| Title | Contains Image(s) | Description | Keywords |
|---|---|---|---|
| arashikō ganna 荒仕工鉋 | A type of smoothing plane. The arashikō ganna is the first smoothing plane used on a piece of timber, planking… |
Architecture, Tools | |
| aratame-in 改印 | Also *kiwame-in 極印. The printed censor seals that appear on an *… |
Art History, Painting | |
| aratsuchi 荒土 | Lit. rough clay. Clay mixed with other materials (known as *susa すさ),… |
Art History, Sculpture | |
| araumi-no-shōji 荒海障子 | Sliding screens *fusuma 襖, on which various images are painted including a… |
Art History, Painting | |
| ari 蟻 | Lit. dovetail shape. Also arigata 蟻形. The generic term for any part of a joint in a dovetail shape. The earliest… |
Architecture, Joints | |
| aridome 蟻留 | ✓ | A type of right angle, mitered, housed, and dovetail joint used mainly on flat timber as, for example, in the upper… |
Architecture, Joints |
| Aridōshi 蟻通 | A shrine in Izumi 和泉 Province, Osaka. Best known from a tale about the famous poet Ki no Tsurayuki 紀貫之 (ca. 868-945), who… |
Art History, Painting | |
| arigata aigakihozo 蟻形相欠ほぞ | Also arigata aihozo 蟻形相ほぞ. Dovetail halving. A type of half-lap dovetail joint *… |
Architecture, Joints | |
| arigoshi 蟻腰 | The name of one section of a tea scoop. It is the deep indentation at the back part of a bamboo tea scoop *… |
Architecture, Tea Houses | |
| arihozo 蟻ほぞ | ✓ | Lit. dovetail tenon. Also *arikake 蟻掛. A tenon shaped like a dove's tail with… |
Architecture, Joints |
| arikabe 蟻壁 | 1 A narrow horizontal strip of wall between a long, light, binding beam *… |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| arikake 蟻掛 | 1 A dovetail joint with the dovetail tenon cut at the butt end about half the depth of one beam. It then is… |
Architecture, Joints | |
| arikubi 蟻首 | Lit. dovetail neck.
|
Architecture, Joints | |
| ariotoshi 蟻落 | Also called *arikake 蟻掛. |
Architecture, Joints | |
| aritsugi 蟻継 | ✓ | A dovetail joint used to attach the ends of two boards. The tenon *hozo ほぞ or… |
Architecture, Joints |
| arizuri 蟻吊 | Also written 蟻釣. A type of angled wood joint. A dovetail tenon *arihozo… |
Architecture, Joints | |
| asa-no-ha byōshibon 麻の葉表紙本 | A type of *ehon 絵本, a woodblock-printed picture book. Small books of… |
Art History, Painting | |
| asa-no-ha 麻の葉 | ✓ | A repeating six-sided geometric design that resembles the leaves of the hemp plant, asa 麻. The design has six… |
Art History, Painting |
| Asagao 朝顔 | A pictorial subject based on "The Morning Glory" Asagao, Chapter 20 of Genji monogatari 源氏物語 (The Tale… |
Art History, Painting | |
| asagaokugi 朝顔釘 | ✓ | Lit. morning glory nail. A two-pronged nail bent into a right angle for the purpose of hanging a flower vase. The nail… |
Architecture, Tea Houses |
| asagi-iro 浅葱色 | A color-name used in dyeing. A light blue color with a hint of green, made by adding yellow to a pale indigo dye *… |
Art History, Painting | |
| asakurajō 朝倉尉 | A Noh mask *nōmen 能面 representing an old man. The broad bone structure, direct… |
Art History, Sculpture | |
| asao 麻紵 | Also written 麻緒, 麻苧, asahimo 麻紐, asa-ito 麻糸. Cord or thread made from hemp, asa 麻, and Chinese… |
Art History, Sculpture | |
| ashi 足 | Lit. leg or foot. Also 脚, read ashi or kyaku. |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| ashiage 足揚 | 1 A structure erected in the central open space, miyaa みやあ, of a settlement in Okinawa Prefecture… |
Architecture, Folk Dwellings | |
