wayō 和様

1　Lit. "Japanese style architecture." The architectural techniques and styles introduced from China during the Tang dynasty and their gradual Japanization from the 8th through the 12th century. The expression wayō for architecture was coined during the Kamakura period in order to distinguish what had become traditional Japanese architecture for the Japanese in contrast to the new styles introduced from China at the end of the 12th century. Characteristics of Japanese architecture before the introduction of new styles were simplicity, conservative use of ornamentation, predominance of natural, untreated timbers, and often plain white plastered walls, low ceilings, enclosed intimate spaces, and simple, curved lines. The hidden roof structure *noyane 野屋根, a Japanese invention, was first realized over the aisles *hisashi 廂 surrounding the core *moya 母屋 at the rebuilding of the lecture hall *daikōdō 大講堂 at Hōryūji, 法隆寺, completed in 990. The slope of the base rafters *jidaruki 地垂木 could be constructed with a gentle incline, allowing more light to penetrate beneath the eaves, while the hidden rafters were made steeper to achieve the easy run-off of rainwater. Wayō architecture without influence from the new style can be found more frequently in the Kansai 関西 region.

2　A style in art that represents the Japanese self or ideal. The precise definition or pinpointing of an origin for the expression is, given its nebulous nature, impossible. However it is used in contrast to *zenshūyō 禅宗様, which describes the Chinese style, and it can be said to embody both an assertive and a defensive description of Japanese style. The Amida Nyorai-zō 阿弥陀如来像 in Byōdōin *Hōōdō 平等院鳳凰堂 (1053), Kyoto, is often cited as a good example of wayō. See *Jōchōyō 定朝様.