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  • Accessories (1)
  • Architecture (119)
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  • Art History (143)
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  • Document (4)
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  • Gardens (15)
  • Gates (5)
  • General Terms (37)
  • Iconography (26)
  • Joints (2)
  • Lanterns (2)
  • Painting (75)
  • Roofing Tiles (7)
  • Sculpture (36)
  • Shrines (8)
  • Structures (15)
  • Tea Houses (9)
  • Tools (2)

Displaying 101 - 200 of 259
Title Contains Image(s) Description Keywords
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
butsuden-zu 仏伝図

Lit. illustrated biographies of the Buddha. Artistic representations, usually painted or in low-relief sculpture, of the…

Art History, Iconography
butsudō 仏堂

Also called *butsuden 仏殿; bukkaku 仏閣, *…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
butsugan 仏龕

Also gan 龕. A niche carved out of a wall for the purpose of installing a Buddhist image, or a miniature Buddhist…

Art History, Sculpture
Butsugen butsumo 仏眼仏母

Also Butsugenson 仏眼尊 (Venerable Buddha-Eye). Lit. Buddha-Eye, or Mother of the Buddha. Sk: Buddhalocanal Locana. An Esoteric…

Art History, Iconography
Butsugen mandara 仏眼曼荼羅

A variety of *besson mandara 別尊曼荼羅 (a mandala concerning a single deity…

Art History, Iconography
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
Butsunichian kōmotsu mokuroku 仏日庵公物目録

Catalog of objects in Butsunichian, the 14th-century inventory of artistic and other properties of Butsunichian 仏日庵…

Art History, Painting, Document
butsuzō 仏像

A general term that refers to all images of the Buddha used as objects of worship, although most commonly used to refer to…

Art History, Sculpture
buzai 部材

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

Architecture, General Terms
byakudan 白檀

Sandalwood; santalum album. A tree with fine-grained hardwood, native to India and Southeast Asia. The wood is pale-yellow…

Art History, Sculpture
Byakue Kannon 白衣観音

Also Byakushozon 白処尊 and Byakue Kanjizaimo 白衣観自在母. (Sk: Panduravasini); White-robed *…

Art History, Iconography
byakugō 白毫 ✓

Also *mikenkō 眉間光, miken byakugō 眉間白毫, miken byakugōsō 眉間白毫相…

Art History, Sculpture
byakugun 白群

A pale blue pigment *ganryō 顔料, used in Japanese painting *…

Art History, Painting
byakuroku 白緑

A pale green pigment *ganryō 顔料, used in Japanese painting *…

Art History, Painting
byōbu-e 屏風絵

Paintings on folding screens *byōbu 屏風. 

The earliest record of…

Art History, Painting
byōbu 屏風

A folding screen consisting of multiple, joined panels. Folding screens vary in size; the standard size consists of six…

Art History, Painting
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
raden 螺鈿

1 A shell, especially mother-of-pearl, inlay technique commonly used for lacquer ware *…

Art History, Crafts
Rafusen 羅浮仙

Ch: Luofuxian. The story and pictorial theme of an immortal on Mt. Luofu 羅浮山 (Jp: Rafusen) and the spirit…

Art History, Painting
rahotsu 螺髪

Spiral shaped curls of hair, like snail-shells, on the head of a *nyorai…

Art History, Sculpture
raiden 礼殿

Also *haiden 拝殿. A worship hall for Shinto shrine visitors. The plan…

Architecture, Shrines
raidō 礼堂

Also called raihaidō 礼拝堂. A worship hall. When Buddhist temples were constructed during the 7th-8th century,…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
raigō-bashira 来迎柱

Two or four-circular pillars right and left at each corner of the Buddhist altar to define the most sacred place in a temple…