| ashiagekura 足揚倉 | Also simply called *ashiage 足揚. A type of thatched storehouse set upon a… |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| ashiba 足場 | Scaffold or scaffolding. A temporary, elevated structure used to support workmen, tools, etc. when erecting a building.… |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| ashide 葦手 | Lit. reed-hand script. A decorative, pictorialized style of calligraphy, de 手, developed during the 9th century in… |
Art History, Painting | |
| Ashigarayama 足柄山 | A mountain in Kanagawa Prefecture associated with legends of *Yamauba 山姥 and *… |
Art History, Painting | |
| ashigatame 足固 | Also written 脚固, 足堅. Strong, horizontal ties which strengthen the posts beneath the floor of a timber building by… |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| ashihozo 足ほぞ | Lit. foot-tenon. A rectangular piece of wood that projects from the sole of a standing wooden statue and fits into a… |
Art History, Sculpture | |
| ashimoto 足元 | 1 A general term for all structural members from the foundation *dodai… |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| ashimotogaki 足下垣 | Lit. footstep fence. A generic term for a fence made alongside a path. It is similar to the *… | Architecture, Gardens | |
| ashimotogawara 足元瓦 | Also called *hire 鰭 or *hiregawara… |
Architecture, Roofing Tiles | |
| ashiwake 葦分け | Lit. split reed. A style of round-stone paving *tama-ishijiki 玉石敷 of the… |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| Ashuku 阿閦 | Ashuku, also Ashiku. Immovable One (Sk: Aksobhya). The name of a Buddha today generally associated with Esoteric Buddhism… |
Art History, Iconography | |
| Ashura 阿修羅 | Sk: Asura. Also abbreviated to shura 修羅. Among the Indo-Iranians, the term Asura Ashura in Avestan,… |
Art History, Iconography | |
| Asuka jidai 飛鳥時代 | The Asuka period (538/552-645). So called because the capital of the new Yamato 大和 region was located in the Asuka district… |
Art History, General Terms | |
| atari 当り | 1 The part of an architectural element in which one member meets another. Different from a joint in that it… |
Architecture, Folk Dwellings | |
| atenashi bokashi 当てなしぼかし | Lit. indeterminate shading. A type of *fuki bokashi 拭きぼかし, a… |
Art History, Painting | |
| ato-in 後印 | Lit. later seal. An artist's seal placed posthumously on a painting or calligraphy, sometimes by a well-meaning person… |
Art History, Painting | |
| atorakkan 後落款 | Lit. a later signature. A forged signature put on an unsigned painting or work of calligraphy in order to increase its… |
Art History, Painting | |
| atozuri 後摺 | Also read nochizuri. Woodblock prints *ukiyo-e 浮世絵, produced… |
Art History, Painting | |
| atsuhirabashira 厚平柱 | A type of rectangular pillar employed in the construction of a gate at a castle or dwelling. This pillar, front to back, is… |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| atsuyō 厚様 | Also written 厚葉. A thick type of paper called *ganpishi 雁皮紙. Because both… |
Art History, Painting | |
| ausaka 合坂 | Also read aisaka. A type of warrior run *mushabashiri 武者走, where… |
Architecture, Castles | |
| awa-ishi 阿波石 | Lit. sea-foam stone. A type of blue stone *ao-ishi 青石, produced in modern… |
Architecture, Gardens | |
| awaotoko 阿波男 | A Noh mask *nōmen 能面 of the basic emaciated *… |
Art History, Sculpture | |
| aware あわれ | The capacity to be moved deeply, an aesthetic ideal associated with Heian period literature and aristocratic values. An… |
Art History, General Terms | |
| awasejōgi 合せ定規 | A wooden measuring gauge *jōgi 定規, generally, 6-7 cm wide, 35-45 cm long, and 0.9… |
Architecture, Tools | |
