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JAANUS

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  • (-) Decorations (56)
  • Architecture (56)
  • Art History (1)
  • Painting (1)
  • Roofing Tiles (1)

Displaying 1 - 56 of 56
Title Contains Image(s) Description Keywords
hachiyō 八葉

Lit. eight leaves. Also hachiyō kanagu 八葉金具. A metal decoration carved into the shape of eight petals with a central…

Architecture, Decorations
hafu kazari kanagu 破風飾金具

Also hafu kanagu 破風金具. Decorative metal fittings, *kazari kanagu…

Architecture, Decorations
hakokanagu 箱金具 Also hakokanamono 箱金物, *makikanagu 巻金具, makikanamono 巻金物. U-strap, strap, stirrup.… Architecture, Decorations
hanaguri 鼻繰

A generic name for moldings *kurigata 繰形, used on the edge of bracket arms *…

Architecture, Decorations
hanaikada 花筏

Lit. flower raft. A decorative, floral pattern popular in the Momoyama period. The design is said to be derived from a…

Architecture, Decorations
hanakumiko 花組子

Also hanako 花子. Decorative petal-shaped muntins found on doors *shōji…

Architecture, Decorations
hanaranma 花欄間

Also called hanasama ranma 花狭間欄間 or *hanazama 花狭間. A…

Architecture, Decorations
hanazama 花狭間 ✓

Also hanasama.



1 A type of foliate panel *…

Architecture, Decorations
hassō kanagu 八双金具 ✓

Also called hassō kanamono 八双金物; sakawa kanagu 逆輪金具 or saba-no-o 鯖の尾. Lit. twin…

Architecture, Decorations
hi-no-de dana 日出棚 A type of decorative closet against a wall, with two small doored compartments resting on the floor and a round window… Architecture, Decorations
hire 鰭 ✓

Lit. fins. A decorative sculpted form found, for example, on the left and right of a gable pendant *…

Architecture, Decorations
hon'yamato 本大和 An abbreviation of hon'yamatokaki 本大和掻. Also pronounced hon'yamatogaki. A type of decoration used on teahouses with an… Architecture, Decorations
hōō 鳳凰

1 A phoenix. A mythical Chinese bird, thought to have been introduced to Japan in the Asuka period. The…

Architecture, Painting, Decorations, Art History
horimono 彫物

1 The skills, process, and work of carving in wood, bamboo, stone, metal, or other materials. It also…

Architecture, Decorations
hōsōge karakusa 宝相華唐草

1 Abbreviation of hōsōge karakusamon 宝相華唐草文. A type of Chinese arabesque design *…

Architecture, Decorations, Roofing Tiles
kabeshiro 壁代

A type of curtain hung from the upper non-penetrating tie beam, uwanageshi (or kaminageshi ) 上長押 in temple…

Architecture, Decorations
kaburagegyo 蕪懸魚 ✓

Lit. turnip bargeboard pendant. A gable pendant *gegyo 懸魚 decorated with…

Architecture, Decorations
kaeribanaza 反花座

Abbreviated to *kaeribana 反花. Also soribana 反り花. A…

Architecture, Decorations
kagebana sōshoku 懸華装飾

A festoon. Also fesutun フェストゥーン, hanazuna sōshoku 花網装飾, or sagewa kazari 下げ環飾. A carved or molded…

Architecture, Decorations
kaigata gegyo 貝形懸魚 ✓

Also kaigashira gegyo 貝頭懸魚. Lit. shell-head gable pendant. A type of decorative gable pendant *…

Architecture, Decorations
kakimayu 欠眉

Also written 缺眉 or 欠き眉. A type of carved molding *kurigata 繰形, widely used in…

Architecture, Decorations
kanagu 金具

Also kanamono 金物 (metal thing). Metal fittings that are not only functional but often decorative. 
 …

Architecture, Decorations
karahafu gegyo 唐破風懸魚

A type of bargeboard pendant *gegyo 懸魚 found on a Chinese style…

Architecture, Decorations
karigasumi 雁霞 ✓

A pattern used for muntins *kumiko 組子. It is thought to resemble…

Architecture, Decorations
karimata gegyo 雁股懸魚 ✓

Lit. double-headed-arrow gable pendant. A gable pendant *gegyo 懸魚 with a tip…

Architecture, Decorations
kasane izutsu 重井筒 A pattern formed by interweaving the strokes ofthe character 井 'i ' meaning 'well'.
Architecture, Decorations
kasane 重ね

