ōmune 大棟

Also *mune 棟, *munagi 棟木, munageta 棟桁.
A generic term for the main, crowning, timber ridge, ridge pole or ridge beam that runs horizontal to the ground. It is joined to the front sloping framework of the roof. The upper ends of the rafters *taruki 垂木, are connected to the ōmune. The term mune is generally used in reference to the ridge of a simple gable roof *kirizuma yane 切妻屋根. In the case of complex roof structures covered with tile *kawara 瓦, like a hip-and gable roof *irimoya-zukuri 入母屋造, where there are descending ridges *kudarimune 降棟, corner ridges *sumikudarimune 隅降棟, and off-spring ridges *chigomune 稚児棟, the term ōmune is often preferred. In the case of a hipped roof *yosemune yane 寄棟屋根, the four corner ridges are frequently simply called mune, when actually they are corner-descending ridges sumikudarimune. The main ridge is called ōmune to distinguish among it.