chimaki 粽

The rounded-off top of a pillar. In the daibutsu style *daibutsuyō 大仏様, pillars show a long, gentle, convex curve along the main body. Gradually the pillars narrow at the upper part and are given an almost imperceptible rotund finish. Example: Jōdoji *Jōdodō 浄土寺浄土堂 (1194), Hyōgo Prefecture. In the Zen style *zenshūyō 禅宗様 generally, both top and bottom of pillars are abruptly narrowed and then rounded off. Although the term, chimaki, is immediately associated with either the Zen or daibutsu styles, it was used in the Nara period to describe the top of a pillar that had a rounded chamfer cut on the top. This ancient type of chamfered rounding can be found on the pillars at Tōshōdaiji *Kondō 唐招提寺金堂 (8th century) in Nara, and slightly on the tops of pillars at Byōdōin *Hōōdō Chūdō 平等院鳳凰堂中堂 (1053) Kyoto.