| awataguchiyaki 粟田口焼 | Awataguchi 粟田口 kiln. Also called awatayaki 粟田焼. A ceramic ware that was made in Awataguchi, at the foot of… |
Art History, Crafts | |
| awate-e あわて絵 | Multi-colored woodblock prints *nishiki-e 錦絵, depicting the… |
Art History, Painting | |
| aya 綾 | A figured or diagonally-woven twill fabric. |
Art History, Crafts | |
| ayakashi 怪士 | Also written 霊神, 網像, 危. Noh masks *nōmen 能面, representing a wraith or a… |
Art History, Sculpture | |
| Ayakiri 綾切 | Also written 阿夜岐理 and called Aikirijo 愛嗜女. A dance piece in *bugaku 舞楽 and a… |
Art History, Sculpture | |
| ayasuji 綾筋 | ✓ | Also pronounced shimesuji 〆筋. The parallel chevron lines on the front or sides of a lion-mouth roof tile *… |
Architecture, Decorations |
| azegi 校木 | ✓ | Also pronounced azeki. Chamfered logs used to build walls for storehouses *… |
Architecture, General Terms |
| azehikinoko 畔挽鋸 | Lit. ridge cutting saw; from aze 畔 meaning a ridge between rice fields. An intermediate cutting saw. The … |
Architecture, Tools | |
| azekura 校倉 | ✓ | A storage facility constructed of logs *azegi 校木, cut in appropriate lengths to… |
Architecture, Storehouses |
| azuchi-umadashi 的山馬出 | Also written 安土馬出. A type of defensive gateway barrier *umadashi 馬出,… |
Architecture, Castles | |
| Azuma kudari 東下り | ✓ | Lit. going down to the East. In the pre-Edo periods, traveling from the capital city of Kyoto toward the Eastern provinces… |
Art History, Painting |
| azuma nishiki-e 東錦絵 | Also written 吾妻錦絵, *nishiki-e 錦絵, azuma-e 東絵, *… |
Art History, Painting | |
| Azumaya 東屋 | ✓ | Lit. Eastern cottage. A pictorial subject based on "The Eastern Cottage" Azumaya, Chapter 50 of Genji… |
Art History, Painting |
| Azusayumi 梓弓 | Lit. azusa bow. The azusa 梓 tree is a kind of birch. The phrase serves as a pillow-word, makurakotoba… |
Art History, Painting | |
| mabara mairado 疎舞良戸 | A plank door filled with widely set, horizontal laths, kozan 小桟. |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| mabarawari 疎割 | Also abarawari あばら割. Lit. "sparsely proportioned." The same meaning as ma-mabara 間疎 (sparse or scanty).… |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| mabashira 間柱 | 1 Posts or pillars of the same or smaller diameter than the main pillars of a building. |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| mabiro 間広 | Translucent sliding screens *shōji 障子, opaque screens *… |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| mabisashi 眉庇 | A visor that projected from the front of a soidier's helmet *kabuto 冑. First… |
Art History, Sculpture | |
| Maboroshi 幻 | ✓ | A pictorial subject taken from "Maboroshi" ("The Wizard"), Chapter 41 of Genji monogatari 源氏物語 (The Tale of… |
Art History, Painting |
| machi-eshi 町絵師 | Painters born during the period extending from the Nanbokuchō through the Muromachi periods, when major social changes took… |
Art History, Painting | |
| machi-ishi 待石 | Lit. "waiting stone." One of the seven trump stones *nanatsu-ishi 七つ石 in… |
Architecture, Tea Houses | |
| machi 町 | Also pronounced chō. |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| machiai 待合 | ✓ | Also machiaishitsu 待合室. |
Architecture, Tea Houses |
| machigano 町狩野 | A general term for the Kano school *Kano-ha 狩野派, or for Kano-… |
Art History, Painting | |
| machinami 町並 | Also pronounced chōnami. |
Architecture, Folk Dwellings | |
| machiya 町家 | 1 Also written 町屋. One of the two main categories of vernacular house *minka… |
Architecture, Folk Dwellings | |
