Nightingale floor

Nightingale floors use nails to make a chirping noise under pressure

Nightingale floors, or uguisubari (鴬張り) , were floors designed to make a chirping sound when walked upon. These floors were used in the hallways of some temples and palaces, the most famous example being Nijo Castle, in Kyoto, Japan. Dry boards naturally creak under pressure, but these floors were designed so that the flooring nails rubbed against a jacket or clamp, causing chirping noises. The squeaking floors were used as a security device, assuring that none could sneak through the corridors undetected.

The "nightingale" in the English name refers to the Japanese bush warbler, or uguisu. This is a type of bushtit or nightingale native to Japan.

Construction

Made from dried boards. Upside-down V-shaped joints move within the boards when pressure is applied.

Etymology

The first character (鴬) is read as uguisu and refers to the Japanese bush-warbler. 張り is read as bari, which comes from 張る haru meaning to stretch. Together this means "the sound of a Nightingale from the stretching/swelling/straining [of the floor]".

Examples

The following locations incorporate nightingale floors:

• Nijo Castle, Kyoto
• Chion-in, Kyoto
• Eikan-dō Zenrin-ji, Kyoto
• Daikaku-ji, Kyoto

Modern Influences and Related Topics

• Melody Road in Hokkaido, Wakayama, and Gunma.
• Singing Road in Anyanag, Gyeonggi South Korea.
• Civic Musical Road in Lancaster, California

External links

• Information, photos and video-clip of Nightingale floors
• Kyoto Travel: Nijo Castle
• Kansai Council page on special features in Japanese architecture (has audio clips of nightingale floors)
• Across The Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn

References

A-Z Animals. "Uguisi" under "Animals". (2008). accessed November 3, 2012. http://a-z-animals.com/animals/uguisu/.

Bunt, Jonathan and Gillian Hall, ed. Oxford Beginner’s Japanese Dictionary. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Henshall, Kenneth G. A Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters. Vermont: Tuttle Publishing Company, 1998.

Japan-guide.com. “Nijo Castle (Nihojo)” under “Kyoto Travel: Nijo Castle” (June 11, 2012). accessed November 3, 2012. http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3918.html.

Saiga-Jp.com. “Japanese Kanji Dictionary” under “Japanese Learning” (March 7, 2012). accessed November 4, 2012. http://www.saiga-jp.com/kanji_dictionary.html.

ZenGarden.org. “Nightingale Floor, ‘Uguisu-bari’( 鴬張り )” (2012). accessed September 24, 2012. http://www.zen-garden.org/html/page_nightingalefloor.html.