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JAANUS

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  • Accessories (1)
  • Architecture (551)
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  • Crafts (32)
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  • Document (3)
  • Folk Dwellings (34)
  • Gardens (43)
  • Gates (18)
  • General Terms (232)
  • Iconography (37)
  • Joints (20)
  • Lanterns (8)
  • Measurement (2)
  • Painting (176)
  • Roofing Tiles (30)
  • Sculpture (97)
  • Shrines (17)
  • Storehouses (2)
  • Structures (29)
  • Tea Houses (51)
  • Tools (10)

Displaying 1 - 100 of 903
Title Contains Image(s) Description Keywords
kabe shitaji 壁下地

The framework for a mud-plastered wall. It consists of lath, bamboo crosspieces *…

Architecture, General Terms
kabedoko 壁床 ✓

A wall alcove. An alcove that has no recessed space and no appurtenances such as a framing board *…

Architecture, Tea Houses
kabegaki 壁垣

A generic term for shrine fences *tamagaki 玉垣. A fence built at shrines from…

Architecture, General Terms
kabekomai 壁小舞 ✓

Also written 壁木舞. Thinly split lath set vertically and horizontally to form the framework *…

Architecture, General Terms
kabemochi bashira 壁持柱

Small diameter posts set between two pillars to support horizontal circular laths called kabemawatashi 壁間渡. The…

Architecture, General Terms
kaben 花弁

The band of lotus petals *renji 蓮子 which encircles the seed pod *…

Architecture, Roofing Tiles
kabeshiro 壁代

A type of curtain hung from the upper non-penetrating tie beam, uwanageshi (or kaminageshi ) 上長押 in temple…

Architecture, Decorations
kabewatadono 壁渡殿

Lit. walled bridge corridor. An archaic term for a type of corridor that connects two buildings in a Heian period…

Architecture, General Terms
kabuki-e 歌舞伎絵

Also shibai-e 芝居絵 and geki-e 劇画. Includes kabuki gekijō zu 歌舞伎劇場図 and *…

Art History, Painting
kabuki 歌舞伎

The most popular form of theatre among townspeople in Japan since the early Edo period. The form has its origins in the…

Art History, General Terms
kabuki 冠木

Also 衡木. A horizontal timber, lintel, or crossbar.

1 A lintel characteristic of gates called *…

Architecture, General Terms
kabuki jūhachiban 歌舞伎十八番

The eighteen *kabuki 歌舞伎 plays selected as best by Ichikawa Danjūrō 7 七代市川団十郎…

Art History, Painting
kabuki zu 歌舞伎図

Pictures of *kabuki 歌舞伎. In the broad sense of the term, kabuki zu…

Art History, Painting
kabukimon 冠木門 ✓

Also written kōmon 衡門. A roofless gate composed of two square gate posts *…

Architecture, Gates
kabumono 株もの

Lit. stump. The term is used to designate trees which have no trunk but grow so that the branches come directly out of the…

Architecture, Gardens
kaburagegyo 蕪懸魚 ✓

Lit. turnip bargeboard pendant. A gable pendant *gegyo 懸魚 decorated with…

Architecture, Decorations
kabuto 冑

Also written as 兜. A helmet, usually made of iron. The earliest Japanese helmets were made in the Kofun period. There were…

Art History, Sculpture
kabutomon 兜門

Lit. helmet gate. A type of front gate in tea gardens *roji 露地 that resembles a…

Architecture, Tea Houses
kachōga 花鳥画

Lit. bird-and-flower painting. Paintings of birds and flowers, flowers only *kakiga…

Art History, Painting
kadozuka 角束

A short strut used at the corners of podii *kidan 基壇, or a dais *…

Architecture, General Terms
kaen kōhai 火焔光背

Also ka'enkō 火焔光. Lit. flame nimbus. A halo *kōhai 光背 on a…

Art History, Sculpture
kaeribana 反花

1 Lotus petal design carved around the lower base kiban 基盤 of a lantern *…

Architecture, Art History, Sculpture, Lanterns
kaeribanaza 反花座

Abbreviated to *kaeribana 反花. Also soribana 反り花. A…

Architecture, Decorations
kaeriguma 返暈

Also called sakaguma 反隈 (or 逆隈) or teriguma 照隈. Lit. highlighting. Reverse shading. A shading *…

Art History, Painting
kaerumata 蟇股 ✓

Frog-leg strut. A strut with legs spread like those of a frog. Kaerumata in the early Nara period developed from an…

Architecture, General Terms
kagami-ishi 鏡石

Lit. mirror stone.

