shikinasu 敷茄子

The bulging sphere which is below the lotus petals *renben 蓮弁 in the narrow middle section of a lotus-petal base *rengeza 蓮華座 on a Buddhist image. Although it takes its name from its resemblance to the shape of an eggplant nasu 茄子, the base may also have a more geometric form such as a hexagonal panel box. Some elaborate multi-layered rengeza have two shikinasu; the upper one is called uwa shikinasu 上敷茄子, and the lower one shita shikinasu 下敷茄子 or tsuka 束 .