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JAANUS

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  • Architecture (76)
  • Aristocratic Dwellings (4)
  • Art History (64)
  • Buildings (9)
  • Castles (4)
  • Crafts (3)
  • Decorations (2)
  • Folk Dwellings (11)
  • Gardens (2)
  • Gates (2)
  • General Terms (25)
  • Iconography (21)
  • Joints (2)
  • Lanterns (2)
  • Measurement (2)
  • Painting (21)
  • Roofing Tiles (5)
  • Sculpture (18)
  • Shrines (3)
  • Structures (9)
  • Tea Houses (4)
  • Tools (2)

Displaying 1 - 100 of 139
Title Contains Image(s) Description Keywords
jabara ita 蛇腹板 ✓

Lit. snake belly board. The boards lined up under the thick eave ends nokizuke 軒付 of a cypress bark *…

Architecture, General Terms
jabara 蛇腹

Lit. snake's belly.

1 A cornice. Called nokijabara 軒蛇腹, at the eaves of a building and …

Architecture, General Terms
jabara shirin 蛇腹支輪 ✓

Also called honshirin 本支輪 (main shirin). A short, curved, non-supporting transitional member that connects…

Architecture, General Terms
jabara tenjō 蛇腹天井 ✓

Lit. snake belly ceiling. An open or exposed ceiling composed of curved, parallel rafters, thought to resemble a snake's…

Architecture, General Terms
jabaragawa 蛇腹皮

Lit. snake skin. The boards lined up under the thick eave ends nokizuke 軒付 of a cypress bark *…

Architecture, General Terms
jaki 邪鬼

Sk: yaksa. Evil spirits believed to harm human beings and hinder Buddhist teaching. Usually appear in sculptures as small…

Art History, Iconography
jari 砂利

Gravel, small stones, or pebbles. A corrupted form of sazare 細 meaning tiny stones. Jari have been given…

Architecture, General Terms
jibori 字彫

Also hikkōbori 筆耕彫. The engravers or block-carvers of written text woodblocks for printed books. From…

Art History, Painting
jibuki 地葺

The traditional method of laying or setting tiles on the sheathing *noji 野地 of…

Architecture, Roofing Tiles
jibukuro 地袋 ✓

A small cabinet with sliding doors at the bottom of open, often split-level shelves *…

Architecture, Aristocratic Dwellings
jibutsudō 持仏堂

Also called *butsuma 仏間.

1 Small, private buildings or…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
jichinsai 地鎮祭

Also called chinjisai 鎮地祭; jisai 地祭, jiiwai 地祝, tsuchimatsuri 土祭 or tokoshizume no…

Architecture, Shrines
jidaruki 地垂木

Also called omodaruki 母垂木. A base rafter that extends outward from the roof framework, generally the eave purlin *…

Architecture, General Terms
jidō 慈童

A noh mask *nōmen 能面 representing a sprite who possesses the elixir of long life…

Art History, Sculpture
Jie 慈恵

Commonly known as Jie Daishi 慈恵大師 or Great Master Jie. The posthumous name of Ryōgen 良源 (912-85), abbot at…

Art History, Iconography
jien hikaku 地円飛角 ✓

Also read chien hikaku. Double eaves *futanoki 二軒, composed of base…

Architecture, General Terms
jifuku 地覆

1 A sleeper. The lowermost horizontal beam that spans the width of a bay *…

Architecture, General Terms
jifuku-ishi 地覆石

Also written 地幅石. A long horizontal base stone, sometimes called a sleeper, or a continuous plinth course. It is placed at…

Architecture, General Terms
jifuku nageshi 地覆長押 Also jinageshi 地長押. A non-penetrating tie beam that is shaped to fit snugly around the base of a pillar.
Architecture, General Terms
jiga jisan 自画自賛 The practice of adding a poetic inscription to one's own painting. The poetic inscription is typically related to the… Art History, Painting
Jigoku dayū 地獄太夫

A famous courtesan of Sakai 堺 known for her relationship with the Daitokuji 大徳寺 priest *…

Art History, Painting
jigokuhozo 地獄ほぞ ✓

Lit. hell tenon. So named because once it is inserted, it is impossible to withdraw. A blind tenon joint with wedges *…

Architecture, Joints
jiguchi-e 地口絵

A picture based on a word pun, popular around the mid-18th century. Most were drawn by town painters *…

Art History, Painting
jigyō 地業

Also 地形 chikei. The preliminary foundation work on a building. Materials for this include: rubble *…

Architecture, General Terms
jihatsu 地髪 Hair on the head of a Buddha *nyorai 如来 statue, not including the *… Art History, Sculpture
jihiro 地火炉

Also read jikaro.

