Also tsumegawara 爪瓦. A row of narrow tile pieces cut crosswise from semi-cylindrical tiles *…

A Japanese castle. Refers to 25 castles constructed in various regions of Korea by the Japanese forces during the Bunroku-…

1　An abstract decorative pattern of extended curved lines based on the form of a leaf. The pattern is…

The wakiagari allowed visitors to enter or leave the residence from a waiting palanquin kago 駕篭 without…

Shelves forming part of an arrangement in the space next to the decorative alcove *…

A small door, usually beside the main door of a structure. Sometimes there is one on each side of the main door.

A plane used to smooth the sides of a groove, particularly in a doorsill or lintel, after the base plane, *…

Lit. "side gable pendant." Also *kudarigegyo 降懸魚, *…

A secondary *honjin 本陣, authorized by the Tokugawa 徳川 government for the…

Side sanctuary. Areas beside the main hall *hondō 本堂 of a Buddhist…

A side entrance to a castle. A small, inconspicuous entrance located on the side of a castle, in contrast with the main gate…

A long, narrow, vertical wall constructed between two or more pillars, or on each side of an entrance or a window.

Also read *ekimon 掖門. A side gate or a small gate on one or both sides of a…

Wooden screens placed at the back ends of side verandas *en 縁. They…

The left and right sides of a purlin *keta 桁.

A frame constructed around the perimeter of a window or doorway; the opening into which sliding panels and other structural…

Also called nihon kugi 日本釘. A square nail used during and after the Kofun period. The nail was made of hand-wrought…

Two bracket arms *hijiki 肘木 positioned at right angle to one…

A tenon referred to as channeled or as fingered. It is used on king posts *shinzuka…

Wanagikomi is an angle joint, also called an open mortise and tenon joint, a slip slot or finger mortise. It…

Also warabide. A style of ornamentation which features a curved design based on curling bracken shoots. It is found…

1　Rope made by twisting together strands of straw. In clay statuary, the central wooden core *…

1　Also called enza, maruza 円座, or ukeza kanamono 受座金物. The metal or…

To cover or enclose with split bamboo. For example, found on the doors of a simple garden gate teimon 庭門 with a…

Also called wariguri 割栗, kuri-ishi 栗石 or guri ぐり (lit. "stones crushed like chestnuts"). Rock…

The surface of a member that was split vertically by pounding in a wedge *kusabi…

Lit. "divided worship hall." A long structure under a single roof divided in the center by a passageway *…

Lit. "splitting gauge." The splitting gauge is used to mark thin pieces of wood along the grain so that it can be broken…

1　An extremely strong joint that uses a blind wedge-split tenon warikusabi hozo 割楔ほぞ to join two…

The interval between the vertical slats *tateko 竪子 and horizontal…

Also called *ireko-ita 入子板. A board that connects the rails and crosspieces…

Also written 綿鼻. A molding *kurigata 繰形 in the shape of a silk-…

1　A connecting gallery or tower inside a square compound *masugata…

Also called *agokaki 腮欠, agokake 腮掛. A cogged right-angled joint…

1　Lit. "Japanese style architecture." The architectural techniques and styles introduced from China during…

A bracket arm *hijiki 肘木 that is characterized by curved surfaces on the…

A railing in the wayō style *wayō 和様. The horizontal…

Lit. "seated appreciation style garden." A modern term designating gardens meant to be seen or "appreciated" from a fixed…

The *zashiki 座敷 is a guest room; its name deriving from that of the mat…

A generic term for a room covered with straw mats *tatami 畳. In the Heian…

A two-story fireproof structure of the storehouse type *dozō 土蔵 that…

Lit. "stone for seated meditation." A large, flat-topped stone which is used for, or thought to be appropriate for…

Lit. "Zen 禅 temple style gardens." A modern term designating the various types of gardens associated with Zen sect temples…

Also called *sōdō 僧堂; sometimes *masodō…

Type of lantern found in the garden of Zendōji 善導寺, Kyoto. Six semi-spherical swellings surround the base and have been…

Lit. "coin shape water basin." A type of round water basins *chōzubachi 手水鉢…

Lit. "early style dry landscape." The Heian period arrangement of stones in areas with neither a pond nor stream. The 11th-…

An especially impressive front gate or entry. Examples are *hirakaramon…

Old name kizahashi 階 means steps (see *hashi 階). The front steps…

Sometimes an alternative *Zendō 禅堂.

1　A room for…

A style of architecture imported from China during the Song dynasty. It includes the architectural elements that came with…

Also called Karayō kōran 唐様高欄. A railing or balustrade *kōran 高欄 with…

Also called Karayō tokyō 唐様斗きょう. A Zen style bracket complex. The bracket arms *…

Lit. "front garden." A general term referring to the garden in front of a building. In contrast to the main garden which is…

Lit. "tongue." A thin ornamental molding *kurigata 繰形, carved on the bottom…

Also read zōhana. A beam projection or nosing *kibana 木鼻, molded or…

Also called hōkizuri 掃摺 or zōkindome 雑巾留. A long thin finishing board, similar to a base board, that is…

Also witten 造作.
All non-permanent parts of a Japanese building in contrast to those parts that are permanent and…

A rough sketch of a building plan including, floor plans, elevations, the placement of doors and windows, etc.

Middle gates *chūmon 中門 with statues of Zuijin 随神, shrine guards…

1　A miniature shrine in which Buddhist images or rolls of sutras kyō 経 are kept. Reliquary…

1　Also written 図子, 途子. A crossroads or intersection of two roads. See *…