Architecture, General Terms
Raigō-in Amida 来迎印阿弥陀

Lit. "Amida with welcoming descent mudras." A figure of *Amida 阿弥陀 with hand…

Art History, Iconography
raigō-in 来迎印

Lit. "welcoming mudra." A mudra or hand gesture *in 印 in which the forefinger,…

Art History, Sculpture
raigō-kabe 来迎壁 ✓

Also called raigō-heki. A clay or wooden wall erected behind a Buddhist altar *…

Architecture, General Terms
raigō-zu 来迎図

Painted images of Buddhas and bodhisattvas, such as *Shaka 釈迦, *…

Art History, Iconography
raimon kōshi 雷文格子

Lattice arranged in a fret pattern, used especially on railings of balconies.

Architecture, General Terms
raimon 雷文

Lit. "lightning pattern." Also read ikazuchimon いかずち文. A pattern of thick and thin zig-zag lines. A variation of *…

Architecture, Decorations
Raisan imo wo yaku 懶瓚芋を焼く

Ch: Lanzan weiyu 懶瓚煨芋. A Zen 禅 (Ch: Chan) painting subject depicting the late 8th century Chinese Zen priest Lanzan…

Art History, Painting
rakan 羅漢

Arhat. Ch: luohan, Sk: arhan. Abbreviation of arakan 阿羅漢, a translation of the Sk. term arhan…

Art History, Iconography
rakkan 落款

An abbreviation of the term rakusei kanshiki 落成款識. Lit. "inscription cast into ancient bronze vessels at…

Art History, Painting
rakuchū rakugai zu 洛中洛外図

Paintings of scenes in and around Kyoto. Famous sites, festivals and activities within the capital rakuchū 洛中…

Art History, Painting
rakugaki 落書

Also written 楽書. Graffiti or scribblings. The earliest examples in Japan are the scribblings in the margins or on the backs…

Art History, Painting
rakuyaki 楽焼 ✓

Raku 楽 ware. A light weight ceramic ware developed in Kyoto in the Momoyama period and particularly prized in the…

Art History, Crafts
ramō 羅網

A net-like ornament strung with jewels or precious metals and hung from the canopy *…

Art History, Sculpture
ran'yōbyō 蘭葉描

Ch: lanyemiao. Lit. "orchid-leaf drawing." A style of ink-painting using fluid, modulated lines that resemble the…

Art History, Painting
ranma 欄間 ✓

A transom. A rectangular opening, longer in the horizontal direction, constructed between the lintels *…

Architecture, General Terms
ranseki 乱石 ✓

Also called no-ishizumi 野石積. Stones with an irregular shape. Those that are somewhat square are called nozura-…

Architecture, General Terms
ransekizumi kidan 乱石積基壇

Also referred to as ranzumi kidan 乱積基壇, ranzō ransekizumi 乱層乱石積, kuzure ishizumi くずれ石積 or simply…

Architecture, General Terms
ransekizumi 乱石積 ✓

Also *ranzumi 乱積. Piling up unhewn rocks or random masonry. The earliest and…

Architecture, Castles
rantai shikki 籃胎漆器

The technique whereby bamboo strips are woven into shapes and coated with lacquer. Also called kagoji 籠地 (basket…

Art History, Crafts
rantei kyokusui 蘭亭曲水

Ch: Lanting qushui. Lit. "meandering stream and orchid pavilion." A painting theme which refers to a gathering held…

Art History, Painting
rantō 卵塔

A stone pagoda with an egg-shaped main body placed directly on a base. It differs from the *…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
rantsugi 乱継

Lit. "random joints." Various types of architectural joints that can be either dovetail *…

Architecture, Joints
ranzumi 乱積

Also called *ransekizumi 乱石積, waraizumi 笑い積. Randomly piled natural stones *…

Architecture, General Terms
rasetsu 羅刹

Transliteration of Sanskrit raksasa, a term for demons in general, but which may also be divided into three classes…

Art History, Iconography
Rei Shōjo 霊昭女

Ch: Ling Zhaonu. Raised by her aged parents as a devout Buddhist, this semi-legendary daughter of Tang dynasty lay Buddhist…

