Amami architecture

One architectural feature of the Amami region is a structure called Hikimon, in which the pillars on the footing of the floor post pass through the floor and stretch to beams which support the roof. The Hikimon structure has joists and beams that face sideways (used flatly) with large timber, and firmly constructed so that it is sewn/tied together with the pillars. Because the wooden beam is a mechanism (joint) to combine the outer pillars from indoors, there is no waste in the cutting of the timber.
Please take a look under the floor. Even if the house is blown away by a typhoon, it can be reconstructed easily thanks to this device/simple structure.