Also *ara-ishi 荒石. An unprocessed stone, a rough stone, an unrefined…

An unplanned, unfinished rough timber. Generally the timbers are split with a wedge and not processed any further.

1　A prefix attached to the name of a structural member to indicate that the member is not visible.…

1　In a general sense nobe means the entire length of any timber used in construction.

…

Also written 展段 and 展檀. A method of stone paving in the *roji 露地 or tea garden in…

Also nobeto 延べ斗. A rectangular bearing block that is wider than usual and supports a corner bracket arm *…

Lit. "ascendance; to go up; rise."

1　A sloping line or surface and the measurements of these surface…

The sleeve or curb stones that slant along each side of the stone steps leading up to a podium *…

Lit. "rising beam," "raking beam."

1　Also *noboriki 登木 or…

Bank or climbing kiln. Built on a slope, this efficient type of kiln originated in China and was introduced to Japan from…

Also written 上り髭, Lit. "climbing beard." The name of a mask used in kyōgen 狂言 plays. Noborihige has the…

Gable coping or raking coping. Coping, a protective covering, provided on sloping areas or edges such as on a gable roof *…

Also pronounced noborigi. Also called *noboribari 登梁.

1　…

Also called sobanoki 傍軒. Also called raking beams. The inclined eaves along the edge of the bargeboards *…

Lit. "ascending eave hanging tiles." The semi-cylindrical tiles *marugawara…

Also called keisha uragō 傾斜裏甲, or raking eaves filler. Hidden eave fillers attached to a bargeboard *…

A Noh stage. A stage originally constructed for outdoor performances of *Noh 能, a…

Hidden rafters. Rafters used to construct the roof framework of the main roof of a Japanese building. Hidden rafters have a…

Also 納衣, shinnōe 刺納衣 or 刺衲衣, nōgesa 衲袈裟, nō 衲.

1　A Buddhist priest's…

Also nogi 芒. A type of cut-foil *kirihaku 切箔. Gold or…

Beams used in a hidden roof framework *noyane 野屋根. Also refers to any beam which is…

Hidden roof framework above a ceiling or above an exposed roof framework.

A type of dramatic performance originating in the 14th century *Muromachi jidai…

Also noura-ita 野裏板, *no-ita 野板. Sheathing that is placed over…

Sheathing. Rough wooden boards nailed on to rafters to make a surface on which roofing material is laid. The boards are…

1　A board placed under the eaves and over the rafters of a traditional Japanese building as sheathing *…

Eave extension or eave overhang measured from the center of a pillar or post to the rafter end. The distance may be from…

Convex struts set under eaves at intervals between the eave purlins *gagyō…

Eaves. The part of a roof that extends beyond the exterior wall of a building. There are single eaves *…

Lit. "eave ends." The eave ends of a tiled roofed building which are usually obscured by decorated pendant tiles *…

A bamboo gutter usually hung by hooks from the end of an eave *nokisaki 軒先, to catch rain…

Also *nokimarugawara 軒丸瓦. A popular name for the semi-cylindrical eave-…

1　Also written 宇瓦. Eaves-end tiles. Roof tiles placed along an eaves line,…

Also *karakusagawara 唐草瓦; *…

A semi-cylindrical or half-round eave-end pendant tile. The pendant *gatō 瓦当, is…

A generic term for all the parts that compose aneave including: rafters, *taruki…

Also *nokiba 軒端. An eave edge or an eave end. The eave end of a tiled roof kawarayane…

Also kotenjō 小天井. A long narrow ceiling installed under an extended eave. This type of ceiling is constructed…

Bracket complexes which support the eaves.

Also nokishita 軒下. The underside of an eave *noki 軒, or the overhang of the roof beyond…

Curvature of the eaves. There are two types: shinzori 真反 (true curvature), in which the center eave curves from the…

A ceremony performed before a thatched roof *kayabuki yane 茅葺屋根, is hid.…

Also noji-no-kōbai 野地の勾配. The incline of straight hidden rafters *nodaruki…

A saw. Saws are the most used tool in Japanese carpentry. They divided into two broad groups: the ripsaw, which cuts along…

Also pronounced nogomai. A lath that is concealed from view. For example thin strips of lath used within the roof…

1　A hall where cinerary urns are stored and human ashes are kept.
2　A building to house…

Masks used in the *Noh 能 theater and worn by the main actor shite シテ, and his…

A chisel. A tool used by a carpenter to bore holes in timber. It is divided broadly into two categories depending in the way…

Hidden purlins used in a hidden roof structure. Visible purlins are called keshō moya 化粧母屋.