1 A stone which is placed behind a hand wash basin *…

Architecture, Tea Houses
kagami ita 鏡板

Boards or panels planed to a perfectly smooth surface and employed for ceilings or flooring. An example is a thin board…

Architecture, General Terms
kagami no ma 鏡の間

Lit. mirror room. A room separated by a curtain from the passageway hashigakari 橋掛り leading to a noh stage *…

Architecture, General Terms
kagami tenjō 鏡天井 ✓

Also kagamiita tenjō 鏡板天井. Lit. mirror ceiling. A flat ceiling made of smoothly planed boards shiraki…

Architecture, General Terms
kagamizumi 鏡積み

Lit. mirror piling. A method of masonry used for a stone wall *ishigaki 石垣.…

Architecture, Castles
Kagaribi 篝火 ✓

A pictorial subject based on the "Flares" Kagaribi, Chapter 27 of Genji monogatari 源氏物語 (The Tale of Genji…

Art History, Painting
kagariya 篝屋

Guardhouses for soldiers placed at street corners in Kyoto and Kamakura during the Kamakura period. The earliest known …

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
kagebana sōshoku 懸華装飾

A festoon. Also fesutun フェストゥーン, hanazuna sōshoku 花網装飾, or sagewa kazari 下げ環飾. A carved or molded…

Architecture, Decorations
Kagekiyo 景清

1 A pictorial subject taken from one of the eighteen great kabuki plays *…

Art History, Painting, Sculpture
kagemori 影盛 ✓

A plastered roof ornament on storehouses *dozō 土蔵. Located at the ends of…

Architecture, General Terms
Kagerō 蜻蛉

A pictorial subject taken from "The Drake Fly" Kagerō (also translated as Dayfly or Mayfly), Chapter 52 of G…

Art History, Painting
kagiya 鍵屋

Lit. key-shaped house. A widely used term for vernacular houses *minka 民家, of…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
kagobori 篭彫 ✓

Purfled work. Lit. basket carving. A type of decorative wood carving used on beam projections *…

Architecture, General Terms
kai 階

Floor or storey, and also a counter for floors in a building. For example, nikai 二階 refers to the second floor or…

Architecture, General Terms
kai no kuchitsugi 貝の口継 ✓

Lit. shell mouth joint. A straight end-to-end joint *tsugite 継手 used for very…

Architecture, Joints
kaiawase 貝合

Also called kaio'oi 貝覆. A shell-matching game played originally by nobles in the Heian period. A half clam shell…

Art History, Crafts
kaichō 開帳

A ceremony where a Buddhist image not normally on view is unveiled to all worshippers. Normally carried out during a…

Art History, Sculpture
kaidaka 階高 The distance from the floor of one story to the floor of the next story. The topmost story is measurement from the floor to… Architecture, General Terms
kaidan'in 戒壇院 ✓

A Tendai 天台 sect building that contains an ordination platform used exclusively for the ceremony to impart the Buddhist…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
kaidan 階段

One or more steps composed of a tread dan ita 段板 or fumi ita 踏板 and a riser *…

Architecture, General Terms
kaidan 戒壇 A platform or dais used for the Buddhist ordination ceremony.
Architecture, Buildings, Structures
kaiga 界画

Ch: jiehua. Lit. boundary painting. Both a painting technique and a painting genre in China. As a technical term,…

Art History, Painting
kaigata 貝形 ✓

1 A trapezoid.

2 Also called *tsuiji…

Architecture, General Terms
kaigata gegyo 貝形懸魚 ✓

Also kaigashira gegyo 貝頭懸魚. Lit. shell-head gable pendant. A type of decorative gable pendant *…

