hachimaki 鉢巻

The name for a thickly plastered area projecting from the wall below the eaves of a building. Used on storehouses, *dozō 土蔵 and vernacular houses, *minka 民家, particularly those with a box ridge, *hakomune 箱棟, to increase fire resistance. A long narrow timber called hachimakinuki, 鉢巻貫, is attached to the outer face of the eaves beams, forming a base to which several layers of plaster, *shikkui 漆喰, could be applied. Designs are sometimes carved out of the hachimaki (see *kurigata 繰形). The incline of the hachimaki in relation to the vertical is called hachimaki kōbai 鉢巻勾配.