagawayaGihei toTest his Loyalty, fromthe series Chūshingura, 1835-39 Color woodblock print (nishiki-e); ink and color on paper Gift of Dr. Eva E. Sandis (OC 1949) in lovingmemory of Edith and Franz Gibian, 2017.14.12 In another scene from the play Chūshingura, we see the front of the merchant’s residence that we saw from the rear in section 12 above. The woman from that print is watching from the background as the rōnin pay a visit to a merchant to test his loyalty. Although the setting is Sakai, near Osaka, the print depicts the tight but orderly streets and buildings also found in Edo. A few details relate to fire control: the rainwater bucket (left foreground), evidence of a rooftop water barrel (upper left), and a ladder for a fire lookout platform (upper right). The large white building is the merchant’s storehouse. These were made with thick walls, thick wooden doors and shutters, tile roofs, andmultiple layers of plaster; they were costly but protected their contents even during big fires. At the right, behind the stray cats, a peddler walks with what looks like a small hut on his shoulder—a portable stall that could be used to prepare all manner of street food. Found throughout cities of the period, such stalls offered an economical alternative to cooking noodles or fish at home, saving fuel by preparing food in bulk.
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