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JAANUS

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  • Accessories (3)
  • Architecture (562)
  • Aristocratic Dwellings (13)
  • Art History (365)
  • Buildings (35)
  • Castles (30)
  • Crafts (17)
  • Decorations (38)
  • Document (18)
  • Folk Dwellings (19)
  • Gardens (54)
  • Gates (21)
  • General Terms (211)
  • Iconography (46)
  • Joints (18)
  • Lanterns (5)
  • Measurement (7)
  • Painting (191)
  • Roofing Tiles (26)
  • Sculpture (100)
  • Shrines (36)
  • Storehouses (3)
  • Structures (34)
  • Tea Houses (54)
  • Tools (11)

Displaying 101 - 200 of 921
Title Contains Image(s) Description Keywords
chōnabari 釿梁 ✓

Transverse roof beams that span the distance from the center posts of a vernacular house with a thatched roof to the *…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
chōnaguri 釿栗

Cutting decorative patterns with an adze *chōna 釿 on chestnut wood …

Architecture, General Terms
chōnahajime 釿始

Also written 釿初, 手斧初. Also called kozukuri hajime 木造り始め or onohajime 斧始め. A carpenter's ceremony performed…

Architecture, General Terms
chōnamekezuri 釿目削 ✓

Also called chōnahatsuri 釿斫. A decorative pattern carved into the visible surface of a timber using an adze *…

Architecture, General Terms
chōren 頂蓮

Also kairen 開蓮. A lotus flower found on the head of a *Fudō Myōō …

Art History, Sculpture
chōsenshiki yamajiro 朝鮮式山城

Lit. Korean type mountain castle. A general term for castle structures in Japan that resemble those in ancient Korea.…

Architecture, Castles
choshi 楮紙

Also read kōzogami and kajigami 梶紙. Formerly called kokushi 穀紙 during the Heian period. Paper…

Art History, Painting
chōshitsu 彫漆

Carved lacquer. A generic term used for many carved lacquer techniques where layers of lacquer are applied to a thickness of…

Art History, Crafts
chōshizenshugi 超自然主義

Lit. hyper-naturalism. The idea of basing a garden, or a single element in it, on nature, but exaggerating the natural…

Architecture, Gardens
Chotō 猪頭

Ch: Zhutou. A painting subject depicting the Northern Song dynasty eccentric priest Zhimeng (J: Shimō 志蒙). He was known…

Art History, Painting
chōyō・taigetsu 朝陽・対月 ✓

Ch: chaoyang duiyue. A Zen painting subject depicting a priest sewing in the morning sun (Jp: chōyō …

Art History, Painting
chōzu-ishi 手水石

Lit. hand-washing stone. One of the seven trump stones *nanatsu-ishi 七つ石…

Architecture, Tea Houses
chōzubachi 手水鉢

Lit. hand water bowl. A water basin used to rinse the hands or as a decorative element in gardens. Usually made of stone,…

Architecture, Gardens
chōzuya 手水舎

Also written 手水屋. Also called suibansha 水盤舎 or temizuya 手水舎. Shrine or temple building for cleaning hands…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
chūban 中判

Lit. medium-size format. A size of *ukiyo-e 浮世絵 print. The term chūban…

Art History, Painting
chūberi 中縁

A part of the mounting of a hanging scroll *kakemono 掛物. The chūberi…

Art History, Painting
chūbō 中房

The central, circular part of a round, eave-end, pendant tile *gatō 瓦当…

Architecture, Roofing Tiles
chūdai 中台

The middle base of a lantern *tōrō 灯籠 upon which rests the flame holder and…

Architecture, Gardens
chūdan 中段

Middle area. In upper class residences especially from the Momoyama period and through the Edo period, seating was…

Architecture, Aristocratic Dwellings
chūden 中殿

The space *ai-no-ma 相の間 between the sanctuary *…

Architecture, Shrines
chūdō 中堂

Lit. central hall. A hall situated between two Buddhist halls or a hall with corridors attached on either side. The most…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
chūhon 中本

