jimune　地棟

A base ridge.

1　A longitudinal timber plate resting upon the principal transverse roof beams *hari 梁, in vernacular houses *minka 民家, with thatched roofs in the Kinki 近畿 region, and parts of the Kantō 関東, Gifu and Fukuoka Prefectures. It provides a base upon which to set a row of struts, munazuka 棟束 which support the ridge purlin *munagi 棟木.

2　In tiled storehouses *dozō 土蔵 and similarly constructed urban vernacular houses *machiya 町家, a longitudinal timber beam positioned below the true ridge. In the case of kura, the beam is often supported only by the gable frames, often with supporting beams called *tenbinbari 天秤梁, and spans the whole length of the building. The jimune provides a footing for a row of squat struts which underpin the ridge. It also supports the principal rafter beams, gasshōbari 合掌梁, or diagonal beams *noboribari 登梁, which span from the lateral walls to the centre of the building and upon which the shallow, pitched roof is constructed. The use of jimune and noboribari obviates the need for constructing a more complex roof-construction system, wagoya 和小屋.