Two or four-circular pillars right and left at each corner of the Buddhist altar to define the most sacred place in a temple…

Also called raigō-heki. A clay or wooden wall erected behind a Buddhist altar *…

Lattice arranged in a fret pattern, used especially on railings of balconies.

A transom. A rectangular opening, longer in the horizontal direction, constructed between the lintels *…

Also called no-ishizumi 野石積. Stones with an irregular shape. Those that are somewhat square are called nozura-…

Also referred to as ranzumi kidan 乱積基壇, ranzō ransekizumi 乱層乱石積, kuzure ishizumi くずれ石積 or simply…

Also called *ransekizumi 乱石積, waraizumi 笑い積. Randomly piled natural stones *…

Also written 櫺子窓. Lit. "a row lath window."

1　A window with vertical or horizontal wooden laths or…

Multiple windows. Two or more windows connected horizontally, or windows connected within one frame window with vertical…

Rensōmado means double windows. Two windows in line. Also called *meotomado…

A roofed corridor or passageway that connects one structure to another. It may also encompass an open area. There are…

A sunken hearth. A square box installed into the floor of a tea ceremony room to make a charcoal fire. The standard size…

A gate *rōmon 楼門, that appears to have two stories, but in reality is a high…

Commonly used abbreviation of shō roban 承露盤; also called masugata 枡形. Originally, an entire spire *…

1　An unroofed platform, a dais, or a projected veranda or balcony.
2　A nobleman's…

1　A hallwayor corridor within a building giving access to various rooms.
2　A passageway…

Also riku. A synonym for suihei 水平 meaning level.
1　Level building timbers.
…

Also called rokkaku yane 六角屋根. A six-sided roof that covers an hexagonal building *…

Also called hashirō 橋廊. A covered bridge, often with a resting place at the central point. Rōkyō can…

Also called koshikake daruki 腰掛垂木, ranji daruki 鸞翅垂木, or tenbō daruki 天望垂木.
A flying rafter…

Also *kannonbiraki tobira 観音開扉, double doors that open in one…

Wedges used on the right and left sides to strengthen and to secure a penetrating tie beam inserted into a pillar.

A type of gable roof *kirizuma-zukuri 切妻造. Also called…

Lit. "dragon vehicle." The round or oval section of a pagoda finial *sōrin…

Lit. "willow leaf shelf."
A single decorative shelf constructed a little below the cabinets, tenbukuro 天袋,…

1　One of the purlins used in a hidden roof *noyane …

A vertical timber that rises from a level or inclined surface. In modular measurement of timber *…

Lit. "large bottle strut." A strut that is used mainly in Zen style architecture *…

The trimming or hewing of the opposite sides of a log so that the surfaces become flat and parallel making it easier to join…

Also called taikobari 太鼓張, fukuroshōji 袋障子, bōzufusuma 坊主襖.
A type of paper-covered,…

Also called soribashi 反橋. An arched bridge made of stone or wood. One example is the Yoka Jinja 与賀神社 (1607) in Saga…

A door frame covered on both sides with boards or panels. The inside of the door, like a drum taiko 太鼓, is empty.…

A pillar or post that is multi-sided or cut with many facets.

Lit. "bamboo post." One that has been squared off.

Bamboo or bamboo muntins that are used for windows in dwellings where a suggestion of rusticity is needed, or in tea…

Paper-covered bamboo frames used as full-sized sliding doors *shōji 障子, or the…

The generic term for a fence surrounding the square or rectangular space containing the main sanctuary *…

A solid, single beam made from one timber. The term is used to differentiate it from a composite beam called gōseibari…

Shelves.

1　 A type of shelf, sometimes with a rack, of which there are many ordinary household…

A timber shorter than the standard length.

A single-structure storehouse constructed of triangular timber or planks set in grid plan, *…

Also written たるき. This is the simplest type of rafter, called common rafter or base rafter. It extends from the ridge *…

Lit. "rafter construction." Also referred to as odachi toriigumi おだち鳥居組. One of the two principal types of assembly…

An angled joint *shiguchi 仕口 used to insert rafters into a ridge *…

A board placed parallel to the rafters on a gable roof *kirizuma yane …

Also read tarukigake. A horizontal timber attached to the posts of an exterior wall to support the undersides of…

The various systems of placing rafters *taruki 垂木 in relation to the pillars *…

The degree of curvature on a bargeboard *hafu 破風, or on a roof between the peak…

Also read tōsho. The burial place for the remains of prominent Buddhist priests. Historically, the ashes of Buddha…

Also called sukebari. A beam which stabilizes bottle struts *taiheizuka…

Also tasukizan. Thin stips of timber san 桟 that intersect to form a criss-cross pattern or a zig-zag…

