kasa 笠

Lit.umbrella. The part of a stone lantern ishidōrō 石灯籠 that acts as an umbrella over the fire box *hibukuro 火袋. Usually kasa are square or hexagonal, but only rarely octagonal. Occasionally, they are round. The roof line, from the top to the edge, is usually constructed in a convex-concave pattern, but it may be cambered or given a wavy outline. At the intervals dividing the kasa into sections, there are raised strips called *kudarimune 降棟. These terminate in scroll or spiral embellishments called *warabite 蕨手.