fukijiku 葺軸

The part of a lotus-petal base, *rengeza 蓮華座, for a Buddhist image into which the lotus petals, *renben 蓮弁, are inserted. The fukijiku itself is shaped like a dish with holes in it and is placed below the center of the lotus, *renniku 蓮肉. It is usually not visible as it is concealed by the petals. The fukijiku was used in the Nara and early Heian periods, but after the mid-Heian period, the lotus petals were usually inserted directly into the renniku and the fukijiku was omitted.