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JAANUS

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  • (-) Architecture (269)
  • Accessories (1)
  • Aristocratic Dwellings (2)
  • Art History (3)
  • Buildings (23)
  • Castles (13)
  • Crafts (1)
  • Decorations (13)
  • Document (1)
  • Folk Dwellings (24)
  • Gardens (13)
  • Gates (11)
  • General Terms (118)
  • Joints (4)
  • Lanterns (2)
  • Painting (2)
  • Roofing Tiles (17)
  • Shrines (10)
  • Structures (23)
  • Tea Houses (19)
  • Tools (3)

Displaying 1 - 100 of 269
Title Contains Image(s) Description Keywords
bai 唄 ✓

A circular nail head cover *kugikakushi 釘隠, placed over a nail to attach a…

Architecture, Decorations
baijō 梅杖

Lit. plum post. A wooden post used to support the heavy but structurally weak branches of old plum trees.

Architecture, Gardens
baikenmon 梅軒門

Lit. plum eaves gate. Also written 梅見門. A type of gate used in tea gardens *roji…

Architecture, Tea Houses
baku 瀑

A cascade. A type of garden waterfall in which the water falls at a 90 degree angle. One common type of baku is the…

Architecture, Gardens
bakuhana 獏鼻 ✓

Lit. tapir nose. Also called bakugashira 獏頭. A type of nosing *kibana…

Architecture, Decorations
bakuryō 曝涼

Lit. airing. Also called mushiboshi 虫干. The practice of inspecting and airing valuables that have been in storage…

Architecture, General Terms
ban 盤

A heavy wooden plank placed above the ceiling of the first story of a two-storied pagoda *…

Architecture, General Terms
banbei 蕃塀 ✓

Also pronounced hanbei. A single, free-standing, short timber fence placed as a guard in front of the north, east,…

Architecture, Shrines
banchi ばん池

Also called hanchi 畔池 written with the character ばん池, to indicate a 'halved pond.' Lit. levee pond. A type of…

Architecture, Gardens
banjiro 番城

Short for zaiban shijō 在番支城. A branch castle *shijō 支城, with…

Architecture, Castles
banshin 番神

Also kyakushin 客神, ishin 夷神. Also written 蛮神 banshin. Gods that were thought to have originated…

Architecture, Shrines
banzuke 番付

A system used to label each structural members of a building before construction, while being dismantled for repair, or…

Architecture, General Terms
battari shōgi ばったり床几

Alternative term for a shop-front shutter and folding table *agemise …

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
bentendō 弁天堂

Also called benzaitendō 弁才天堂. A small structure that houses an image of Benten 弁天 (Sk: Sarasvati, *…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
betsugū 別宮

Also bessha 別社, edamiya 枝宮, or edayashiro 枝社.

A god is enshrined or venerated as being…

Architecture, Shrines
betsuin 別院

Also called *gobō 御坊. In the Nagoya area, it is called kakesho…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
biseki 尾石

Lit. tail stone. A stone in a rock garden that represents the tail of a tortoise *…

Architecture, Gardens
bishamon kikkō 毘沙門亀甲

A decorative pattern composed of three joined hexagonal shapes. It is named after the guardian deity *…

Architecture, Decorations
bishamondō 毘沙門堂 ✓

A temple hall dedicated to *Bishamonten 毘沙門天, one of the four gods, or *…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
biwa-ita 琵琶板

Also written 枇杷板.

1 The board inserted between a bottle strut *…

Architecture, General Terms
bokashi 暈

1 A gradation of colors or tones from dark to light or vice versa. One example is colorization of the…

Architecture, Decorations, Art History, Painting
bokuseki 墨跡

Black ink brush writing by Zen 禅 priests, as well as by laymen who practiced Zen meditations and wrote Buddhist sermons, or…

Architecture, Tea Houses
bokusekimado 墨蹟窓

A window on the side wall of an alcove *tokonoma 床の間, used to provide light…

Architecture, Tea Houses
bonjimon 梵字文 ✓

Lit. Sanskrit motif. A Sanskrit character, bonji 梵字, that decorates pendants *…

Architecture, Roofing Tiles
bōrōgata tenshu 望楼型天守 ✓

A lookout tower set atop the roof of a residence *kyokan 居館, usually a…

Architecture, Castles
botan karakusa 牡丹唐草

1 Abbreviation of botan karakusagawara 牡丹唐草瓦. A roof tile, often an eaves-end tile, whose pendant…

Architecture, Roofing Tiles, Painting, Art History
bōzumi 棒隅

Lit. straight corner.
1 Buildings of any traditional type without curves on structural members under the…

Architecture, General Terms
budō karakusamon 葡萄唐草文 ✓

Also abbreviated to *budō karakusa 葡萄唐草. A grape-patterned arabesque used…

Architecture, Roofing Tiles
bugakuryū teien 武学流庭園

Lit. garden of the Bugaku lineage. A style of Japanese garden developed in the middle of the Edo period by Ōishi Bugaku 大石武学…

Architecture, Gardens
buke-zukuri 武家造

A style of residential architecture in use among the bushi 武士 or warrior class. As defined by the early 20th-…

