saiben rengemon 細弁蓮華文

Lit. "narrow petal lotus motif." A motif with as many as twelve or sixteen narrow petals found on some circular pendant tiles *gatō 瓦当 that alternate with concave eave-end tiles *nokihiragawara 軒平瓦. This motif did not occur before the latter half of the 7th century. An example unearthed at Zenshōji 善正寺 in Osaka, has twelve narrow lotus petals, each with a large leaf sprout background *tanben 単弁. Another example has sixteen petals, large leaf sprouts behind the petals, and twelve seeds in the center. It was found at the Saianji 西安寺 ruins in Nara.