Architecture, Decorations
kaigen kuyō 開眼供養

Also abbreviated to kaigen or kaigan 開眼, jugan, or jugen 入眼. Lit. eye-opening ceremony.…

Art History, Sculpture
Kaigetsudō-ha 懐月堂派

Kaigetsudō school. A school of *ukiyo-e 浮世絵 artists in early 18th century who…

Art History, Painting
Kaihō-ha 海北派

A school of painters active from the 16th century to the 19th century founded by Kaihō Yūshō 海北友松 (1533-1615) and passed…

Art History, Painting
Kaiji higen 絵事鄙言

Lit. Humble Words on Matters of Painting, a late 18th century polemic on painting theory by Kuwayama Gyokushū 桑山玉洲 (1746-99…

Art History, Painting
Kaiki 槐記

The words and deeds of court-noble Konoe Iehiro 近衛家熈 (1667-1736) as collected by his personal physician Yamashina Dōan 山科道安…

Architecture, Tea Houses
kaikō 開口

Also kaikō ana 開口穴; kaikōbu 開口部. A generic term for an opening made in a wall for a door and window, in…

Architecture, General Terms
kaimono 飼物 Any kind of material used to fill a gap. If the basic material is wood, then wood filler is used. Gaps in stone walls are… Architecture, General Terms
kaioke 貝桶

Shell buckets. Paired octagonal wood-based lacquer-decorated containers with fitted inrōbuta zukuri 印籠蓋造 lids used…

Art History, Crafts
kaiorekugi 貝折釘 ✓

Also written 皆折釘. A large, square, angular nail used for wooden or bamboo fences. Its head is bent at right angles but has a…

Architecture, General Terms
kairō 回廊 ✓

Also written 廻廊; also called bu 廡, sōrō 走廊 or *horō 歩廊. Single-…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
kaisandō 開山堂 ✓

A hall that enshrines a statue, portrait or memorial tablet of the founder of a temple or the founder of a particular…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
kaisantō 開山塔

Lit. founder's pagoda. A rare type of wooden pagoda *hōtō 宝塔, constructed…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
Kaishien gaden 芥子園画伝

Ch: Jieziyuan huazhuan. Lit. Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting; a Qing dynasty painting manual that had a…

Art History, Painting
kaisho 会所

1 A meeting place. Originally specified as a place in a shinden style mansion *…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
kaitomoshi 掻灯

Also *tsuridōrō 釣灯籠. Lanterns, usually made of metal, hung in the…

Architecture, Lanterns
kaitsukuri 貝つくり Lit. shell technique. The method of pruning a tree so that it resembles the conical shape of a seashell. The lower part of… Art History, Painting
kaiyūshiki teien 回遊式庭園

Lit. stroll style garden. A type of garden designed to be entered and enjoyed on foot. Most gardens can be divided either…

Architecture, Gardens
kajū 荷重

Also ni 荷. Lit. load. The downward pressure exerted by the roof structure, purlins, transverse beams, etc. on the…

Architecture, General Terms
kake domoegawara 掛巴瓦

Often abbreviated kake domoe 掛巴. The semi-cylindrical eave-end cover tiles, noki kakedomoe marugawara…

Architecture, Roofing Tiles
kake karakusagawara 掛唐草瓦

A common term for the broad, concave eave-end pendant tiles that are placed along the gable overhang *…

Architecture, Roofing Tiles
kakeawase 懸合せ Lit. overprinting. Superimposing two different colors to achieve a third on a woodblock print *… Art History, Painting
kakebana 懸鼻 ✓

Also read kakehana, and written 掛鼻. A decorative nosing *kibana 木鼻…

Architecture, General Terms
kakebotoke 懸仏

A round metal or wooden plate with a separately made or repousse (hammered from the rear) image of a Shinto deity *…

Art History, Iconography
kakedo 掛戸

Lit. hanging door. A door hung on the outside of a window to prevent the penetration of rain and wind. It is really a…

