1　A generic term for roof tiles used in the valley of a roof. Valleys are formed when the ridges of two…

Also called *mendo 面戸. The gap along both sides of the valley *…

A timber shorter than the standard length.

Lit. "Buddha at birth." A sculptural representation of the historical Buddha *Shaka 釈迦…

Ch: Danxia shaofo. A painting subject which captures the Chan 禅 (Jp: Zen) parable of the monk Danxia (Jp: Tanka 丹霞…

A single topknot. Hair tied on top of the head in a simple round topknot *hōkei…

Beating gold. Also called tanzō 緞造, uchimono 打物, tsuikin 鎚金 and kaji 鍛冶. A…

A tool used in woodblock printmaking *ukiyo-e 浮世絵. A piece of wood, a flat…

A single corridor that is 182 cm wide, commonly found in temples. Some shrines have double corridors *…

Lit. "red and green books." Also called edoribon ゑどり本 or 絵取本 (colored books) during the Edo period. Early Edo…

An abbreviation of tansaiga 淡彩画 (light-colored painting).
Lit. "lightly colored." Very often ink paintings…

"Collection of Young Trees of Painting"; one-volume biography of Japanese painters by Kano Ikkei 狩野一渓 (1599-1662). Compiled…

A single-structure storehouse constructed of triangular timber or planks set in grid plan, *…

Small vertical poem cards, approximately 36 cm long x 6 cm wide that may be decorated with colored designs, sprinkled with…

Lit. "poem-slip" *tanzaku 短冊 format. A size of *…

Any long, rectangular-shaped object which is similar in size to a long, rectangular poem card called *…

A female form of *Kannon 観音 who appears as the mother of the Kannon section (Kannon'in…

A painting technique in which pale black ink *sumi 墨 or a color (…

1　An abbreviation of taru-no-kuchi kanamono 樽の口金物. Part of the metal cover *…

Also written たるき. This is the simplest type of rafter, called common rafter or base rafter. It extends from the ridge *…

Lit. "rafter construction." Also referred to as odachi toriigumi おだち鳥居組. One of the two principal types of assembly…

An angled joint *shiguchi 仕口 used to insert rafters into a ridge *…

Bamboo rafters that span from the ridge *munagi 棟木 to the eave ends *…

A board placed parallel to the rafters on a gable roof *kirizuma yane …

Also read tarukigake. A horizontal timber attached to the posts of an exterior wall to support the undersides of…

A rafter pendant tile. A small tile formed to fit the shape of the cut end of a rafter *…

A decorative metal fitting *kazari kanagu 飾金具 fixed to the end of a…

The various systems of placing rafters *taruki 垂木 in relation to the pillars *…

The degree of curvature on a bargeboard *hafu 破風, or on a roof between the peak…

Also called tajūtō 多重塔. A generic term for pagodas that are from three to thirteen stories. An even number of…

Also read tōsho. The burial place for the remains of prominent Buddhist priests. Historically, the ashes of Buddha…

Also called sukebari. A beam which stabilizes bottle struts *taiheizuka…

1　Two interact lines, strings or rails diagonally forming a pattern of diamond shapes. Sometimes another…

Also *hishigōshi 菱格子. A type of lattice *…

Also called *hishigōshi 菱格子. A design motif of crossed…

Also tasukizan. Thin stips of timber san 桟 that intersect to form a criss-cross pattern or a zig-zag…

A diagonal line. A word applied to structural members used in the modular system kikujutsu 規矩術. Specifically, this…

A pounded earth embankment. It was made of layers of earth mixed with water, pounded down and allowed to harden. The wall…

A striking chisel. The primary structural elements in Japanese wooden buildings are pillars and beams, and not supporting…

A floor covering made of tightly woven grass and straw. A standard tatami is a rectangular mat about 1.82 m (≒6')…

The mesh or the number of meshes "wales" of a straw mat *tatami 畳. One "wale" is approximately…

A type of straw matted alcove in which either an ordinary *tatami mat is set on…

Also called *yosejikii 寄敷居. A small, horizontal wooden strip that is placed…

Also written 鑪. The modern character is ro 鈩, and can mean furnace. Tatara is an ancient word meaning…

Also written 塔中. A simple building containing a pagoda that enshrined the ashes of a founder or head priest of a Zen 禅…

Also read tachi. A small castle shiro 城 and/or a wealthy provincial residence *…

A dominating garden stone that is set in an upright position. The term appears first in the *…

A board and batten wall. Thin boards with battens attached are set vertically to hide the joints, a Zen style *…

The layer of plaster that gradually covered ropes suspended randomly down a store house wall *…

A pit dwelling. Generally a house type with a sunken, excavated floor. Houses of this type existed in Japan from the Jōmon…

A type of tomb made in the Tumulus period, also called Kofun period. A pit was dug and lined with cut stone such that the…

1　Small settlements between the larger officially recognized inn towns *…

Also called nunobame 布羽目. Vertically placed wooden panels cut from the long side of a large piece of timber. When…