Art History, Painting
reibyō 霊廟 ✓

Also byōsho 廟所 or mitamaya 霊屋.
A mausoleum in which the spirit of the dead is enshrined. It may be…

Architecture, Shrines
reihon 零本

A set of books from which the larger portion is missing; the odd volume or smaller portion (i.e., several pages) of a larger…

Art History, Painting
Reiun Kanka 霊雲観花

Ch: Lingyun Guanhua. The Tang dynasty Zen 禅 priest Lingyun Zhiqin (Jp: Reiun Shikin 霊雲志勤), a disciple of Weishan Lingyu (Jp…

Art History, Painting
ren 聯

A long piece of paper or board the same length as *zenshi 全紙 (approximately 135…

Art History, Painting
ren'ochi 聯落

A piece of paper, three-quarters the size of *zenshi 全紙. When a…

Art History, Painting
renben 蓮弁

Lit. "lotus petal."
1 A pendant *gatō 瓦当, found on semi-…

Architecture, Roofing Tiles, Art History, Sculpture
rengejigata tōrō 蓮華寺形灯籠

1 Rengeji type lantern. So named because a pair of these lanterns stand in front of the main building at…

Architecture, Lanterns
Rengemon 蓮華門

Also written 蓮花門. Lit. "Lotus Flower Gate." A gate located in the west wall opposite main east gate, Tōdaimon 東大門 of…

Architecture, Gates
rengemon 蓮華文

Also renge karakusa 蓮華唐草. Lit. "lotus pattern." A decorative floral and vine design motif that originated in China…

Art History, Painting
rengeza 蓮華座 ✓

Also renza 蓮座. Lit. "Lotus base" (Sk: padmasana). A dais for a Buddhist image *…

Art History, Sculpture
renji 蓮子

Raised dots or bead-like forms that represent the seeds in a stylized lotus flower pattern decorating many pendant tiles *…

Architecture, Roofing Tiles
renjimado 連子窓

Also written 櫺子窓. Lit. "a row lath window."

1 A window with vertical or horizontal wooden laths or…

Architecture, General Terms
renjumon 連珠文 ✓

Also *shumon 珠文. A design pattern that uses circles to represent pearls which…

Art History, Painting
renketsu tenshu 連結天守 ✓

Also called renketsushiki tenshu 連結式天守. A castle in which the principle tower or keep *…

Architecture, Castles
renniku 蓮肉

The central section of a lotus flower pedestal *rengeza 蓮華座 on which a Buddhist image usually…

Art History, Sculpture
renpashiki emon 漣波式衣文

A manner of representing drapery folds in Buddhist sculpture. It consists of either 

1) a high…

Art History, Sculpture
renritsu tenshu 連立天守

Lit. "connected towers." Also termed renritsushiki tenshu 連立式天守. An extensive, highly-developed castle complex…

Architecture, Castles
rensō 連窓

Multiple windows. Two or more windows connected horizontally, or windows connected within one frame window with vertical…

Architecture, General Terms
rensōmado 連双窓 ✓

Rensōmado means double windows. Two windows in line. Also called *meotomado…

Architecture, General Terms
retchōsō 列帖装

Also tetsuyōsō 綴葉装 or retsuyōsō 列葉装.
A multisection book. A type of Japanese book-binding. The…

Art History, Painting
Ri Haku 李白

Ch: Li Bai (701-62). One of the two most famous poets of the early Tang dynasty along with Du Fu (Jp: *…

Art History, Painting
Ri Kō shaseki 李広射石

Ch: Li Guang sheshi. Lit. "Li Guang shooting a rock." The Han dynasty archer Li Guang (Jp: Ri Kō 李広) who, on a…

