nunojiki 布敷

Lit. "fabric paving." Pavement formed by square or rectangular stones laid so that a little space is allowed around each. The lines of stones run parallel to the edging stones and to each other in a lengthwise direction. Stones set diagonally are called *shihanjiki 四半敷. They are common at Zen 禅 temples and were thought to have been first used in the 13th to 14th century, but at the Kokubunji 国分寺 in Kōchi Prefecture, there is a pagoda podium with diagonally set stones. They were laid in the Nara period.