| mado 窓 | Window. Many other characters for window used have been used since the 6th century. For example: 窗 and 牒, 向 and 間戸 or 間門.… |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| madodai 窓台 | ✓ | A window sill. The horizontal part at the bottom of a window frame in a wooden building. The sill is supported by the base… |
Architecture, General Terms |
| madogamachi 窓框 | The window frame into which a window sash is installed. The timber that surrounds a window. |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| madokazari 窓飾 | Lit. "window decoration." A thin decoration that is hung around the outer border of a window, over the curtain, to provide… |
Architecture, Decorations | |
| madonageshi 窓長押 | The non-penetrating tie beams used for the frame of a window opening. One, called madoshita nageshi 窓下長押, is placed… |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| madori 間取 | A floor plan. The arrangement of rooms in a dwelling, including access points, windows, hallways, verandas, toilets, and… |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| madowakibashira 窓脇柱 | Posts placed on each side of a window. In the case of thatched tea ceremony houses *… |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| madowaku 窓枠 | ✓ | A window frame into which a window sash or casing is set. The frame consists of two vertical side pieces, tatewaku… |
Architecture, General Terms |
| mae-ishi 前石 | 1 Also called kazari-ishi 飾石, tōage-ishi 灯あげ石, tōtomoshi-ishi 灯ともし石. A flat… |
Architecture, Tea Houses | |
| mae-nagare 前流 | The front gable of a gable roof that flows directly away from the ridge and extends further than the rear gable. The long… |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| maebiki oga 前挽大鋸 | ✓ | A large ripsaw with a blade about 60 cm long and 40 cm wide. It was first introduced in the 15th century and was used until… |
Architecture, Tools |
| maebikinoko 前挽鋸 | Standard purpose carpenters' ripsaw. A ripsaw with a blade approximately 35-40 cm long and 12 cm wide. The blade narrows… |
Architecture, Tools | |
| maedachi 前立 | Also omaedachi 御前立. Lit. "standing in front." A Buddhist sculpture, positioned on the altar in front of the shrine… |
Art History, Sculpture | |
| maedate 前立 | Abbreviation of maedatemono 前立物. Also tatemono 立物. An upstanding decoration found on the front of a… |
Art History, Sculpture | |
| maezutsumi 前包 | ✓ | A transverse timber positioned at the base of the latticework *kitsune gōshi… |
Architecture, General Terms |
| mafumi 馬踏み | Also bafumi, hirami 褶. The flat top of an earthen embankment *doi… |
Architecture, Castles | |
| magaibutsu 磨崖仏 | Also written 摩崖仏. Ch: moyafo. Also known as magai sekibutsu 磨崖石仏 or 摩崖石仏. A Buddhist image carved into the… |
Art History, Sculpture | |
| magaki 籬 | Latticework or a grille *kōshi 格子 positioned between the hard-packed earthen… |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| magane 真矩 | Lit. "a true carpenter's square." A right angle or a 90 degree angle. A structural element that corresponds to a right angle… |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| magaribashira 曲柱 | Also pronounced magamibashira. Also called *yugamibashira 歪柱.… |
Architecture, Tea Houses | |
| magariya 曲り屋 | ✓ | Also written 曲屋. A farmhouse, nōka 農家, with a room that housed stables *umaya… |
Architecture, Folk Dwellings |
| magariya-zukuri 曲屋造 | A general term for farmhouses with an L-shaped plan *magariya 曲り屋 |
Architecture, Folk Dwellings | |
| magatama 曲玉 | 1 Also written 勾玉. A bead with religious significance, introduced to Japan from the Korean peninsula. It is… |
Architecture, Decorations |
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