YOKKAICHI MUNICIPAL MUSEUM


Pit House 3210

This is a replica of a pit house in Kurube. It measures 5.4 meters vertically and 4.7 meters horizontally. As the name indicates, pit houses were dwellings that were dug into the ground, supported by wooden posts on the sides to prevent the mud walls from crumbling. The wooden ceiling was reinforced by robust pillars and served as a kind of lid to protect the inhabitants. The roof was thatched with an opening to let smoke out. Pit houses continued to be the typical dwellings of people in the region for about 1000 years until the twelfth century.