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JAANUS

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  • Accessories (2)
  • Architecture (579)
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  • Art History (389)
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  • Gates (23)
  • General Terms (241)
  • Iconography (50)
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  • Lanterns (6)
  • Measurement (9)
  • Painting (200)
  • Roofing Tiles (29)
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  • Structures (33)
  • Tea Houses (40)
  • Tools (10)

Displaying 1 - 100 of 962
Title Contains Image(s) Description Keywords
ibara 茨

Also called iga いが. Lit. cusp.

1 The point where two curved lines or forms meet. The…

Architecture, General Terms
ibaraki 茨城

Lit. thorn tree fortress. A simple and usually temporary fortress surrounded by thorn trees or briar bushes to defend it…

Architecture, Castles
ichi Fuji, ni taka, san nasubi 一富士二鷹三茄子

Lit. first: Mt Fuji; second: hawks; third: eggplant. A tradition which holds that these objects, seen in order in the first…

Art History, Painting
ichi no ji kuzushi 一の字崩 ✓

A decorative pattern used for muntins on sliding doors *shōji 障子, and transoms*…

Architecture, Decorations
ichi no ji tsunagi 一の字繋

A decorative pattern used for muntins on sliding doors *shōji 障子 and transoms*…

Architecture, Decorations
ichi no ma 一の間

Lit. room one. The innermost and most prestigious room, six to twelve straw mats *tatami…

Architecture, Aristocratic Dwellings, Folk Dwellings
ichi no mon 一の門

The first or main gate of a castle. At Matsuyamajō 松山城 in Ehime Prefecture, the gate plan was square *…

Architecture, Gates, Castles
ichi no oni 一の鬼 ✓

The ogre-face tile *onigawara 鬼瓦, placed at the ends of offspring ridges *…

Architecture, Roofing Tiles
ichiboku kaidan 一木階段

A ladder hewed from a single log during the Yayoi period.

Architecture, General Terms
ichiboku-zukuri 一木造

Also called ichiboku chō 一木彫 or ichiboku chōsei 一木彫成. Antonym of *…

Art History, Sculpture
Ichiji kinrin mandara 一字金輪曼荼羅

A variety of small, decidated mandala *besson mandara 別尊曼荼羅 centered on…

Art History, Iconography
Ichiji kinrin 一字金輪

Lit. One-Syllable Golden Wheel. Also read Ichiji konrin and also known as Kinrin Butchō 金輪仏頂 (Golden-…

Art History, Iconography
ichijōhan no seki 一畳半の席 ✓

Also written 一帖半の席. A very small tea ceremony room *chashitsu 茶室, no more…

Architecture, Tea Houses
ichijūdana 一重棚 ✓

Also ichijū tsuridana 一重釣棚. A single shelf suspended by a slender bamboo pole. It is made of paulownia when it…

Architecture, Tea Houses
ichimai biraki 一枚開

A single window or door opening. Also, a single door or window. They may swing on hinges one way, both ways, or slide.

Architecture, General Terms
ichimai-e 一枚絵

Also ichimaizuri 一枚摺. Lit. single-sheet print. A single *ukiyo-e 浮世絵…

Art History, Painting
ichimatsu 市松 ✓

Also ishidatami 石畳 or *ishidatamimon 石畳文, danshichi 団七…

Art History, Painting
ichimon-e 一文絵

Lit. one mon picture. A small-sized woodblock print, usually depicting a courtesan or actor, printed only in black…

Art History, Painting
ichimonji bokashi 一文字ぼかし

A printing technique for producing graduated tones (shading) on woodblock prints *ukiyo-…

Art History, Painting
ichimonji dana 一文字棚

A term used in all parts of Japan in the Edo period, for a straight shelf *tana…

Architecture, General Terms
ichimonji gawara 一文字瓦

1 Also called ichimonji nokigawara 一文字軒瓦; ichimonji karakusagawara 一文字唐草瓦. A type of…

Architecture, Roofing Tiles
ichimonji 一文字

1 Two strips of fabric directly above and below a painting measuring the exact width of the painting,…

Art History, Painting, Architecture, Gardens
Ichinotani kassen 一ノ谷合戦

A pictorial subject depicting scenes from the Battle at Ichinotani, a decisive confrontation in the Genpei war Genpei…

