| Title | Contains Image(s) | Description | Keywords |
|---|---|---|---|
| rōmon 楼門 | ✓ | A high gate that is often referred to as a two-storied gate, but in fact does not have two stories. Generally, it is an… |
Architecture, Gates |
| ronji daruki 論治垂木 | Also called koshikake daruki 腰掛垂木, ranji daruki 鸞翅垂木, or tenbō daruki 天望垂木. |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| rōsen 臘箋 | A type of Chinese paper *karakami 唐紙. Decorated paper imported to Japan… |
Art History, Painting | |
| ruri 瑠璃 | Lapis lazuli. Vaidurya in Sanskrit. Originally it meant lapis lazuli or emerald, but from the Six Dynasties period Chinese… |
Art History, Crafts | |
| rurigawara 瑠璃瓦 | Lit. "lapis lazuli tile." A tile to which a blue glaze ruriyū 瑠璃釉 has been applied. The glaze is made from… |
Architecture, Roofing Tiles | |
| Rushanabutsu 盧舎那仏 | Also read "Roshanabutsu." The Rushana Buddha. Rushana is an abbreviation of Birushana 昆盧舎那 in turn a… |
Art History, Iconography | |
| ryakukama 略鎌 | Lit. "abbreviated gooseneck joint." An elongated halving joint. The desired length of timber is cut in half lengthwise. The… |
Architecture, Joints | |
| Ryo Dōhin 呂洞賓 | Ch: Lu Dongbin. Also called Lu Yan (Jp: Ryo Gan 呂巌) or Chunyangzi (Jp: Jun'yōshi 純陽子). |
Art History, Painting | |
| ryō-onna 霊女 | A Noh mask *nōmen 能面 representing the suffering spirit of a woman… |
Art History, Sculpture | |
| ryōanjigaki 龍安寺垣 | ✓ | A type of bamboo fence used at Ryōanji 龍安寺, a Zen temple in Kyoto. It is characterized by thick split bamboo that cross… |
Architecture, Gardens |
| ryōbanoko 両歯鋸 | ✓ | A double-edged utility saw. A widely used saw which has rip-saw teeth on one side of the blade and crosscut teeth on the… |
Architecture, Tools |
| ryōbiraki 両開 | Also *kannonbiraki tobira 観音開扉, double doors that open in one… |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| ryōbu torii 両部鳥居 | ✓ | Also called yotsuashi torii 四脚鳥居, gongen torii 権現鳥居 or chigobashira torii 稚児柱鳥居. A Shinto shrine… |
Architecture, Shrines |
| Ryōkai mandara 両界曼荼羅 | Lit. "mandala of the two realms," namely, the *Taizōkai mandara 胎蔵界曼荼羅… |
Art History, Iconography | |
| ryōkusabi 両楔 | Wedges used on the right and left sides to strengthen and to secure a penetrating tie beam inserted into a pillar. |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| ryokuyūgawara 緑釉瓦 | Lit. "green-glazed roof tiles." A decorative green glaze is applied to the pendants *gatō… |
Architecture, Roofing Tiles | |
| ryōmengaki 両面垣 | Also ryōmegaki 両目垣. An interlocking bamboo fence. Bamboo, about 3 cm in diameter, are cut in half vertically and… |
Architecture, Gardens | |
| ryōnagare-zukuri 両流造 | Also abbreviated to ryōnagare 両流. A style of main sanctuary *honden… |
Architecture, Shrines | |
| Ryōō 陵王 | Also Raryōō 羅陵王, Ranryōō 蘭陵王 (King Lanling), and Ryūō 龍王 (Dragon King, see *… |
Art History, Sculpture | |
| ryōri-no-ma 料理の間 | 1 The part of the kitchen where the finishing stages of food preparation took place and where meals were… |
Architecture, Aristocratic Dwellings, Folk Dwellings | |
| ryōsage 両下 | A type of gable roof *kirizuma-zukuri 切妻造. Also called… |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| ryōsage-zukuri 両下造 | A gable roof *kirizuma-zukuri 切妻造, which has no gable… |
Architecture, Shrines | |
| ryōshi 料紙 | Paper used for writing and painting; for documents, classical books, Buddhist sutras etc. Ryōshi used in Japan… |
Art History, Painting | |
| ryōshi sōshoku 料紙装飾 | The decoration of paper used for calligraphy and painting *ryōshi 料紙. Paper… |
Art History, Painting | |
| ryōtei 涼亭 | A summer house, arbor or pavilion that provided a cool resting place in a garden. |
Architecture, Gardens | |
| ryū 龍 | Also written 竜. Ch: long. A dragon. |
Art History, Painting | |
| ryūchishiki teien 竜池式庭園 | Lit. "dragon pond style." A type of garden featuring a sharply curving pond reminiscent of a dragon's serpentine body. Good… |
Architecture, Gardens | |
| ryūgū-zukuri 竜宮造 | ✓ | Lit. "dragon palace style." An uncommon double-storied gate. The lower story has a flat arched entrance whereby the same… |
Architecture, Gates |
| ryūko-zu 竜虎図 | Ch: longhutu. Painting of a dragon *ryū 龍 and tiger … |
Art History, Painting | |
| ryūmonbaku 竜門瀑 | Lit. "dragon's gate cascade." One type of cascade *baku 瀑 found in Japanese… |
Architecture, Gardens | |
| ryūsha 竜車 | Lit. "dragon vehicle." The round or oval section of a pagoda finial *sōrin… |
Architecture, General Terms | |
| ryūsui kanshōshiki teien 流水観賞式庭園 | Lit. "flowing water appreciation style garden." |
Architecture, Gardens | |
| ryūsuimon 流水文 | A design pattern which represents flowing water. One of the oldest designs in Japan, it appears as parallel 'S' lines… |
Art History, Painting | |
| ryūsuishiki chisen 流水式池泉 | Lit. "flowing water style of pond and stream." |
Architecture, Gardens | |
| ryūyōdana 柳葉棚 | ✓ | Lit. "willow leaf shelf." |
Architecture, General Terms |
| ryūzō 立像 | Also read ritsuzō. A Buddhist image which is standing, as opposed to seated (see *… |
Art History, Sculpture | |
| sabi さび | Also written 寂. |
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. |
Architecture, Shrines | |
| saiken 細見 | Also Yoshiwara saiken 吉原細見. Annually published guide to the new *Yoshiwara… |
Art History, Painting, Document | |
| 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 misakadono 御酒殿; the prefix mi 御 is an honorific. |
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." |
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 play which… |
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-… |
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 |
| sangokubutsu 三国仏 | Lit. "three countries Buddha." Buddhist statues made from the fourth to the seventh centuries in Korea. At that time, Korea… |
Art History, Sculpture | |
| sanja-zukuri 三社造 | Also called sangen'yashiro or sangensha 三間社. A type of Shinto shrine. The main building *… |
Architecture, Shrines |
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