moya

The term "moya" refers to the main room within the shinden, a central building in the shinden-zukuri architectural style of Japan's Heian period (794–1185). This style was influenced by Chinese models and characterized by a central shinden building connected to subsidiary structures by corridors, forming a U-shape around a courtyard.1

The moya itself was not partitioned, with privacy achieved through portable screens. Floors were covered with mats for seating, and the room faced a pond garden. While shinden-zukuri was an early style, later Japanese architecture, such as the shoin style, incorporated features like the shoin desk alcove and shoji paper screens, and the sukiya style emphasized naturalness and rustic simplicity. The tokonoma, an alcove for displaying art, is a feature found in many Japanese rooms, including those in the shoin style.12345