Architecture, General Terms
bukku 仏供

Also jukubukku 熟仏供, butsuhan 仏飯, or butsushō 仏餉. Cooked rice made as an offering to the Buddha,…

Architecture, General Terms
bunmawashi 規 An old term for a compass used to draw circles. They were imported from Portugal. The beam compass has a large radius,… Architecture, Tools
buntōgata 分棟型 ✓

Lit. divided-ridge style. Often abbreviated to buntō 分棟 and sometimes referred to as betsumune-zukuri…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
burō 廡廊

A corridor that enclosed an open area or surrounded a space in which buildings were erected. A term from the 7th-9th century…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
bussharitō 仏舎利塔

Also called *sharitō 舎利塔. A reliquary in a stupa or pagoda. These could be…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
busshōya 仏餉屋 ✓

Also called gokusho 御供所. A Buddhist building used to prepare ritual food offerings called busshō 仏餉, *…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
busshudana 仏守棚 Lit. Buddha protecting shelf. A type of decorative shelf with sliding-door cabinets on the bottom and an ogee-shaped… Architecture, Aristocratic Dwellings
butaigamachi 舞台框

Lit. stage framework. A framing member that runs the entire width of the upper part of a *…

Architecture, General Terms
butaikabe 舞台壁

Lit. proscenium wall. The wall at the front part of a *kabuki 歌舞伎 stage.

Architecture, General Terms
butsudan 仏壇 ✓

An altar or tabernacle in the form of a podium, table, recess, or cabinet used in the sanctuaries of temples and in private…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
butsudan-no-ma 仏壇の間 ✓

A room in traditional vernacular houses *minka 民家, in parts of Hyōgo Prefecture…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
butsuden 仏殿 ✓

Also *daiyū hōden 大雄宝殿. The main hall of a Zen temple. Butsuden…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
butsudō 仏堂

Also called *butsuden 仏殿; bukkaku 仏閣, *…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
butsuma 仏間

A room for Buddhist images (either two- or three-dimensional images) or, especially in a residence, an altar or tabernacle…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures, Folk Dwellings
butsumon 仏門

Lit. Buddha's gate. Also *nandaimon 南大門; *…

Architecture, Gates
buzai 部材

A generic term for the structural members which form the framework *honegumi…

Architecture, General Terms
byōbudana 屏風棚

A type of decorative double hanging shelf *tsuridana 釣棚, placed in an alcove…

Architecture, Accessories
byōbuori 屏風折

Also termed *orihei 折塀 (folding wall). A castle wall that zig-zags…

Architecture, Castles
byōmon 廟門 ✓

Also called reibyōmon 霊廟門. An entrance gate to a mausoleum. It can be an elaborate gate in two-storied or simulated…

Architecture, Gates
byōtō 廟塔

Lit. mausoleum pagoda.
1 A pagoda constructed to enshrine a Buddhist image.
2 A five…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
naga-ita 長板

Lit. "a long board."


1 The board used as the base of the *…

Architecture, Tea Houses
naga-itabuki 長板葺

1 An early term for long boards used on roofs. Records dating from the 8th century first used the terms…

Architecture, General Terms
nagakikkō 長亀甲

An elongated hexagon or a decorative pattern consisting of a series of elongated hexagon shapes.

Architecture, Decorations
nagamarugawara 長丸瓦

Longer than standard semi-cylindrical roof tiles used as coping tiles *kasagawara…

Architecture, Roofing Tiles
nagare 流

Lit. "flowing."

1 The flow of the roof line from the ridge *…

Architecture, General Terms
nagare-zukuri 流造 ✓

Also nagare hafu-zukuri 流破風造. A widely used style of main sanctuary *…

Architecture, Shrines
nagarehozo 流ほぞ ✓

A sloped tenon, which is cut into the end of a beam. The top of the tenon is flush with the top surface of the beam. The…

Architecture, Joints
nagashi 流し

1 A sink used for washing food before its preparation, for washing utensils after a meal, or for washing…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
nagate 長手

The long side of a timber, or a timber placed in a lengthwise direction.

Architecture, General Terms
nagatoko 長床

A room at Kumano Jinja 熊野神社, in Fukushima Prefecture, which is similar to a worshipper's hall *…

Architecture, Shrines
nagaya 長屋

Longhouse, or row house. A house with a long ridge. Also indicates a house with a number of residences connected under a…

Architecture, General Terms
nagayamono 長屋物

The smallest of three standard sizes of roof tiles yanegawara 屋根瓦, used during the 17th-19th century. The…

Architecture, Roofing Tiles
Nageiredō 投入堂 ✓

Also once known as Zaōdō 蔵王堂. The Nageiredō is a small building, constructed in the overhang style kake-zukuri 懸造,…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
nagekakebari 投掛梁 ✓

A transverse beam *hari 梁 made in two sections and coupled by a stub-tenon-…

Architecture, General Terms
nageshi 長押 ✓

Non-penetrating tie beams that are made to fit around pillars *hashira 柱 of…

Architecture, General Terms
nageshibiki 長押挽

A long rectangular beam cut along a diagonal cross-section and used as a non-penetrating tie *nageshi…

