Keywords
Architecture
Roofing Tiles
The largest sized roof tile used to connect the turret corridors *watari yagura 渡櫓 of castles. They are pantiles *sangawara 桟瓦 and measure about 30 cm long and 37 cm wide. Medium-sized roof tiles hiromamono 広間物 were used for palaces or mansions. The smallest sized tiles nagayamono 長屋物 were used to roof ordinary dwellings. Collectively they are called yanegarawa 屋根瓦. These expressions were widely used from the 17th-19th century, and continue to be used to some extent today, especially nagayamono.