Architecture, Tea Houses
kakegane 掛金 ✓

A ring or eyelet device used as a simple method of securing a hinged door *hirakido…

Architecture, Tea Houses
kakegawara 掛瓦

A general term for tiles used to cover the bargeboard *hafu 破風 on a gable roof *…

Architecture, Roofing Tiles
kakego zukuri 掛子造 ✓

A method of measurement used to determine the size of a small, 1-bay wide shrine building *…

Architecture, Measurement
kakehashi 掛橋

Also written 架橋 and 懸橋. A wooden bridge that spans a water-filled moat. Supported by posts, the bridge can be removed when a…

Architecture, Castles
kakekomi tenjō 掛込天井

Also written 駆込天井, also called *keshō yaneura no kakekomi tenjō…

Architecture, Tea Houses
kakemo 懸裳 Lit. hanging skirt. The hem of a garment which hangs down over the front of a pedestal. Usually it refers to sculpted… Art History, Sculpture
kakemono-e 掛物絵

A print mounted on a hanging scroll. A format used for *ukiyo-e 浮世絵 prints.…

Art History, Painting
kakemono 掛物

Also called by names such as kakejiku 掛軸, kakefuku 掛幅, jikumono 軸物, *…

Art History, Painting
kakeshōji 掛障子 ✓

A hanging translucent screen *shōji 障子 that is constructed with a light wooden…

Architecture, Tea Houses
kaki iro 柿色

Lit. persimmon color. An orange color, said to resemble the persimmon fruit, or a reddish-brown like the color of persimmon…

Art History, Painting
kaki 垣

Also read en; also called kakine 垣根. A generic term for a fence, garden precinct wall, or partition. Some…

Architecture, Gardens
kakiga 花卉画

Ch: huahui hua. Paintings of flowers and various types of grass. This term is usually applied to Chinese painting,…

Art History, Painting
kakikomi 欠込 ✓

Also pronounced kakikomu; watarikakitsugi 渡欠継. Also written kakikomu 缺込む in old sources. One of…

Architecture, Joints
kakikubi 欠首

A neck-like part under a bulbous-topped post *giboshi 擬宝珠. It resembles the…

Architecture, General Terms
kakimayu 欠眉

Also written 缺眉 or 欠き眉. A type of carved molding *kurigata 繰形, widely used in…

Architecture, Decorations
kakiokoshi 描起し The re-drawing of lines in ink or color for figures or detailed areas such as garments after the color has been applied. Today… Art History, Painting
kakitome no ki 垣留の木

Lit. fence-stopping tree. The technique of painting a tree at the end of a fence. The tree should be in harmony with the…

Architecture, Gardens
kakitsugi 欠継 A scarf joint used to join two timber members together to form one continuous piece.
Architecture, Joints
kakitsuke 掻きつけ

Also written 垣つけ. A method of fence construction where vertical members *tateko…

Architecture, Gardens
kakiuchi 欠打 ✓

A nailed right angled joint made on two crossed structural members by cutting a notch into one timber equal to the width of…

Architecture, Joints
kakiwari 書割

The moveable paintings used as backdrops for a *kabuki 歌舞伎 play. A piece of…

Art History, Painting
kakiyū 柿釉

A variation of *tenmokuyū 天目釉. A red-brown glaze which is often used on straight…

Art History, Crafts
kakoi 囲

Lit. enclosure. An old name for a tea ceremony room *chashitsu 茶室.…

Architecture, Tea Houses
kaku 閣 ✓

1 A tower or a palace. For example, tenshukaku 天守閣 is the keep or dungeon of a castle. See *…

Architecture, General Terms
kaku 角 Also seikakuzai 正角材. A term used for any square building material. For example post is called kakubashira 角柱. Architecture, General Terms
Kaku Shigi 郭子儀

Ch: Guo Ziyi (697-781). A Tang dynasty general, known for his military conquests and progeny. A native of Huazhou 華州 in…

Art History, Painting
kaku-umadashi 角馬出

A type of defensive gateway barrier *umadashi 馬出, consisting of an earthen…

Architecture, Castles

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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