Also read ritchūshiki. A ceremony performed when the main post, tate-bashira, of a building is erected.…

A ripsaw. A saw used to cut timber in the same direction as the wood grain. There are various types of ripsaw including: the…

Also written 立菱. A longitudinal diamond pattern which consists a series of repeated upright diamond shapes. See …

A vertical dry moat. Also read tatsubori; sometimes written 立堀, 竪濠. A dry moat *…

Also written 縦縁. Perpendicular stiles on both sides of opaque sliding screens *fusuma…

Also read jūdanmen-zu, meaning "to cut vertically." Either a longitudinal or cross section drawing made along the…

Also called tatsudoi 立樋. A cylindrical or square drain pipe that allows rain water to flow from the rain gutters *…

Also read tachidokoro. The point where a structural timber begins to rise. For example, the place where the bottom…

A generic term for removable screens, doors or shutters. This includes: sliding screens *…

A type of worship hall *haiden 拝殿 which is attached to the main…

Lit. "vertical post shrine fence." Also called kakutamagaki 角玉垣 (square shrine fence) or *…

Also written 縦ほぞ. Usually the two tenons made on each end of a threshold *shikii…

A hanging scroll *kakemono 掛物 that is vertically oriented; in…

Also written 竪蔀; also called itajitomi 板蔀. A moveable fence used in aristocratic dwellings of the Heian and…

Lit. "under construction pagoda." A pagoda at Kanshinji 観心寺 in Osaka that has only its first story. Kusunoki Masashige 楠木正成…

All the basic wooden structural members produced at a building site including the ridge, and the ceremony of raising the…

Also written 立子 or 建子, read tatego.

1　 A generic term for the vertical muntins on lattice…

Also called awasemeji 合目地. Lines made when vertical stone panels are arranged along the sides of podii *…

Also called tatehonshigesan 竪本繁桟, tatehonshigesankumi 竪本繁桟組; tateshigekumi 竪繁組. Closely-spaced…

The measurement of floor space in any traditional type building using *tsubo 坪 (3.31 meters…

The accurate alignment of posts, pillars, stiles, and trim on a door frame in order to allow for the perfect fit of a hinged…

The boards placed over rafters *taruki 垂木, to form the underside of a roof and…

Also read tatewaki or written 立枠. A design motif made of vertical, tate 立, curvilinear lines which bulge…

Also called tatedōzan 竪胴桟. Vertical lath used for a door or window frame. Lath called san 桟 can be set…

1　An abbreviation of tatōgami, or tatamigami. Also known as…

Lit. "multiple-island style." More than two islands constructed in a chisen 池泉 (pond and stream) type garden.

Also written 龍田川 or 立田川. The lower reaches of a tributary of the Yamato 大和 River in Nara. Long famous for its maple leaves,…

A painting shop *eya 絵屋 or atelier founded by Sōtatsu 宗達 (?-1640?), who is thought…

One of the gates in the inner enclosure of the old Edo-jō 江戸城. It preserves the *…

Lit. "hand box." Introduced from China as a comb box before the Heian period, they were popular with court women through the…

Ch: Zheng Siyuan. A Chinese sage depicted riding a tiger and accompanied by a tiger cub who carries his books. The tiger…

Lit. "paintings of Teika's poems of the flowers and birds of the twelve months." According to his diary Meigetsuki …

Lit. "ladder-shaped compound plan." Short for teikakushiki nawabari 梯郭式縄張. A plan that fortified a castle entrance…

Ch: dijiantu. The genre of paintings of advice and admonition *kankai-zu…

Also dainaisha 第内社. A shrine within the estate or premises teinai 邸内 of a nobleman. The mansion, …

Ch: dingtou shuweimiao. Lit. "nail head-rattail drawing." A brush stroke technique used to create the clothing of…

Lit. "Secret Text on Garden Construction." A treatise on landscape design supposedly written first in the Muromachi period.…

Also tekō, yubitsugai 指番. A protective piece of leather or metal used to protect the back of a soldier's…

Also called *dōgu-datami 道具畳, or kyo-datami 居畳. The straw mat…

Also *shō 摂. Clay statue. An old term used in the Nara period to…

An Indian god (Sk: deva) or goddess (Sk: devi) of non-Buddhist origin. When referring to such deities, the character "bu…

A pictorial subject based on "Tenarai" ("At Writing Practice"), Chapter 53 of Genji monogatari 源氏物語 (The Tale…

Beams used to support a heavy lower ridge *jimune 地棟. They are…

Lit. "mudra for turning the Dharma-wheel." A mudra or hand gesture *in 印…

1　A prehistoric pit dwelling *tateana jūkyo …

The upper part of a piece of paper is referred to as the "heaven" or ten 天, and the lower part as the "earth"or…

Also tenchigen. A facial expression found on *Fudō Myōō 不動明王, where the right…