Lit. sword tip motif. Also kentomoemon noki hiragawara 剣巴文軒平瓦. Also kenbishimon 剣菱文. The pendant *gatō 瓦当 of a broad, concave eave-end tile *nokihiragawara 軒平瓦 decorated with a row of stylized sword tips. Commonly used after the middle of the Heian and well into the Kamakura period. Traces of an imprint of cloth *nunomeato 布目痕 are evident on excavated examples suggesting that the entire pattern was made simultaneously by pressing a cloth covered board with the carved motif onto wet clay. A relatively wide undecorated rim remains between the indented sword motif and the edge of the tile. The illustrated example shown below was excavated from the site of Hosshōji 法勝寺 in Kyoto. This temple was the first of the six temples called Rokushōji 六勝寺 and was built at the request of Emperor Shirakawa 白河 (1072-86). It is known that the Kondō 金堂 and Kōdō 講堂 of Hosshōji were dedicated in 1077. Another broad, concave eave-end tile has a sword pattern and three comma patterns *tomoemon 巴文, one placed at each end and one at the center. It is called *kendomoe 剣巴. This pattern dates from the late 12th century and was unearthed at the site of Tachibanadera 橘寺 in Nara. The sword and comma motifs also became very popular for decorating the borders of Buddhist altars *butsudan 仏壇 and ritual drums taiko 太鼓 at the end of the 12th century.