Also called nomune 野棟. A hidden ridge. The upper and true ridge in a hidden roof construction, which forms the…

Also none tenjō 野根天井. A board ceiling to which long narrow splints or strips of wood are attached. The ceiling…

1　A hanging cloth suspended from the eaves or in the openings (especially entrances) of a building as…

1　The incline of a stone wall and castle rampart. Nori ichiwari 法一割, means that for every 1 m of…

Lit. "mounting stone." One of the trump stones *yaku-ishi 役石 placed in front…

A raised platform used during the production of large-scale paintings. Most such paintings are placed on the floor while…

Lit. "step-over stone." One of the trump stones *yaku-ishi 役石 set…

Also pronounced hōkadai. Also noroshidai 狼煙台 or noroshiba 狼煙場. A fire beacon; a stone platform on…

Lit. "cool dwelling." Formerly the name used for the priests' quarters at Jingoji 神護寺 (Momoyama period) in Kyoto. Now more…

A miniature pagoda in a bowl or rotund bottle shape. The pagoda is made of gilt bronze *…

Printed squares of wrapping paper, noshi 熨斗 which are tied with two-colored cords, mizuhiki 水引 used for…

An archaic term for *taru-no-kuchi 樽の口. Also called …

Also noshizumigawara 熨斗積瓦. The ancient name was *tsutsumigawara…

*Noh 能 costumes. Also called nō-ishō 能衣装. Cloth articles worn in Noh…

A pictorial subject based on "Nowaki" ("The Typhoon"), Chapter 28 of Genji monogatari 源氏物語 (The Tale of Genji…

A hidden roof. The roof structure built above an exposed roof. It has its own support system and hidden rafters that are set…

Also called hizumi 歪 meaning incline or slant. A slight twist inward at the top of a bargeboard or a tilting…

Lit. "peeping bridge." A type of arched, wooden garden bridge that ends abruptly in the water just after beginning its…

Lit. "peeping fence." A type of *sodegaki 袖垣 with one or more…

1　An unfinished, unplanned board with a rough surface. See *no-ita …

1　Also called *ishigaki 石垣; ishigaketsumi 石崖積; …

Lit. "subjugation of the Fabulous Night Monster." A pictorial subject taken from a famous episode in Heike monogatari…

Lit. "sewing nail."
1　A nail that connects the two parts of a scarf joint *…

A knot hole. A flaw on a timber surface caused by a knot that has fallen out.

1　A penetrating tie beam that extends from one pillar to another inside a temple or shrine building. It has…

Also written 貫孔. The generic term for the opening made in a pillar, strut or any other member into which a penetrating tie…

Also called ajirogaki 網代垣 or ajiro takegaki 網代竹垣. A type of wickerwork fence, especially popular in…

An ornamental type of *myōjin torii 明神鳥居, or gate-like entrance a Shinto…

1　Also called *nunokiso 布基礎. One meter long rectangular base…

Lit. "cloth-pulling waterfalls." A series of waterfalls at the head of the Ikuta 生田 River in Hyōgo Prefecture. In ancient…

Lit. "fabric paving." Pavement formed by square or rectangular stones laid so that a little space is allowed around each.…

Also called renzoku kiso 連続基礎. A type of direct footing that runs diagonally across corners and attaches to the…

A generic term for the textured impression found on the underside of a roof tile. The impression is left by the cloth placed…

The traces left by the pressure of a cloth on a clay surface. The character 痕 ato or kon means a mark left…

The woodblock print *ukiyo-e 浮世絵 technique of blind or gauffrage…

Lit. "cloth construction." Ashlar construction. Also termed nunozumi 布積 (cloth piling). A technique used in dry…

Lit. "wet veranda." Also called *ochi-en 落縁, kirime-en 切目縁. A…

Lit. "wet-heron type." A lantern with six uniform sides and a long, thick bell-shaped canopy without…

Also pronounced nurikamachi. The lacquered rails or finishing strips used for the framework of sliding screens *…

1　A sleeping space used by the master and mistress of the house, enclosed with solid plaster walls, usually…

A generic term for the process used to build a fire-resistent wall. Typically the wooden structural frame is entirely…

Windows made with plaster-covered lattice, commonly used in merchants' houses *machiya…

Also written 塗回床. An alcove *tokonoma 床の間, with three sides and the wall…

Also nuriatsu 塗厚. Depth of plastering. The ratio between the thickness from the first rough coat applied to the…

A ceiling of the *sunoko 簀子 type made from bamboo stalks lashed…

Also written 塗り屋, 塗家.

1　A fireproof building in which all the timber surfaces of the structural…

An alternative term for *ōkabe-zukuri 大壁造. The fireproofing…

Lit. "wife's seat." Also frequently called kakaza 嬶座. One of the seats around the edge of the sunken hearth *…

Also nōsashō hōju 能作性宝珠, mani hōju 摩尼宝珠. A sacred jewel, said to remove suffering, and capable of granting…