Lit. a middle-size book. A woodblock printed book, popular during the Edo period, which is one-half the size of a …

Art History, Painting
chūjin 中陣

A term used in shrine architecture: a middle area between the *honden 本殿, *…

Architecture, Shrines
chūjō 中将

A Noh mask *nōmen 能面 supposedly intended to represent the 9th-century poet and…

Art History, Sculpture
chūkin 鋳金

Metal casting. A technique used in metalwork to produce vessels or sculptures by melting down metal and pouring it into a…

Art History, Sculpture
chūkondō 中金堂

Lit. middle golden hall. An image hall *kondō 金堂 located at the center of…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
chūmon 中門

1 Middle gate. The second or inner gate on the north-south axis of a temple compound in the ancient period…

Architecture, Gates
chūmon-zukuri 中門造り

A type of vernacular house *minka 民家, characterized by one or more wings or…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
chūmonrō 中門廊

1 A Heian-period corridor intersected by gates. In the most elaborate Heian-period shinden style…

Architecture, Aristocratic Dwellings
chūnikai 中二階 ✓

A term for a loft or attic occupying the roof space of a vernacular house *minka…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
chūsei kenchiku 中世建築

Lit. medieval architecture. Temple and shrine buildings erected during the Kamakura, Nanbokuchō, and Muromachi periods when…

Architecture, General Terms
chūshikō ganna 中仕工鉋

A smoothing plane, used to further smooth the surface of timber after the general roughing plane *…

Architecture, Tools
chūshin kazari 中心飾

Also tenjō chūshinkazari 天井中心飾. Lit. center flower.

1 A group of decorative patterns in…

Architecture, Decorations
Chūshingura 忠臣蔵

A pictorial subject matter taken from The Treasury of Loyal Retainers Chūshingura, an epic and well-loved story of…

Art History, Painting
chūshinseki 中心石

Lit. center stone(s). A single stone or stone arrangement *ishigumi 石組,…

Architecture, Gardens
chūson 中尊

Also chūdai-no-son 中台の尊. The principal statue in a group of Buddhist statues. The central image in a triad or group…

Art History, Sculpture
chūtō 柱頭

A synonym for the large bearing block *daito 大斗 placed on the tops of pillars…

Architecture, General Terms
chūzō 鋳造

Also imono 鋳物. Casting. A technique used to make cast sculptural forms. 

The base material was heated…

Art History, Sculpture
sabi さび

Also written 寂.
1 An idea of beauty particularly important in the tea ceremony and haiku 俳句…

Art History, Architecture, General Terms
sabi-urushi 錆漆

Also sabi 錆. A paste made by mixing powdered burnt clay *tonoko 砥の粉…

Art History, Sculpture
sabibori サビ彫

When woodblocks are being carved to reproduce pages of handwritten characters, sometimes the point of a small knife will be…

Art History, Painting
sabikabe 錆壁 The finishing coat on a wall that consists of iron rust mixed with clay or plaster. Originally, old nails were boiled, and… Architecture, General Terms
sadōguchi 茶道口 ✓

Also written 茶堂口, 茶頭口; also chatateguchi 茶立口, or *katteguchi 勝手口.…

Architecture, Tea Houses
sagabon 嵯峨本

Also called kōetsubon 光悦本 or suminokurabon 角倉本, although some scholars consider each of these names to…

Art History, Painting
Sagano 嵯峨野

A pictorial subject of an area in the western part of Kyoto city, famous for autumn grasses and singing insects. Besides…

Art History, Painting
sagefuri 下振

Also called shōjiki 正直. A plumb line with a plumb bob, furiko 振子, at the lower end. The plumb bob is a…

Architecture, Tools
sagekiri 下げ切

A little used placement of the firebox *ro 炉, in a tea ceremony room *…

Architecture, Tea Houses
sagiashi 鷺足

Also sagi-no-ashi. Lit. "heron's leg." A type of long, curved leg found on a Chinese style desk, tōzukue…

Architecture, Decorations
sahari 響銅

Also written 佐波理. An alloy of copper containing less than ten percent tin, lead and zinc and of a pale yellowish color. It…

