funazoko tenjō 舟底天井

Keywords
Architecture
General Terms

Also called *yakata tenjō 屋形天井, an upside-down houseboat-shaped ceiling. A ceiling, *tenjō 天井, shaped like the inside of the bottom of a simple boat as viewed in cross section. The smooth ceiling boards run lengthwise, parallel to the ridge, *munagi 棟木, of the building. The sides of the ceiling form a sloping curve from the peak to the supporting tie beams, *moyageta 母屋桁. The oldest extant ceiling of this type is found in the Hondō 本堂 (also called Ōjō Gokurakuin 往生極楽院; 1148) at Sanzen'in 三千院, 7.91 m×9.13 m; Kyoto. This funazoko tenjō covers only the core area *moya 母屋, beneath which is the dais on which are found the Amida nyoraizō 阿弥陀如来像 (4.9 m high) and two smaller bosatsuzō 菩薩像, kneeling in Japanese fashion. The ceiling is raised approximately 4.5 cm above the exposed rafters, *keshō daruki 化粧垂木, which form the ceiling over the aisles, *hisashi 廂. Paintings of heavenly beings, tennin 天人, adorn the ceiling. Although the exposed underside of a gable roof may have a similar shape, it is never called a funazoko ceiling.