1 A hearth *ro 炉 excavated in…

Architecture, Aristocratic Dwellings, Folk Dwellings
jihisō 慈悲相

Also bosatsusō 菩薩相. The expression of compassion found on Buddhist images. The opposite is *…

Art History, Sculpture
jikidō 食堂

Also called saidō 斎堂. A refectory. An independent building on temple grounds where priests and monks had their…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
jikirō 食籠

A lidded food container, usually layered and lacquered with decorations of sunken gold *…

Art History, Crafts
jikkai zu 十界図

Lit. Picture of the ten realms. In Buddhism the ten realms jikkai 十界 refer to the ten realms of being, which are…

Art History, Iconography
jikkan jūnishi 十干十二支

Also kanshi 干支 and eto えと. Ch: shigan shierzhi. Lit. ten stems and twelve branches. Referred to…

Art History, Painting
Jikokuten 持国天

Sk: Dhrtarastra. A guardian deity with fierce expression *funnusō 忿怒相,…

Art History, Iconography
jiku 軸

1 A roller used for a hanging scroll *kakemono 掛物 or hand…

Art History, Painting, Tea Houses, Architecture
jikuana 軸穴

Also 軸孔; jikuzuriana 軸吊穴; jiku uke 軸受; tobira jikuana 扉軸穴. The socket into which the pivot hinge…

Architecture, General Terms
jikubu 軸部

The framework or body of a building between the foundation and the roof structure. In traditional architecture it includes…

Architecture, General Terms
jikukakekugi 軸掛釘

Also jikukugi 軸釘, kakemonokugi 掛物釘. A hook for hanging scrolls, *…

Architecture, Tea Houses
jikuzuri 軸吊 ✓

Also written 軸釣, 軸摺. Pivot hinge. A metal covered wooden-core pivot inserted into a socket *…

Architecture, General Terms
jimotsu 持物

Also read jibutsu. Sk: lakasana. The hand-held attributes of a Buddhist image. Along with the mudra *…

Art History, Sculpture
jimune 地棟

A base ridge.

1 A longitudinal timber plate resting upon the principal transverse roof beams *…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
jinaimachi 寺内町

Also jinaichō. A type of religious township that developed in the Sengoku period in connection mainly with temples…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
jinbaori 陣羽織

Campaign jacket. A short garment worn over armor. Based on European prototypes introduced by the Portuguese at the end of…

Art History, Crafts
jinbutsu jūhachibyō 人物十八描

Ch: renwu shibamiao. Lit. eighteen types of figural portrayal. A group of brush styles traditionally employed in painting to…

Art History, Painting
jinchū 人中

Also ninchū. A vertical groove between the nose and upper lip of Buddhist images. The jinchū differed…

Art History, Sculpture
jingūji 神宮寺

Also called jingoji 神護寺, jingū'in 神宮院, jinganji 神願寺, miyadera 宮寺, or bettōji…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
jinja kenchiku 神社建築

Lit. shrine architecture. The architecture associated with Shinto shrines, including all the shrine buildings, shaden…

Architecture, Shrines
jinja 神社 ✓

A generic name for a Shinto shrine. Before World War Two shrines were classified into five categorize: first rank, …

Architecture, Shrines
Jinja Taishō 深沙大将

Also read Jinja Daishō. Lit. General Deep-Sand. A divinity said to have appeared in a dream to the renowned Chinese…

Art History, Iconography
jinjiro 陣城

Lit. camp fortress. A temporary fortification constructed on a battlefield or stopping-place by armies on the march, used…