Art History, Painting
rigōfuku 離合幅

Hanging scrolls *kakemono 掛物 in a set of two or more. Each…

Art History, Painting
rigyoseki 鯉魚石 ✓

Lit. "carp stone." A stone placed at the base of a waterfall to symbolize a carp swimming up the waterfall. Good examples…

Architecture, Gardens
Rikishi 力士 ✓

Ch: Lishi. A gigaku mask *gigakumen 伎楽面…

Art History, Sculpture
Rikuhō 六法

The Six Canons or Principles, thought to be essential for the appreciation of Chinese painting. They were set out in the…

Art History, Painting
Rikyū chadōgu zue 利休茶道具図会

Sen no Rikyū's 千利休 (1522-91) writings concerning measurements for tea ceremony utensils. Yamada Sōhen 山田宗へん (1627-1708)…

Architecture, Tea Houses
Rikyūgaki 利休垣

A fence made of bamboo stakes that alternate with unpeeled wooden stakes. The bamboo and unpeeled stakes have the same…

Architecture, Gardens
Rikyūgata tōrō 利休形灯籠

A type of lantern. Lanterns of various shapes may be called Rikyūgata. It is difficult to judge which are authentic…

Architecture, Lanterns
Rin Nasei 林和靖

Ch: Lin Hejing (967-1028). A noted poet, calligrapher and scholar of the Northern Song dynasty. Rin Nasei's real name was…

Art History, Sculpture
Rin Reiso 林霊素

Ch: Lin Lingsu. A Daoist immortal in the service of the Northern Song Emperor Huizong (Jp: Kisō 徽宗, r. 1101-25). A staunch…

Art History, Painting
rinkō 輪光

A type of halo *kōhai 光背 used on Buddhist images, forming a free-…

Art History, Sculpture
rinmo 臨模

A technique used to copy *mosha 模写 a painting or work of calligraphy. The…

Art History, Painting
rinnōza 輪王坐 ✓

The royal ease position (Sk: Maharajalilasana). A seated position used for a Buddhist image with one knee (usually…

Art History, Sculpture
Rinpa 琳派

A school of painters and decorative artists, which began in 17th-century Kyoto and then spread to Kanazawa and Edo. The term…

Art History, Painting
rinsen 林泉

Lit. "forest and stream."
The ancient word for garden. Rinsen first appeared in the 720 Nihon shoki…

Architecture, Gardens
Rinzai 臨済

Also known by the Chinese name: Linji. A Tang dynasty priest who founded a major school of chan (Jp: Zen 禅) Buddhism. Zen…

Art History, Iconography
rinzō 輪蔵

Also called kaiten rinzō 回転輪蔵. Octagonal sutra storage shelves that revolve around a central pillar, which acts as…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
Rishukyō mandara 理趣経曼荼羅

The Rishukyō jūhachi-e mandara was introduced from China to Japan by Ennin 円仁 (794-864) and Shūei 宗叡 (809-884…

Art History, Iconography
ro-datami 炉畳

Also kagi-datami 鍵畳. The straw mat *tatami 畳, into which…

Architecture, Tea Houses
rō 廊

A roofed corridor or passageway that connects one structure to another. It may also encompass an open area. There are…

Architecture, General Terms
ro 炉 ✓

A sunken hearth. A square box installed into the floor of a tea ceremony room to make a charcoal fire. The standard size…

Architecture, General Terms
rō-zukuri 楼造 ✓

A gate *rōmon 楼門, that appears to have two stories, but in reality is a high…

Architecture, General Terms
roban 露盤 ✓

Commonly used abbreviation of shō roban 承露盤; also called masugata 枡形. Originally, an entire spire *…

Architecture, General Terms
robuchi 炉縁 ✓

The frame placed around the fire-box *rodan 炉壇, in a tea ceremony room *…

Architecture, Tea Houses
robuta 炉蓋 ✓

A wooden lid about 1.8 cm thick used to cover the fixed-hearth *rodan 炉壇 in a tea…

Architecture, Tea Houses

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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