A floor covering made of tightly woven grass and straw. A standard tatami is a rectangular mat about 1.82 m (≒6')…

Also called *yosejikii 寄敷居. A small, horizontal wooden strip that is placed…

Also written 鑪. The modern character is ro 鈩, and can mean furnace. Tatara is an ancient word meaning…

A board and batten wall. Thin boards with battens attached are set vertically to hide the joints, a Zen style *…

A type of tomb made in the Tumulus period, also called Kofun period. A pit was dug and lined with cut stone such that the…

Also called nunobame 布羽目. Vertically placed wooden panels cut from the long side of a large piece of timber. When…

Also read ritchūshiki. A ceremony performed when the main post, tate-bashira, of a building is erected.…

Also written 縦縁. Perpendicular stiles on both sides of opaque sliding screens *fusuma…

Also read jūdanmen-zu, meaning "to cut vertically." Either a longitudinal or cross section drawing made along the…

Also called tatsudoi 立樋. A cylindrical or square drain pipe that allows rain water to flow from the rain gutters *…

Also read tachidokoro. The point where a structural timber begins to rise. For example, the place where the bottom…

A generic term for removable screens, doors or shutters. This includes: sliding screens *…

Lit. "vertical post shrine fence." Also called kakutamagaki 角玉垣 (square shrine fence) or *…

Also written 縦ほぞ. Usually the two tenons made on each end of a threshold *shikii…

Also written 竪蔀; also called itajitomi 板蔀. A moveable fence used in aristocratic dwellings of the Heian and…

All the basic wooden structural members produced at a building site including the ridge, and the ceremony of raising the…

Also called awasemeji 合目地. Lines made when vertical stone panels are arranged along the sides of podii *…

Also called tatehonshigesan 竪本繁桟, tatehonshigesankumi 竪本繁桟組; tateshigekumi 竪繁組. Closely-spaced…

The measurement of floor space in any traditional type building using *tsubo 坪 (3.31 meters…

The accurate alignment of posts, pillars, stiles, and trim on a door frame in order to allow for the perfect fit of a hinged…

The boards placed over rafters *taruki 垂木, to form the underside of a roof and…

Also called tatedōzan 竪胴桟. Vertical lath used for a door or window frame. Lath called san 桟 can be set…

Lit. "Secret Text on Garden Construction." A treatise on landscape design supposedly written first in the Muromachi period.…

Two large posts placed to the right and left of the *kabuki 歌舞伎 stage, kabuki …

Lit. "ceiling boards." Ceiling boards made from cypress, fir, white or red cedar, and other coniferous trees. The zelkova…

Also called *tenjō-ita 天井板. Single-panel boards side by side to…

Also tenjōkamachi 天井框. A long, light, binding beam, sometimes rabbeted, running horizontally along the wall in the…

Also called arikabe nageshi 蟻壁長押, mawaribuchi nageshi 回縁長押.

1　…

A ceiling joist. A horizontal timber to which a wooden lath *kizuri …

Lit. "ceiling." A ceiling made of cypress boughs erected over seats, according to the Engishiki 延喜式 and Yukiin 悠基院…

The distance from the floor to the ceiling.

Also read tenjōgeta. Ceiling joists that run lengthwise in a building, below the ceiling structure, to support the…

Also *tenjōketa 天井桁 or tenjō ukegeta 天井受桁. A horizontal beam which…

The placement of one planed timber on top of another planed timber without making any notches.

The Tenpyō period (710-794) begins with the transfer of the capital from Fujiwara 藤原 to Nara (Heijō-kyō 平城京) in 710, and…

A balustrade along a stairway or surrounding a shallow balcony on a high gate *rōmon…

The structured elements that cover a window, entrance, or other opening to protect them from the weather or the inside of…

The boards used for the construction of a door including: *mairado 舞良戸 (one…

Also called toyose 戸寄. A door stop.

1　A thin strip of wood attached to and projecting…

Also called tobimono 飛物 or hiryō 飛梁. A beam that extends from the eave purlin *…

A pivot-hinged door. *To 戸 refers to sliding doors. However, in a compound word such…

The structure or composition of a door fitting.

Also called tobiradōri 扉通. The alignment of gate pillars *hashira…

Also sūjiku 枢軸. An almost obsolete term for pivot *jikuzuri 軸吊. The…

A box-like structure into which the rain shutters *amado 雨戸 are stored when not…

A type of board roofing *itabuki yane 板葺屋根, whereby boards …

Also called masudasuke, tosuke; totsunagi 斗繋. The reinforcement pieces cut into some types…

1　The highest point or top surface of a structural element. For example, keta-no-tōge 桁の峠…

An entrance or doorway, the doorsteps; doormat.