Nightingale Floor - Uguisubari (鴬張り)

A welcome sound
To hear the birds sing
across the nightingale floor

鳥を聞く
歓迎すべき音
鴬張りを渡る

-I have had the distinct pleasure of walking over the nightingale floor at Nijo Castle in Kyoto. Having read the Tales of the Otori "Across The Nightingale Floor" I was well prepared for the experience. Of course as I walked over it I had visions of Ninja's dancing in my head. Naturally I tried to walk across it silently... to no avail.

A nightingale floor is designed specifically for security reasons. The floorboards of a hallway are designed to squeak as you walk across it. The nails for the floor boards pass through a metal clip. As you walk on them the floors chirp like a bird. (Thus the clever name!) Therefore, alerting the occupants of the adjacent room of your approach. You can read more about the floor by clicking here. You can have a listen to the floor by clicking here. The person recording the clip was maybe a little excessive in the amount of squeaking.....

Nijo Castle was the Kyoto residence of the Tokugawa Shogunate. Started by the 1st Tokugawa shogun in 1601, Tokugawa Ieyasu, it was finished by the Tokugawa Shogun, Iemitsu, in 1626. Read More about the Castle and its history by clicking here.

-This photo was taken from the base of the ruins of the Castle's main Donjon. The Donjon was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. It is common in Japanese landmarks that photographs are not allowed in the enclosed (Inside) portions of the buildings. Everything else is fair game. Fortunately because of the open floor designs, most of the building can be photographed. Unfortunately, the area in Nijo Castle with the nightingale floor is off limits.





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