Art History, Painting
ichirin ike 一輪生 ✓

A small flower vase which is just large enough for one flower stalk. Most vases of this type were made of ceramic but…

Architecture, Tea Houses
Idaten 韋駄天

Also written 違駄天. The Indian deity Skanda, son of Shiva and general of his army, who became a protector of the Dharma in…

Art History, Iconography
ido 井戸

1 A well supplying drinking water. It may be deep or narrow, depending on the depth of the water table. The…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings, Tea Houses
idoko 居所

Shortened form of idokoro 居所. A name for rooms or spaces in the following contexts:

1 In…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
iejiro 家城

Lit. house castle.

1 A castle in the stage of historical development from a strictly military…

Architecture, Castles
igarakuri 鋳繰

Also ikarakuri. A method of casting metal statues by joining several sections. In the case of a large statue it was…

Art History, Sculpture
igayaki 伊賀焼

Iga 伊賀 ware. A stoneware ceramic made in Iga (now Maruhashira 丸柱 village), Mie Prefecture and in a few nearby villages. The…

Art History, Crafts
igeta 井桁

1 A generic term for any group of structural members set in a grid pattern. 

2 The…

Architecture, General Terms
iji dōzu 異時同図 ✓

A compositional method used to show successive events within a unified background, dōzu 同図, capturing the same…

Art History, Painting
ijō kōbai 居定勾配

Also abbreviated to ijō 居定. The degree of pitch on the underside of a rafter support *…

Architecture, General Terms
ikake 鋳掛

Repairing a hole or crack in a metal object. There are two methods: 1) crack in a metal statue or vessel is…

Art History, Sculpture
ikazuchimon いかずち文

Lit. lightning pattern. A pattern of thick and thin zig-zag lines. A variation of raimon 雷文 (see *…

Architecture, Decorations
ike niwa 池庭

Lit. pond garden. A very general term for any garden with a pond. It includes other terms such as the archaic garden pond *…

Architecture, Gardens
ike no kokoro 池の心

Lit. heart of the pond. The most important part of a pond, which, may be the center, bottom, or surface. The term is…

Architecture, Gardens
ikebana 生け花

Lit. to keep flowers alive. Flower arrangements. Originated in Buddhist flower offerings kuge 供花 from the 6th…

Art History, General Terms
ikegaki 生垣 ✓

Lit. living fence. A type of hedge made of trees, bamboo, or other living plants planted in a row and trimmed so as to form…

Architecture, Gardens
ikekomigata tōrō いけこみ形灯籠

Also written 生込み形灯籠. A lantern which lacks a base; the stem is inserted directly into the ground. Most lanterns of this type…

Architecture, Lanterns
iki いき

The aesthetic ideal of the Edo merchant class during the late 18th and 19th centuries, combining material sensuality and…

Art History, General Terms
ikkaku sennin 一角仙人

One horned hermit. A *noh mask *nōmen…

Art History, Sculpture
ikken ikka 一間一花 ✓

A type of decorative pattern painted on coffered ceilings *gōtenjō 格天井 or…

Architecture, Decorations
ikken'ya 一軒屋

An independently framed urban-vernacular house *machiya 町家 of a more…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
ikkensha zukuri 一間社造

A style of main shrine building that has a small one-bay sanctuary *honden…

Architecture, Shrines
ikkō sanzon 一光三尊

A triad of Buddhist statues arranged in front of a large nimbus *kōhai 光背, that…

Art History, Sculpture
Ikkyū 一休

An abbreviation of Ikkyū Zenji 一休禅師, the Zen 禅 priest Ikkyū (1394-1481) of the *…

Art History, Iconography
ikuwamon 的門

A gate at Heijō palace, Heijōkyū 平城宮 (8th century), in Nara that no longer exists but is mentioned in Shoku Nihongi…

Architecture, Gates
Ikuzanshu 郁山主

Ch: Yushanzhu. Lit. Master of Mt. Yu (Jp: Ikuzan 郁山). A Chinese Chan (Jp: Zen 禅) monk from Hunan (Jp: Konan 湖南)…

Art History, Painting
ima 居間

Lit. living room. A room commonly utilized as the principal space for daily living.

