Skip to main content

JAANUS

  • # (1)
  • a (164)
  • b (123)
  • c (138)
  • d (144)
  • e (109)
  • f (114)
  • g (186)
  • h (452)
  • i (179)
  • j (138)
  • k (902)
  • m (398)
  • n (303)
  • o (176)
  • r (136)
  • s (783)
  • t (407)
  • u (134)
  • w (53)
  • y (199)
  • z (63)
  • Architecture (168)
  • Aristocratic Dwellings (2)
  • Art History (133)
  • Buildings (5)
  • Castles (13)
  • Crafts (7)
  • Decorations (10)
  • Document (4)
  • Folk Dwellings (16)
  • Gardens (13)
  • Gates (6)
  • General Terms (60)
  • Iconography (13)
  • Joints (14)
  • Lanterns (3)
  • Measurement (1)
  • Painting (86)
  • Roofing Tiles (3)
  • Sculpture (25)
  • Shrines (5)
  • Storehouses (2)
  • Structures (5)
  • Tea Houses (16)
  • Tools (6)

Displaying 101 - 200 of 298
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. 


1 The rear part of a dovetail joint which is in line with the surface…

Architecture, Joints
ariotoshi 蟻落

Also called *arikake 蟻掛. 

1 A simple angle joint…

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.

1 The parts that support the main…

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.

1 The twill form, ayasoshiki 綾組織 or pattern of…

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
uchi-umadashi 内馬出

Lit. "inner horse exit." A defensive installation *umadashi 馬出 constructed to fortify the…

Architecture, Castles
uchibori 内堀

1 The inner moat of a castle that has two or more moats.

2 The moat dug on the…

Architecture, Castles
uchidashinomi 打出し鑿

A strike-through chisel. Normally, when constructing a pass-through mortise, the timber is carved away from both sides with…

Architecture, Tools
uchigenkan 内玄関

A subordinate entry in houses possessing a formal guest entry *genkan 玄関, and…

Architecture, Aristocratic Dwellings, Folk Dwellings
uchiguma 内暈

Also written 内隈. Lit. "interior shading." A technique *kumadori 隈取 in non-…

Art History, Painting
uchigumori 打曇

Also written 内曇. Also called kumogami 雲紙. Abbreviation of uchigumorigami 打曇紙. A type of decorated paper,…

Art History, Painting
uchiguri 内刳

A technique used to hollow out the interior of a wooden statue. The hollow produced is also called uchiguri.…

Art History, Sculpture
uchiguruwa 内郭

Also read naikaku. Also called naijō 内城. An inner compound. Generally, it refers to the central…

Architecture, Castles
uchikaeshi 打返し

Also pronounced uttegaeshi 打って返し, utasegaeshi 打たせ返し. Perfect symmetry on both sides of a center line…

Architecture, General Terms
uchikake 打掛

An unbelted woman's outer garment worn over the *kosode 小袖 on formal occasions…

Art History, Crafts
uchikomihagi 打込矧ぎ ✓

Lit. "pounded and inserted stone joinery." The most common stone work technique used to build a dry construction castle wall…

Architecture, Castles
uchikorobi 内転

Pillars *hashira 柱 with an inward incline. Uchikorobi…

Architecture, General Terms
uchikoshi daruki ✓

Rafters *taruki 垂木 that extend from the flying rafter support *…

Architecture, General Terms
uchimasugata 内桝形

Lit. "inner square box." A type of walled compound *masugata 桝形…

Architecture, Castles
uchinori 内法 ✓

1 The inside measurement between the inner sides of two posts or pillars *…

Architecture, Measurement
uchinorinuki 内法貫

A penetrating tie beam *nuki 貫 placed directly on top of a door or…

Architecture, General Terms
uchinorizai 内法材

Also called uchinorimono 内法物. The wooden materials used for the framework of a sliding screen *…

Architecture, General Terms
uchiroji 内露地

Inner tea garden. The part of the double tea garden nijū roji 二重露地, between the middle gate *…

Architecture, Tea Houses
uchisoto hachimonji 内外八文字

A type of loophole *sama 狭間. An opening in a wall for soldiers to…

Architecture, Castles
uchiwa-e 団扇絵

Lit. "fan painting." A painting either directly on a fan *uchiwa 団扇, or on a round format…

Art History, Painting
uchiwa 団扇

Also read dansen. A round or oval fan made of paper or silk pasted over a framework of thin strips of bamboo.…

Art History, Painting
udatsu-bashira うだつ柱

1 A wide post at the interface between the earth-floored space *doma…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
udatsu 卯立 ✓

Also written 卯建, 宇立, うだつ; all read udachi, odatsu, or odachi.

1 A term…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
udatsuya うだつ屋

1 A rudimentary thatched dwelling hut or ancillary structure with a gable roof *…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
udegi 腕木

1 A relatively short horizontal timber that functions like a brace. It is attached to and extends outward…

Architecture, General Terms
udegimon 腕木門 ✓

Also called *kidomon 木戸門. A simple gate with two main posts…

Architecture, Gates
uetsuke 植付け

Lit. "planting." A technique used to make wooden statues, where the hair and beard are made separately, and then attached to…

Art History, Sculpture
uganju 拝所

An open site, generally in Okinawa, devoid of any kind of structure, from where the gods are worshipped. Most sites are…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
uguisubari 鴬張

Lit. "nightingale floor." Floor boards which rub together when walked on to produce a pleasant and delicate sound. This type…

Architecture, General Terms
uguisugaki 鴬垣

Lit. "bush warbler fence." A common type of rustic sleeve fence *sodegaki…

Architecture, Gardens
Uhō dōji 雨宝童子

An abbreviation of Kongō sekishō zenshin uhō dōji 金剛赤精善神雨宝童子. A manifestation of the Buddha *…

Art History, Iconography
Uji 宇治

A modern city in the southern part of Kyoto where the Byōdōin 平等院 (1052) is located. Historically, Uji was a resort for the…

Art History, Painting
Ujibashi ajiro-zu 宇治橋網代図

A visual motif in the *yamato-e やまと絵 tradition, depicting the…

Art History, Painting
Ujigawa no kassen 宇治川の合戦

Lit. "Battles of the Uji 宇治 River." Two dramatic and decisive battles that took place near the Uji bridge, over the river,…

Art History, Painting
ukagai shita-e 伺下絵

A small-sized preliminary sketch undertaken by an artist expressly at the request of a patron. These sketches may be…

Art History, Painting
uke-e 有卦絵

Also written 有気絵. Woodblock prints or paintings *ukiyo-e 浮世絵 produced for an individual…

Art History, Painting

Pagination

  • First page « First
  • Previous page ‹‹
  • Page 1
  • Current page 2
  • Page 3
  • Next page ››
  • Last page Last »

Contributor Login

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