1 The area where members such as siding boards shitami-ita 下見板 (see *…

Architecture, Decorations
katō 火灯

Also written 花頭, 華頭, 架灯. A shape used for windows in Zen style architecture *zenshūyō…

Architecture, Decorations
katō kyokusen 火灯曲線

A specific arrangement of curved lines found on top of an arched window called *…

Architecture, Decorations
kazari kanagu 飾金具

Ornamental metal fittings. Metalwork pieces *kanagu 金具, attached to parts of a…

Architecture, Decorations
kebori 毛彫 ✓

Hairline engraving. A technique used in metalwork where a design was engraved on a surface in a sequence of fine lines,…

Architecture, Decorations
kendomoe 剣巴

Also pronounced kentomoe. A decorative pattern combining a sword blade, ken 剣, with the swirling heraldic…

Architecture, Decorations
kenmayu 剣眉

A type of molding *kurigata 繰形, carved in a sword shape. It is…

Architecture, Decorations
kensaki 剣先

A geometric pattern based on three joined hexagonal shapes. It closely resembles *…

Architecture, Decorations
keshō 化粧

Refers to the appearance or exposed surface of an architectural structural element. Also a smoothly planed wooden finish as…

Architecture, Decorations
ketakakushi 桁隠

Lit. beam cover. Also *kudarigegyo 降懸魚, ketakakushi…

Architecture, Decorations
kikuza 菊座

Also called *rokuyō 六葉. Lit. chrysanthemum seat. A decorative metal piece…

Architecture, Decorations
kinranmaki 金襴巻 ✓

Lit. gold-brocade wrap. Decorative metal fittings *kazarikanagu 飾金具 and…

Architecture, Decorations
kirigegyo 切懸魚

Lit. cut bargeboard pendant.



1 A gable pendant *gegyo…

Architecture, Decorations
kirisasu 切扠首

1 A short, diagonal timber which receives the helmet beam kabutogeta 兜桁 on a thatched roof …

Architecture, Decorations
kobushibana 拳鼻

Lit. a fist nosing.


1 A shaped beam tip *kibana 木鼻,…

Architecture, Decorations
koguchi kanagu 木口金具 ✓

Also koguchi kanamono 小口金物. A metal fitting placed over the crosscut end of a timber. The fitting on the ends of…

Architecture, Decorations
komochi yamagata 子持山形

A decorative pattern consisting of a pair of parallel zig-zag lines, one thick and one thin.

Architecture, Decorations
kōraiberi 高麗縁 ✓

Also kōraibuchi 高麗縁, monkōraiberi 紋高麗縁. A decorated binding used to make the edge of a straw mat *…

Architecture, Decorations
kudarigegyo 降懸魚

Also *ketakakushi 桁隠, ketakakushigegyo 桁隠懸魚, *…

Architecture, Decorations
kugikakushi 釘隠 ✓

An ornament used to conceal the head of a large nail on a pressing tie rail *nageshi…

Architecture, Decorations
kumikikkō 組亀甲

A decorative pattern of interlocking hexagonal shapes with small triangles in the interstices. A variation of the tortoise…

Architecture, Decorations
kumo gasshōhire 雲合掌鰭

Lit. cloud principal-rafter fins. A pair of sculpted forms *hire 鰭 in decorative…

Architecture, Decorations
kuri 繰

Curved designs carved into wood to make moldings *kurigata 繰形.

Architecture, Decorations
kurigata 繰形

Also written 刳形. Incised or molded decoration that appears on the edge of exposed architectural members such as no sings *…

Architecture, Decorations
kurinuki kaerumata 刳抜蟇股

A type of open frog strut honkaerumata 本蟇股, which is cut from a single timber with decorative openwork carvings *…

Architecture, Decorations
kushigata ranma 櫛形欄間

A transom *ranma 欄間, with an arched opening in the shape of a comb *…

Architecture, Decorations
kushigata 櫛形

1 Lit. Comb shape. A semicircular shape、or part of a semicircle, often with trimmed corners. Used in…

Architecture, Decorations
kushigatamado 櫛形窓

A window in the shape of a comb *kushigata 櫛形. Sometimes built into outside…

Architecture, Decorations
kutsumaki 沓巻

A decorative metal fitting *kanagu 金具, wound around the bottom…

Architecture, Decorations
kyō-no-maki 経の巻 ✓

Lit. sutra scrolls. Three or five cylindrical tiles found at the top of a lion-mouth roof *…

Architecture, Decorations

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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