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  • (-) Joints (93)
  • Architecture (93)

Displaying 1 - 93 of 93
Title Contains Image(s) Description Keywords
agokaki 腮欠 ✓

Lit. chin gap. One of many types of cogging joints. The joint is used to attach a horizontal timber to the face of a square…

Architecture, Joints
aigaki 相欠 ✓

Also written 合欠. A lap or halving joint. When used at a corner, it is called a corner lap joint. When used where two members…

Architecture, Joints
aijakuri 合決

A shiplap joint or halving joint. Also written 相決.

Architecture, Joints
ari 蟻

Lit. dovetail shape. Also arigata 蟻形. The generic term for any part of a joint in a dovetail shape. The earliest…

Architecture, Joints
aridome 蟻留 ✓

A type of right angle, mitered, housed, and dovetail joint used mainly on flat timber as, for example, in the upper…

Architecture, Joints
arigata aigakihozo 蟻形相欠ほぞ

Also arigata aihozo 蟻形相ほぞ. Dovetail halving. A type of half-lap dovetail joint *…

Architecture, Joints
arihozo 蟻ほぞ ✓

Lit. dovetail tenon. Also *arikake 蟻掛. A tenon shaped like a dove's tail with…

Architecture, Joints
arikake 蟻掛

1 A dovetail joint with the dovetail tenon cut at the butt end about half the depth of one beam. It then is…

Architecture, Joints
arikubi 蟻首

Lit. dovetail neck. 


1 The rear part of a dovetail joint which is in line with the surface…

Architecture, Joints
ariotoshi 蟻落

Also called *arikake 蟻掛. 

1 A simple angle joint…

Architecture, Joints
aritsugi 蟻継 ✓

A dovetail joint used to attach the ends of two boards. The tenon *hozo ほぞ or…

Architecture, Joints
arizuri 蟻吊

Also written 蟻釣. A type of angled wood joint. A dovetail tenon *arihozo…

Architecture, Joints
chigiri 千切

Also written 衽. Also called kusabitsugi 楔継 or suriawasetsugi 摺合継. A small wooden spline, cleat, tie, or…

Architecture, Joints
chigiritsugi 千切継 ✓

Also written 衽継 or 膝継. Spline joints using small pieces of wood, tenons inserted into the slots, mortises, cut in…

Architecture, Joints
daiwadome 台輪留

A mite red, right-angle joint used at the corner, sumi 隅, of a building to join a wall plate, *…

Architecture, Joints
dokkohozo 独鈷ほぞ

Also called hikidokko 引独鈷; hikidokko ari 引独鈷蟻. One type of *…

Architecture, Joints
eriwa 襟輪 ✓

Also called iriwa 入輪. Lit. a collar ring. A collar tenon. It has a step-like piece called a collar, cut on each…

Architecture, Joints
eriwadome 襟輪留

Also called iriwadome 入輪留 or eridome 襟留. Lit. collar miter. An angle joint *…

Architecture, Joints
hagi 矧 ✓

A suffix used to describe edge joints of various types.



1 Imohagi 芋矧, a straight…

Architecture, Joints
hirahozo 平ほぞ ✓

A true, square or rectangular tenon cut from a single block of wood. The top of the uncut part of the block forms the square…

Architecture, Joints
hozo ほぞ ✓

Old pronunciation was hoso. A tenon. Protuberances of differing shape and size made on the end of wood, stone, or…

Architecture, Joints
hozoana ほぞ穴

A mortise. A cavity hewn from a timber or stone member or cut in metal to receivea tenon *…

Architecture, Joints
imotsugi 芋継

Same meaning as imomeji 芋目地.

1 A straight-line, end-to-end blind stub tenon *…

Architecture, Joints
irizanebari 入実張

Also called yatoi zane 雇実; yatoi zanebari 雇実張 or yatoi zanehagi 雇実矧. A plank that is grooved on…

Architecture, Joints
isukatsugi いすか継 ✓

A halved rabbeted (oblique) scarf joint *sogitsugi 殺継. A…

Architecture, Joints
jigokuhozo 地獄ほぞ ✓

Lit. hell tenon. So named because once it is inserted, it is impossible to withdraw. A blind tenon joint with wedges *…