1 The daily…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
imae 居前

The correct seating position for the host when performing tea ceremony. For example, in the Urasenke 裏千家 school, a portable…

Architecture, Tea Houses
imariyaki 伊万里焼 ✓

Imari ware. A general term for porcelain from the Arita 有田 region of Saga Prefecture, but not including the Kakiemon 柿右衛門…

Art History, Crafts
imawaka 今若

A noh mask *nōmen 能面 representing a young man of noble birth. Very similar to *…

Art History, Sculpture
imibiyaden 忌火屋殿

Lit. pure fire hall. A hall for the preparation of food to be offered to the gods at Ise Jingu 伊勢神宮. The character 忌 imi…

Architecture, Shrines
imotsugi 芋継

Same meaning as imomeji 芋目地.

1 A straight-line, end-to-end blind stub tenon *…

Architecture, Joints
in no koguchi 陰の虎口

Defensive castle entrance, or yin entrance. A generic term for various types castle entrance *…

Architecture, Castles
In-pa 院派

A school of Buddhist sculptors *busshi 仏師, based in Kyoto, active from the late…

Art History, Sculpture
in 印

Also inzō 印相 also read insō, shu-in 手印, and mitsu-in 密印. Sk: mudra. A hand gesture…

Art History, Sculpture
in'yō no kuruwa 陰陽の郭

Defensive castle compounds in no kuruwa 陰の郭 and offensive castle compounds yō no kuruwa 陽の郭. In Chinese,…

Architecture, Castles
in'yōseki 陰陽石 ✓

Lit. yin and yang stone. A pair of stones representing male and female principles or genitalia. Also called on'yōseki…

Architecture, Gardens
inagi 稲城

Also read inaki. Lit. rice plant fortress. A small and temporary defensive palisade of bundles or sheaves of rice…

Architecture, Castles
inago 稲子

Slip fasteners. The wooden or bamboo pieces used on the reverse side of the overlapped boards of a board-and-batten ceiling…

Architecture, General Terms
inakama 田舎間

Also edoma 江戸間. A length of 1.8 m or less, defining the standard length of a single bay: the distance from the…

Architecture, Folk Dwellings
inari torii 稲荷鳥居 ✓

A type of gate-like structure *torii 鳥居 at inari 稲荷…

Architecture, Shrines
inazuma kanamono 稲妻金物

T-shaped metal fitting inserted into a track and used for hanging scrolls in an alcove *…

Architecture, Tea Houses
inazuma orekugi 稲妻折釘

Also *nijū orekugi 二重折釘. A twice bent nail that is used under the ceiling…

Architecture, Tea Houses
inazumabishi 稲妻菱 ✓

A architectural design pattern in the shape of a diamond, *hishi 菱, which…

Architecture, Decorations
inazumamon 稲妻文 ✓

Also *raimon 雷文. An architectural design pattern thought to be based on flashes…

Architecture, Decorations
inbutsu 印仏

A type of Buddhist print design made with a stamp. A seal, usually about 10 cm or smaller, is engraved with the image of a…

Art History, Sculpture
Inchū hassen 飲中八仙

Ch: Yinzhong baxian. A painting subject based on the poem Yinzhong baxiange (Jp: Inchū hassenka…

Art History, Painting
Inen 伊年

A name found in seals applied to many works by Tawaraya Sōtatsu 俵屋宗達 (? - 1640?) and by members of his school, both in…

Art History, Painting
inkoku 陰刻

Also shizume ukibori 沈め浮彫. Hollow relief carving. An inscription or motif hollowed out of a surface using a burin…

Art History, Sculpture
inokosasu 豕扠首 ✓

Also sasuzuka sasuzaoshiki 扠首束扠首竿式, *sasuzao 扠首竿, *…

Architecture, General Terms
inome gegyo 猪目懸魚 ✓

Lit. boar's-eye gable pendant. A gable pendant *gegyo 懸魚, decorated with heart-…

Architecture, Decorations
inomedana 猪目棚 ✓

Also kariokidana 仮置棚. Lit. boar's eye shelf. A two-tiered shelf *nijūdana…

Architecture, Tea Houses
inomemado 猪目窓

Lit. boar's eye window. A window in a tea ceremony structure thought to resemble a boar's eye.

