Also read sumigane 墨矩; kikujutsu 規矩術; tsubokane 壷矩.

1　Also…

Sometimes pronounced kikudo; also called onito or onimasu 鬼斗, sumito 隅斗, …

Lit. recent ages. The proto-modern age that includes the Momoyama and Edo periods (1568-1868). During the former period…

A flying rafter support. A long horizontal timber or plate placed close to the ends of the base rafters *…

A method used to determine the proper width of a veranda. The technique positions the outer edge of the veranda in direct…

A raised ceiling. A ceiling raised by a low wall, straight struts, or vertical or horizontal strips of wood. A ceiling…

Also called kirido 切戸, okubyōguchi 臆病口, wasureguchi 忘れ口. A small wicket entrance with a…

Also kirizuma hafu 切妻破風. A term used for bargeboards *hafu 破風, attached…

1　A square structural element from which a right angled section cut from each corner. Also called …

Also kirikizami 切刻み. The measuring and cutting of all structural members into predetermined forms. Before large…

A threshhold tie beam. A penetrating tie beam placed between the sliding door track *…

In the 10th to 12th century, an earthen floored passageway that was a continuation of a floored connecting corridor, …

Also kiremen. The simple chamfer used on a square post with straight-cut, 45 degrees planed corners. The tool used…

An opening set into the second-story floor of a storehouse *dozō 土蔵 or shop…

Also called mabisashi 眉廂. A small eave, generally not exceeding 30 cm, that extends from the top of the lintel *…

Also called *ryōsage 両下 or ryōka 両下. One of the…

Also called *ryōsage 両下; iraka-zukuri 甍造. A style of building…

A carpenter's term for the ink line drawn on a timber to indicate where it should be cut. The tool used to draw this line is…

The footing or foundation of a building. A generic term for any substructure that bears the weight of a superstructure.…

Lit. north mountain culture. The culture of the early Muromachi period *…

Also kizure gōshi 木連格子; tsumagōshi 妻格子. The latticework that fills the gable pediment, hafu-no…

A corrupted form for *tsumado 妻戸. Latticework *…

Lit. wood-cutting. Also kikudaki 木砕. A system for measuring out the wooden components to be used in architecture or…

1　The process of working on timber to create the desired structural element. See *…

Wooden slats, placed 2 cm apart, which are attached horizontally to main posts *hashira…

A shallow, narrow groove cut into a pillar, flooring board or other structural element to allow for a secure junction with…

Incline, slope, or pitch. Applied especially to the incline of the roof, yane kōbai 屋根勾配, in traditional Japanese…

Also kōtsubari or kō-otsubari 甲乙梁. A smaller beam used in conjunction with a large one, ōbari 大梁…

A studio or place of work for artists and craftsmen. Also refers to artists or craftsmen who group together to produce work…

Lit. ancient periods. A period that includes the introduction of Buddhisim to Japan in 530/552, the Asuka period (552-646),…

Burial mound. Also called takatsuka 高塚 or tsuka 塚. These tombs were covered with a sizeable mound of…

The Kofun period (250 - 600). *Kofun 古墳 are the burial mounds or tumuli which…

An inclined plane. Any plane that descends downward on either side of a ridge *mune…

Steps made of thick, heavy, square, or rectangular timbers cut with their ends exposed. One step is called dangi 段木…

Also read kiguchi; also ōdanmen 横断面. A timber cut at a right angle across the grain, or the crosscut end…

A bearing block that is set on a pillar *hashira 柱 or bracket arm *…

A finely latticed and coffered ceiling. If each coffer has a mesh of small latticework that is the same as the larger…

The grids of small lattice that fill the coffers of a coffered ceiling *gōtenjō…

A roof built over the steps leading up to a temple building. A step canopy.

1　The top narrow outer surface of a board cut lengthwise through the center or heartwood jushin 樹心…

Also kō-no-jigumi 香の字組, kō-no-zugumi 香の図組. A design pattern created by the arrangement of the muntins…

Also written 木後; 鐺. Also called hafujiri 破風尻. The bottom end of a bargeboard *…

1　A long, narrow, horizontal wall above the upper non-penetrating tie beams, uchinori nageshi 内法長押…

Also kyōgenbashira 狂言柱. The pillar located at the junction of the rear seats for stage assistants atoza 後座…

The place on a noh stage *nōbutai 能舞台 where the kōken…

Also kokera 柿; koba-ita 木羽板. Also read kaki-ita 柿板.