Architecture, Castles
jintai 神体

Lit. God body or God style; also written 神容. A noh mask*nōmen 能面 representing a…

Art History, Sculpture
jinuki 地貫

Also called shimonuki 下貫. A penetrating tie beam at the base of a pillar or a tie beam beneath a building's…

Architecture, General Terms
jinuri 地塗り

A base coat. The process of preparing ancient painting surfaces by completely covering the materials used, such as paper,…

Art History, Painting
jirenge 持蓮華

An object shaped like a lotus bud and stem used in Buddhist rituals, particularly favored by the Ji 時 sect. Usually made of…

Art History, Sculpture
jiro 地炉

Also *ro 炉

1 A hearth constructed in an earth…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
jisanzō 自賛像

A portrait bearing a poetic inscription written by the painter.

Art History, Painting
jishin bansho 自身番所

The office or guardroom provided in each city ward *machi 町, in the city of Edo…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
jissaku 十作

The Ten Greatest Ancient Sculptors of Noh masks *nōmen 能面…

Art History, Sculpture
jisumigi 地隅木

A base hip rafter found at the corners of a roof. Ordinary rafters *jidaruki…

Architecture, General Terms
Jitchikusai shogafu 十竹斎書画譜

Ch: Shizhuzhai shuhuapu. Ten Bamboo Studio Manual of Painting, a late Ming period color woodblock-printed…

Art History, Painting
jitō 耳とう

Also nitō. Round earrings found on sculpted Buddhist images. These were used on Chinese figures, but were extremely…

Art History, Sculpture
jitsubushi 地潰し

Also tsubushi 潰し. A plain background of a single color on a woodblock print *…

Art History, Painting
jitsugetsu sansui zu 日月山水図

Also jitsugetsu zu 日月図. A pictorial subject that combines the motifs of the sun and moon in landscapes of the four…

Art History, Painting
jizaikagi 自在鈎 ✓

A pothook. A device that enables a pot nabe 鍋 or tea kettle tetsubin 鉄瓶 to be suspended over a sunken…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings, Tea Houses
Jizō 地蔵

Lit. earth repository (Sk: Ksitigarbha). A bodhisattva *bosatsu 菩薩 believed to…

Art History, Iconography
jizō gōshi 地蔵格子

A latticed door made with both horizontal and vertical laths at the same surface level. There are no recessed laths nailed…

Architecture, General Terms
jizōdō 地蔵堂 ✓

A temple hall where the Buddhist deity *Jizō 地蔵 (Sk. Ksitigarbha) is…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
jizumi 地墨

Making carbon ink *sumi 墨 by grinding an ink stick on an inkstone…

Art History, Painting
jō 畳

Also written 帖.

1 A counter for screens *byōbu 屏風 and…

Architecture, General Terms
jō-in Amida 定印阿弥陀

Amida with the jō-in 定印 or *zenjō-in 禅定印 (Sk: dhyanamudra;…

Art History, Iconography
jō 帖

1 A form of concertina-folded book *orihon 折本.

…

Art History, Painting
jō 丈

A unit of linear measure that equals 3.03 meters or about 10 feet. Equivalent to 10 shaku 尺. Although the metric…

Architecture, Measurement
jōbyō tekitō 浄瓶てき倒

Ch: Jingping tidao. Also reads jōhei tōtō. A painting subject of the Tang dynasty Zen priests Izan Reiyū い山霊祐 (Ch:…

Art History, Painting
Jōchōyō 定朝様

A style of sculpture created by the Buddhist sculptor *busshi 仏師 Jōchō 定朝 (?-…

Art History, Sculpture
jōdan 上段 ✓

A dais or a part of the floor in aristocratic dwellings of the *shoin 書院 style,…

Architecture, Aristocratic Dwellings
Jōdo Goso 浄土五祖

The Five Chinese Patriarchs of the Pure Land Jōdo 浄土 sect. The sect was organized in Japan by *…

Art History, Iconography
jōdo hensō 浄土変相

Abbreviation of jōdo hensō zu 浄土変相図. Also known as jōdo mandara 浄土曼荼羅. Pictorial representations, often…

