koguchimasu 木口斗

A bearing block that is set on a pillar *hashira 柱 or bracket arm *hijiki 肘木 with a crosscut side-facing front. The arrangement was more common in the 7th-10th century than later on. Some scholars suggest that it might have fallen out of use for reasons of strength. Normally, the crosscut ends are found on the sides of bearing blocks which face each other, perhaps to give a little more protection from weathering. Example: Yakushiji Tōtō 薬師寺東塔 (8th century), Nara.