1　The small chips…

A roof covering made with a layer of thin wooden shingles made of cypress. The shingles are about 0.3 cm-0.5 cm thick, 9 cm-…

Lit. native Japanese culture. The term is used for the culture which arose during the mid-Heian period (also known as *…

Lit. treasures of the nation. The appellation has existed since the Meiji period, but currently applies to artifacts which…

Korean: Koguryo. One of the three states in the Three Kingdoms period, Sangoku jidai 三国時代 of Korean history. The era began…

Also written 木舞. In the Shōsōin Monjo 正倉院文書 it appears as 古麻比 komai and in other old documents as 古万比. The…

Lit. reverse side lath. The lath placed between the roof sheathing and the rafters *…

A generic term for bearing blocks that are smaller than the largest type placed on top of a pillar *…

Lit. rice stone. A type of granite from modern Nagano and Toyama Prefectures. Also called tsume-ishi 詰石, these…

Two light wooden frames covered with translucent paper *shōji 障子, usually set…

A building with a short roof ridge. One example is a hipped roof.

Also kongōgaki 金剛垣. A fence made of vertical stakes with decoratively shaped tops resembling the *…

Also Kōnin jidai 弘仁時代 or, more frequently in art history, Jōgan jidai 貞観時代. The Kōnin-Jōgan…

Lit. small or short eave. An eave, konoki, constructed of short rafters called flying rafters *…

Lit. mixed complex system. A system of combining various architectural members into a unified structure. For example: the…

Also written 鈎欄 or 勾欄, the latter said by some scholars to be the correct characters. But, 高欄 is the more common, popular…

Also called umeneda 埋め根太. Sleepers placed directly on the ground or cement floor without using joints or struts.…

Lit. incline or inclination. Also called *uchikorobi 内転. The incline of…

Lit. rainbow beam. A generic term for any curved, transverse tie beam. It is used almost exclusively in temple or shrine…

A structural framework for a roof that has a gable pediment arranged in a similar structure as the bottle shaped strut …

A roof frame constructed with rainbow beams *kōryō 虹梁 that extend…

A structural framework in the gable ends of a roof characterized by the use of bottle struts *…

Also *mizuhiki kōryō 水引虹梁. A head penetrating tie beam *…

Latticework or grille. Normally latticework is made of wood and grille made of metal. Both are laid out in a grid. The most…

A latticed window with immovable lattice inserted into the window frame. The window is called degōshimado 出格子窓 if…

Lit. hip or haunch.

1　The wainscoting, or wooden panelling, below the mid-point of a wall, or the…

Paneling or plain boards used to finish the lower part of a wall. If only the term *…

The oldest method used to insert lattice directly into the members of the window opening. The vertical muntins are inserted…

Also called koshidaka akarishōji 腰高明障子, or only koshidaka. A translucent paper-covered sliding screen *…

A bracket complex, used under the balcony of high gates, beneath the multiple roofs of pagodas and the main roof of two-…

A latticed window. One type resembles *renjimado 連子窓. The laths are narrower…

A horizontal non-penetrating tie beam *nageshi 長押 positioned below the…

Lit. hip tie beam. Penetrating tie beams placed horizontally slightly below the center of pillars on exterior walls of…

Also read koto. Also jidaiwatari 時代渡. Lit. Old importation. Foreign objects, including art works, books,…

Also called tenjō aratameguchi 天井改口. Lit. roof structure inspecting entrance. A trapdoor built into a ceiling to…

Also called rokubari 陸梁. The bottom most transverse tie beam *hari 梁 in…

Roof truss or framework; the frame with diagonal members on either side of a strut *tsuka…

Lit. a small roof. A small roof built over a shed or subordinate structure attached to a main building. Examples include a…

Also written 香狭間, and abbreviated to *sama 狭間. Formerly called *…

Also called daikagurabashira 太神楽柱. Pillars used to build two story structures whereby one pillar is erected on the…

Korean: Paekche. One of the states in the Three Kingdoms period (Jp: Sangoku jidai 三国時代) of early Korean history, and…

Also called *hira kudarimune 平降棟. A descending ridge *…

A nail made of metal, wood, or bamboo and shaped according to use. Traditionally, metal kugi are square, …

A hole cutout piece bored on the back of a large, thick, non-penetrating tie beam *…

A generic term for a small low entrance through which one has to stoop or crawl. Often fitted in a large gate, so people may…

Also kumiire 組入 or kumitenjō 組天井.

1　A latticed ceiling. Heavy,…

1　A muntin, mullion, or munnion. The non-structural timber parts set within the stiles *…

A beam set parallel to the eave purlin which functions like a fulcrum to support and absorb the weight of a beam called *…

A built-up ridge compound or rows of patterned tiles *munakomigawara…

Also written 雲枝輪. Lit. cloud strut. A type of slanting ceiling strut *shirin 支輪…

Kumogata hijiki 雲形肘木. A cloud-patterned bracket arm that is characterized by a somewhat complicated decorative…

Also pronounced kumomasu or unto. Lit. cloud-shaped bearing block. A bearing block carved with a cloud-…

Also called kumogata tokyō 雲形斗きょう or kumogata kumimono 雲形組物. Lit. cloud pattern bracket complex. A…