sodeudatsu 袖卯立

Lit. "sleeve udatsu." Extensions of the gable parapet walls *udatsu 卯立, to form lateral screens at one or both ends of the upper-floor, called *tsushi nikai 厨子二階 or honnikai 本二階, of the street facade in urban vernacular houses *machiya 町家. Sodeudatsu fill the trapezoidal space between the overhanging eaves of the main roof and the pent roof *hisashi 廂 below. They appear to have originated in the late Muromachi period. Originally, they were thatched or shingled, and the timber frame was exposed while the interstices were plastered *shinkabe-zukuri 真壁造. 

In the Edo period, they were often tiled and entirely cased in fireproof plaster *ōkabe-zukuri 大壁造. Molded plasterwork or incised decoration was a feature of some late Edo and Meiji period examples. In the latter Edo period, abbreviated examples in the upper parapet walls were omitted. Sodeudatsu were a status symbol, originally the prerogative of more wealthy householders. In functional terms, they served as a visual screen for upper floor interiors, and also, depending on their construction, as a firebreak.