During the Second World War, this courtyard was destroyed and subsequently rebuilt by the Japanese invaders and played the role of a temporary wartime prison. The new building was quite special, as a single-sloping roof with lower eaves faced the outside. Although surrounded by natural beauty, the yard was enclosed by high walls and deep shadows, and as the only place which received any light, the circling houses were shrouded in darkness. After the war, the government returned the house to its original owners. The house became a prison, and the prison turned back into a home.