The window is really…

Architecture, Tea Houses
inpu 印譜

A collection of seal impressions gathered into book form. Collections of Chinese seals from the Zhou and Qin dynasties are…

Art History, Painting
inrō 印籠

Lit. seal caddy. A tiered rectangular or circular container used originally for seals but later for medicines and other…

Art History, Crafts
inshō 印章

A seal stamp carved with characters or pictographs which serves as proof or certification when pressed on a vessel, utensil…

Art History, Painting
intaiga 院体画

Ch: yuantihua. Lit. academy style painting. A type of Chinese painting associated with the Imperial Court…

Art History, Painting
intō 印塔

A representation of a pagoda that has been printed or rubbed onto paper or cloth. The paper or cloth was laid on a carved…

Architecture, Buildings, Structures
inubashiri 犬走り

Also written 犬行. Lit. dog run. A narrow inset in wall ramparts, or in an embankment of earth forming a footpath or ledge.…

Architecture, General Terms
inufusegi 犬防木

Also pronounced inubōgi.

1 In temples and shrines, a lattice *…

Architecture, General Terms, Folk Dwellings
inukimon 鋳抜門 ✓

Also called okusha karamon 奥社唐門. A gate with cast bronze doors or a gate that is entirely made of bronze. …

Architecture, Gates
inuoumono 犬追物

A dog-chasing event at which warriors on horseback scored points by shooting padded arrows at a running dog. The subject was…

Art History, Painting
inuyarai 犬矢来 ✓

Also called komafusegi 駒防ぎ. Concave screens about 60 cm high and of varying length made of closely-spaced bent…

Architecture, General Terms
ippai 一杯

The number of completed woodblock prints *ukiyo-e 浮世絵, (including all…

Art History, Painting
ippan zu 一般図

General drawings which reflect all the contents of a building, its plan and design. Such drawings must depict the function…

Architecture, General Terms
Ippen 一遍

Commonly known as Ippen Shōnin 一遍上人 or St. Ippen (1234-89). The founder of the Ji 時 sect. From Iyo 伊予 Province (modern Ehime…

Art History, Iconography
ippin 逸品

Ch: yipin. Also ikkaku 逸格 (Ch: yige). Lit. the Untrammeled Class. A category or ranking of…

Art History, Painting
iraka 甍

1 A general term for the special tiles used at the base of a roof ridge.

2 A name…

Architecture, Roofing Tiles
irakagawara 甍瓦 ✓

Also called irakamune 甍棟; hon irakagawara 本甍瓦. The roof tiles that form the lowest part of the stack of…

Architecture, Roofing Tiles
ireko-ita 入子板 ✓

Also called *wata-ita 綿板. Thin panels of wood inserted between the rails …

Architecture, General Terms
irigawabashira 入側柱

Also called moyabashira 母屋柱 or 身舎柱. Pillars that are erected inside and parallel to the pillars positioned on the…

Architecture, General Terms
iriguchiwaku 入口枠

A door frame made of a head lintel and vertical door jambs to which doors are attached with hinges.

Architecture, General Terms
irihashibashira 入端柱

Pillars *hashira 柱 at the inner boundary of a pent roof…

Architecture, General Terms
irihassō 入八双 ✓

Also sakawa kanamono 逆輪金物, saba no o 鯖の尾. An ornamental metal fitting *…

Architecture, Decorations
irikawa 入側

1 A corridor or passageway between the main body of a residence and the veranda. It is also found in temple…

Architecture, General Terms
irikawageta 入側桁

Purlins, *keta 桁, placed along the tops of pillars surrounding the…

Architecture, General Terms
irimoya hafu 入母屋破風

The bargeboards on the gable end of a hip-and-gable roof *irimoya yane…

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