Art History, Crafts
saiben rengemon 細弁蓮華文

Lit. "narrow petal lotus motif." A motif with as many as twelve or sixteen narrow petals found on some circular pendant…

Architecture, Roofing Tiles
Saiendō 西円堂 ✓

An octagonal hall at Hōryūji 法隆寺, Nara, which was destroyed by a typhoon in 1050. The structure was rebuilt in 1250. It is…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
Saigyō monogatari-e 西行物語絵

Paintings based on Saigyō monogatari 西行物語 (The Tale of Saigyō), a fictionalization of the poet-priest…

Art History, Painting
saijō 斎場

1 An area temporarily purified to erect temporary buildings and facilities for performing the *…

Architecture, Shrines
saikakubon 西鶴本

The name for a group of *ukiyo zōshi 浮世草子 (books of the floating world;…

Art History, Painting
saikan sanyū 歳寒三友

Ch: suihan sanyou. Lit. "three friends of wintery seasons." A painting theme featuring pine matsu 松, plum…

Art History, Painting
saikan 斎館

Also *kandachi 神館, shinkan 神館.
1 At Ise Jingū…

Architecture, Shrines
saiken 細見

Also Yoshiwara saiken 吉原細見. Annually published guide to the new *Yoshiwara…

Art History, Painting
saikondō 西金堂

An image hall *kondō 金堂 situated to the west of a pagoda in temple grounds.…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
saimitsuga 細密画

Miniature paintings in a detailed style best suited for fans or albums. Two other terms, mitsuga 密画 and saiga…

Art History, Painting
Saimon 西門

An eight-legged *hakkyakumon 八脚門, 3-bay wide, 1-entrance gate with a gable…

Architecture, Gates
Saimyōji shiorido 西明寺枝折戸

Lit. "Saimyōji 西明寺-style latticed bamboo door." One type of raised lattice door *…

Architecture, Tea Houses
sairei zu 祭礼図

Lit. "festival pictures." Paintings that originated in folk beliefs and Shinto rituals shinji 神事, mostly related to…

Art History, Painting
saishiki busshi 彩色仏師

Lit. "Buddhist colorist." An artist who applies colored pigment to the nimbus or pedestal of a Buddhist statue. A …

Art History, Sculpture
saishiki 彩色

The application of color to various architectural elements. In the case of paintings, this normally involves the use of…

Art History, Painting
saishikizō 彩色像

A painted statue, usually a Buddhist image. Saishikizō are colored over the entire surface of the figure;…

Art History, Sculpture
Saisōrō 採桑老

A *bugaku 舞楽 dance and mask *bugakumen…

Art History, Sculpture
saitan surimono 歳旦摺物

Also simply saitan 歳旦. A woodblock print commissioned by a poet, or a man of versatile tastes, to give to his…

Art History, Painting
sakadono 酒殿 ✓

Also misakedono 御酒殿; the prefix mi 御 is an honorific.
1 A shrine building specific to…

Architecture, Shrines
Sakaki 賢木 ✓

A pictorial subject based on "Sakaki" ("The Sacred Tree"), Chapter 10 of Genji monogatari 源氏物語 (The Tale of…

Art History, Painting, Document
sakakibashira 逆木柱 ✓

Also sakabashira 逆柱 or sakasabashira 逆さ柱. Lit. "upside down pillar."
1 An upside down…

Architecture, Decorations
sakazukimendo 杯面戸 ✓

Also written 盃面戸. Sometimes called goki 呉器 or gokibame 呉器羽目. The space created between small bearing…

Architecture, General Terms
saku-itabei 柵板塀

A fence supported by posts along its rear side, usually with more than four posts per one bay. The facing boards are placed…

Architecture, General Terms
saku 柵

1 Fence. Read ki (also written 城) in the ancient period. A palisade of stakes aligned at regular…

Architecture, Castles
Sakuheimon 朔平門 ✓

The Sakuheimon is the center gate on the north side of Kyoto Gosho 京都御所, during the end of the Heian period. It can be seen…

