megi 女木

Also called shitagi 下木. The indented part of a wooden joint. It functions like a mortise *hozoana ほぞ穴 in that it is the cut out part. It is the lower member that receives the ogi 男木, or tenoned section, sometimes called uwagi 上木. This is cut in the same shape to fit into the megi. It has the same function as a tenon *hozo ほぞ. The megi on the bottom receives a greater load than the top member. An example is the half-lapped dovetail joint *aritsugi 蟻継.