Art History, Iconography
Jōdo sanmandara 浄土三曼荼羅

Lit. three Pure Land Mandalas. Traditionally refers to the three most famous types of *…

Architecture, Iconography
jōdo teien 浄土庭園

Lit. Pure Land garden. Large pond gardens at Pure Land Buddhist temples which recreate the palatial garden of *…

Architecture, Gardens
Jōdodō 浄土堂

Lit. Pure Land Hall. The main hall of the Shingon 真言 sect temple of Jōdoji 浄土寺 in Hyōgo Prefecture, dedicated to *…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
Jōdokyō bijutsu 浄土教美術

Art of the Pure Land faith. Originating in the Nara period, Pure Land Buddhism is a more personal form of the faith than…

Art History, General Terms
jōfu 上布

Lit. superior cloth. A jōfu lightweight, fine hand-woven cloth made lightweight from delicate hand-twisted ramie…

Art History, Crafts
jōfuku 条幅

A hanging scroll *kakemono 掛物 made of a paper called *…

Art History, Painting
Jōgan gishiki 貞観儀式

The Jōgan gishiki is a ten volume collection of ceremony regulations compiled by Fujiwara Ujimune 藤原氏宗 by order of…

Architecture, General Terms
Jōge nidanshiki teien 上下二段式庭園

Lit. upper-lower, two-step style garden. A modern term designating a common type of bipartite garden featuring a small pond…

Architecture, Gardens
jōge 上下

Also called tenchi 天地 or jidai 地題. A part of the mounting of a hanging scroll *…

Art History, Painting
jōgi 定規 ✓

A gauge used to confirm the straightness of structural members. A structural member is placed between the two boards of the…

Architecture, Tools
jōgibiki 定規引き

Also called *kaiga 界画. A line drawing technique where a straight edge or…

Art History, Painting
jōgo zukuri 漏斗造

Also called jōgomune 漏斗棟. A roof-style found on vernacular houses *minka…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
jōgyōdō 常行堂

Also called jōgyō sanmaidō 常行三昧堂. A hall where a devotee walks around a statue of the *…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
jōhachi 丈八

A standard height for a Buddhist statue. A variation of the *jōroku 丈六.…

Art History, Sculpture
jōhaku 条帛

A decorative scarf worn by Buddhist deities and guardian figures. It is draped diagonally across the upper body, usually…

Art History, Sculpture
Jōi Monju 縄衣文殊

Also read Jōe Monju (Ch: shengyi wenshu). Lit. rope-robed *Monju…

Art History, Iconography
jōi 上居

Also written 常居.

1 A principal everyday living room in traditional vernacular houses *…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
jōjōdan 上々段 ✓

A relatively small space elevated one step higher than the *jōdan 上段,…

Architecture, Aristocratic Dwellings
jōkamachi 城下町

Lit. town below the castle. A castle town. A town's fortress was located as a rule in a mountain, while the accompanying…

Architecture, Castles
Jōmeimon 承明門 ✓

Also read Shōmeimon, called *Kōmon 閤門. A large, single-storied gate…

Architecture, Gates
jōmen 尉面

A mask representing an old man, jō 尉, in particular the old men masks of the *…

Art History, Sculpture
Jōmon jidai 繩文時代

Lit. cord-mark period. The Jōmon period ran from ca. 10,000 BC-ca. 300 BC. The period takes its name from the decoration on…

Art History, General Terms
jōōgata tōrō 紹鴎形灯籠

A lantern with a canopy and a square fire holder higuchi 火口 supported below the middle base by a single natural…

Architecture, Lanterns
jorinmoku  如鱗杢

Also 如鱗木, gyorinmoku 魚鱗木. Lit. curly wood-grain.
A beautiful, natural, wood grain, mokuri 木理, found on…

Architecture, Decorations
jōroku 丈六

A standard height for a Buddhist statue. Abbreviation of one *jō 丈 and six …

Art History, Sculpture

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JAANUS is the on-line Dictionary of Japanese Architectural and Art Historical Terminology compiled by Dr. Mary Neighbour Parent.

Originally built by the Atsumi International Scholarship Foundation, it is now hosted and maintained by the Media Center for Art History at Columbia University