Architecture, Gates
Sakuteiki 作庭記

Lit. "Treatise on Garden Making." The oldest and most revered Japanese text on garden design, it was probably…

Architecture, Gardens, Document
sama 狭間 ✓

Also read hasama. A loophole or porthole made in the wall of the keep, tower, or parapet to allow a castle to…

Architecture, Castles
samakubari 狭間配

Lit. "loophole distribution." The number of loopholes per two meter (one ken 間) interval in a castle. Also refers…

Architecture, Castles
samidare 五月雨

Lit. "fifth month rain." A geometric pattern used for fretwork muntins. The design is inspired by early summer rain, …

Architecture, Decorations
samisentsugi 三味線継 ✓ A wooden splicing joint used for a beam. The length of the joint is 3x the height of the beam and the tenon *… Architecture, Joints
samon 砂紋

Also read shamon. Lit. "sand crest." The technique of making a pattern or design in sand or gravel. The creation of…

Architecture, General Terms
san-en 三遠

The three types of distances desired for mountains in Chinese ink painting as defined by the famous Academy landscapist of…

Art History, Painting
san-no-tsuji 桟の辻

The junction points on a door or window frame where the top rail *kamigamachi…

Architecture, General Terms
san'yō 三葉

Lit. "three leaves." A decorative pattern carved into the shape of three leaves; used particularly for metal fittings found…

Architecture, Decorations
sanageyō 猿投窯

Sanage 猿投 kilns. A group of old kilns in an area stretching from the western area of modern Nagoya 名古屋 city to the northern…

Art History, Crafts
sanbari 桟梁 ✓

The transverse beams placed in a row at right angle to the large header beams *kabuki…

Architecture, General Terms
Sanbasō 三番叟

1 A pictorial subject taken from the auspicious *kabuki 歌舞伎…

Art History, Painting, Sculpture
Sanchūjin jōzetsu 山中人饒舌

Lit. "Chatter of a Mountain Dweller." A two-volume treatise on painting theory by the late Edo artist and Confucian…

Art History, Painting, Document
sandaibutsu 三大仏 ✓

Lit. "three great Buddhas." The three largest images in the history of Buddhist statuary in Japan. Originally the …

Art History, Sculpture
sandandaki 三段滝

Lit. "three-stage waterfall." One common type of garden waterfall. Through the arrangement of earth and rocks, the waterfall…

Architecture, Gardens
sandō 三道

Three horizontal grooves in the neck of a Buddha *nyorai 如来 or bodhisattva *…

Art History, Sculpture
sando 桟戸 ✓

A simple door made of vertical planks with horizontal cross members that are about as wide as the vertical ties placed…

Architecture, General Terms
sane 実

1 A structural element or tenon that projects out from the end of a board, post, or beam. Such projecting…

Architecture, General Terms
sanehijiki 実肘木 ✓

A purlin-bearing bracket arm; one that is inserted into the small bearing blocks *makito…

Architecture, General Terms
sangaibishi 三蓋菱 ✓ Also written 三階菱. A design motif created from three piled-up diamond shapes. Art History, Painting
sangarado 桟唐戸 ✓

Also read sankarado. Paneled entrance doors introduced from China in the 13th to 14th century. They are associated…

Architecture, General Terms
sangawara 桟瓦 ✓ A pantile that combines a broad concave tile *hiragawara 平瓦 and a semi-cylindrical… Architecture, Roofing Tiles
sangawarabuki 桟瓦葺 ✓

Also called jigawara 地瓦 because it is a base tile; and kanryakugawara 簡略瓦 because it combines a broad…

Architecture, Roofing Tiles
sangedatsumon 三解脱門

Also *sanmon 三門. The most famous example is the very large 21.05 m x 9.72 m gate at Zōjōji 増上寺…

Architecture, Gates
sangen-ikko 三間一戸 ✓

A 3 x 2 bay gate, often 8-legged style *hakkyakumon 八脚門, with entrance…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
sangendō 三間堂 ✓

A building with 3 bays on all four sides, commonly written 3 × 3 bays. The result is usually a square building. However,…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures

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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