Architecture, General Terms
nagimayu 薙眉

Also called naginata mayu 薙刀眉 or 長刀眉. A type of carved molding *kurigata…

Architecture, Decorations
naginatazori 長刀反

A sudden strong, upward curve at the corner ends of eaves. Especially characteristic of the Zen style *…

Architecture, General Terms
naidō 内堂

Buddhist priests' living quarters. Higher-ranking priests had two rooms one behind the other. The inner room was called the…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
naiheki 内壁

1 An interior wall partition.

2 The inner surface of a wall.

Architecture, General Terms
naijimon 内侍門

Also read naishimon. Traditionally, the timbergate through which virgin attendants entered a shrine. Structurally,…

Architecture, Gates
naijin 内陣 ✓

The inner sanctum located in the main halls *kondō 金堂 or *…

Architecture, General Terms
naijinbashira 内陣柱 ✓

Also called moyabashira 母屋柱; irikawabashira入側柱. The pillars placed on the boundary between, or slightly…

Architecture, General Terms
naijō 内城

The innermost compound *kuruwa 郭 of a castle. Sometimes called *…

Architecture, Castles
naiku 内区 ✓

The inner section of the pendant *gatō 瓦当, attached to a semi-…

Architecture, Roofing Tiles
Naikūgen torii 内宮源鳥居

Small entrance-gates at Yoshida Jinja 吉田神社 in Kyoto. They are located in front of two small shrines behind the octagonal…

Architecture, Shrines
nainaijin 内内陣

1 A miniature shrine within the sanctuary of a Shinto shrine.

2 The innermost…

Architecture, Shrines
naka-ita 中板

A board which is inserted between the host's mat *temaedatami 点前畳 and the…

Architecture, Tea Houses
naka-no-kuchi 中の口

1 A semi-formal entrance to Honmaru Goten 本丸御殿, the main palace in Edo-jō 江戸城. It was situated at the east…

Architecture, General Terms
Naka-no-Mibumon 中の壬生門

According to the Shokunihongi 続日本紀, a gate leading to the waiting area for all officials, chōshūden…

Architecture, Gates
naka-no-to 中の戸

1 A generic term for a door connecting two areas of a structure.


2 A door in the…

Architecture, General Terms
nakabachi-no-tsukubai 中鉢の蹲踞

A garden wash-basin set characterized by the use of gravel surrounding it. The gravel allows the water from hand washing to…

Architecture, Tea Houses
nakabashira 中柱

1 Also *daimebashira 台目柱. A small pillar which stands at…

Architecture, Tea Houses, Folk Dwellings
nakado 中戸 ✓

A pair of sliding doors *hikichigai 引違, separating the front…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
nakadoi 中樋 ✓

A rain gutter placed at the bottom point where two roofs meet. Similar to *narabidō 双堂…

Architecture, General Terms
nakadoma machiya 中土間町家

An urban vernacular residence *machiya 町家, characterised by a…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
nakadoma 中土間

An inner earth-floored area found in *nakadoma machiya…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
nakagamachi 中框

Also called nakazan 中桟. A middle rail. A horizontal rail or rails inserted into stiles tategamachi 竪框 and…

Architecture, General Terms
nakahōdate 中方立

A vertical, finishing strip of wood placed between the threshold *shikii 敷居 and…

Architecture, General Terms
nakai 中居

1 A private service-oriented room in the mansions of aristocrats, warriors, retired emperors, abbots and…

Architecture, General Terms, Folk Dwellings
nakaita-no-seki 中板席

A tea ceremony room or house that contains a board *naka-ita 中板, set between the host's mat…

Architecture, Tea Houses
nakajō 中城

Also *ni-no-maru 二の丸, ni-no-kuruwa 二の郭, naka-no-maru 中の丸.…

Architecture, Castles
nakako 中子 ✓

Also called sakuko 柵子, kakusaku 角柵, marutazaku 丸太柵. The stakes used to support the fencing set in…

Architecture, General Terms
nakakugi 中釘

Also *hanakugi 花釘, tokonakakugi 床中釘 (see *…

Architecture, Tea Houses
nakakuguri 中潜

Lit. "middle wicket." Also pronounced uchisomi. It is sometimes called kuguri 潜. A type of middle…

Architecture, Tea Houses
nakaniwa 中庭

1 A place for hanging clothes in vernacular dwellings of the Kantō 関東 region.


2 …

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
nakanuri 中塗り ✓

Also called chūgomi 中込, nakazuke or chūzuke 中付. A middle layer of plaster applied between the…

Architecture, General Terms
nakaore 中折

An architectural element that is bent or has a concave mid-point. A diagonal brace, for example, if less than 90 cm wide,…

Architecture, General Terms
nakashikii 中敷居

Also read chūjikii. Lit. "middle sill." A sill on a shelf that divides a closet into two parts, lower and upper.…

Architecture, General Terms
nakasukido 中透戸

Also called nakashōji 中障子, yoshiwara shōji 吉原障子, takeshōji 竹障子, nakanukido 中抜戸 and …

Architecture, General Terms

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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