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==Vernacular Homes==
==Vernacular Homes==
[[File:Mutuya.jpg|right|thumb|320px|A village headman's home (''mûtuyaa'') at Ocean Expo Park. The ''hinpun'' (in this case in dark stone) is visible within the opening in the stone wall, blocking direct view of the house and protecting it from evil spirits.]]
[[File:Okinawan-home.jpg|right|thumb|320px|The bare wooden-floored ''ita-no-ma'' of a typical Okinawan home, with hearth in the far corner, and a glimpse of the kitchen off to the left. Display at the Okinawa Prefectural Museum.]]
[[File:Okinawan-home.jpg|right|thumb|320px|The bare wooden-floored ''ita-no-ma'' of a typical Okinawan home, with hearth in the far corner, and a glimpse of the kitchen off to the left. Display at the Okinawa Prefectural Museum.]]
Okinawan homes are typically one-story structures built in wood, with red pottery roof tiles, and surrounded by white limestone walls. Sections of the wall are left open to allow for access, and for breezes to pass through; rather than being wide open, however, the entrance opening in the wall is blocked with a stone section called ''hinpun'',<ref>屏風 or simply ヒンプン. Though written with the same [[kanji|characters]] as ''[[byobu|byôbu]]'' - the standard Japanese term for a folding screen, which also could be said to serve to block wind - ''hinpun'' takes its name from an approximation of the Chinese reading of those characters: ''píngfēng''.</ref> which provides privacy for the family (preventing passersby on the street from seeing directly into the home), and is said to block the entry of evil spirits. A pair of ''[[shisa]]'' (lion-dogs), typically in ceramic, are placed atop the roof or on either side of the gate, also in order to protect the home from evil spirits.
Okinawan homes are typically one-story structures built in wood, with red pottery roof tiles, and surrounded by white limestone walls. Sections of the wall are left open to allow for access, and for breezes to pass through; rather than being wide open, however, the entrance opening in the wall is blocked with a stone section called ''hinpun'',<ref>屏風 or simply ヒンプン. Though written with the same [[kanji|characters]] as ''[[byobu|byôbu]]'' - the standard Japanese term for a folding screen, which also could be said to serve to block wind - ''hinpun'' takes its name from an approximation of the Chinese reading of those characters: ''píngfēng''.</ref> which provides privacy for the family (preventing passersby on the street from seeing directly into the home), and is said to block the entry of evil spirits. A pair of ''[[shisa]]'' (lion-dogs), typically in ceramic, are placed atop the roof or on either side of the gate, also in order to protect the home from evil spirits.