tsuma 妻

1　The gable pediment or the gable side of a building with a gable roof *kirizuma yane 切妻屋根; also the gable in a hip-and-gable roof *irimoya yane 入母屋屋根. The gable and gable end of a structure is normally at a right angle to the main ridge *munagi 棟木. The gable pediment itself is triangular in shape. Depending on the pitch of the front and back, the gable may be narrow in a steep roof and broad in one with a low, gentle incline. Gables can be attached on the slope of a roof parallel to the ridge. A long, curved sweeping front gable and short curved rear gable is characteristic of shrine buildings in the *nagare-zukuri 流造 style. Sometimes the depth of curve on the front roof is greater than that on the rear roof. Example: Ida Jinja Honden 猪田神社本殿 (1527), Mie Prefecture. Another example is at Kibitsu Jinja Honden Haiden 吉備津神社本殿拝殿 (1425), Okayama Prefecture.

2　The sides, ends or edges of a structural element. One example is the side of a storage box *tobukuro 戸袋, for storing the rain shutters *amado 雨戸. The side of a building is called tsumagawa 妻側, and the end walls are called tsumakabe 妻壁.