Architecture, Joints
jūhozo  重ほぞ ✓

Also called kasanehozo 重ねほぞ; also ryōhozo 両ほぞ. Lit. a stacked tenon. A tenon with a 2-stepped broad…

Architecture, Joints
kai no kuchitsugi 貝の口継 ✓

Lit. shell mouth joint. A straight end-to-end joint *tsugite 継手 used for very…

Architecture, Joints
kakikomi 欠込 ✓

Also pronounced kakikomu; watarikakitsugi 渡欠継. Also written kakikomu 缺込む in old sources. One of…

Architecture, Joints
kakitsugi 欠継 A scarf joint used to join two timber members together to form one continuous piece.
Architecture, Joints
kakiuchi 欠打 ✓

A nailed right angled joint made on two crossed structural members by cutting a notch into one timber equal to the width of…

Architecture, Joints
kakushiaridome 隠蟻留 ✓

Lit. a hidden mitered dovetail joint, or blind mitered dovetail joint. Also called kakushiarigata kumitsugi 隠蟻形組接…

Architecture, Joints

kama 鎌
A gooseneck tenon. A tenon cut with a long neck (thought to resemble the neck and elongated head of a goose), blunted on the… Architecture, Joints
kamatsugi 鎌継 ✓

A gooseneck tenon and mortise joint. The mortise is cut into one section, and the tenon, with head and neck a single member…

Architecture, Joints
kanawa tsugi 金輪継 ✓

An oblique, housed (dadoed), rabbeted, T-shaped, half-blind, tenoned scarf joint. Because both the tenon and mortise are…

Architecture, Joints
kerakubi 螻首

1 A tenon *hozo ほぞ and mortise *…

Architecture, Joints
kikugi 木釘

A wooden nail. The term applies to dowels, also called joggles *daboso 太ぼぞ, pins kumisen 込栓 or daisen…

Architecture, Joints
koguchiari 木口蟻

A right-angled dovetail joint used to connect the corners of sills and footings. Its significant feature is that the end of…

Architecture, Joints
kokihozo 扱ほぞ ✓

Also pronounced kokibozo. Any tenon that gradually narrows toward its outer end.

Architecture, Joints
konehozo 小根ほぞ ✓

An angle joint *shiguchi 仕口 with a rabbeted tenon *…

Architecture, Joints
koshiire mechigaitsuki aritsugi 腰入目違付蟻継 ✓

A half-lapped, half-blind, tenoned dovetail joint. The indented piece is cut with a bench (hip, koshi 腰), open in…

Architecture, Joints
koshikake aritsugi 腰掛蟻継 ✓

A half-lap, dovetailed joint. Also shikimen aritsugi 敷面蟻継, shikimen arihozotsugi 敷面蟻ほぞ継, koshikake…

Architecture, Joints
koshikake kamatsugi 腰掛鎌継 ✓

Also shikimen kamatsugi 敷面鎌継. A half-lap, gooseneck tenon joint. An end joint which combines two joints: a half-lap…

Architecture, Joints
koshikake 腰掛

Lit. Lap or bench. A basic part of many joints. Although similar to the *aigaki…

Architecture, Joints
koshikaketsugi 腰掛継

Also *koshi 腰; kasanetsugi 重継. Lit. seat joint. A simple…

Architecture, Joints
kumite 組手

A generic term used in Japanese wood architecture to refer to the joining of one member to another by means of various types…

Architecture, Joints
kusabi 楔 ✓

A wedge. Easily identified by its isosceles triangle shape. Its two main sides slant from its relatively wide top to a very…

Architecture, Joints
mechigaihozotsuki kamatsugi 目違ほぞ付鎌継 ✓

Also called ōkamatsugi 大鎌継, shinkamatsugi 真鎌継. Half-blind mortise and tenon gooseneck joint. A variation…

Architecture, Joints
mechigaitsugi 目違継

Also called inrōtsugi 印籠継. A simple blind or half-blind stub tenon joint. A blind tenon, mechigaihozo 目違ほぞ…

Architecture, Joints
megi 女木

Also called shitagi 下木. The indented part of a wooden joint. It functions like a mortise *…

Architecture, Joints
mukōdome 向留 ✓

One part of the joint used when eaves supports *kayaoi 茅負 or flying rafter…

Architecture, Joints
nagarehozo 流ほぞ ✓

A sloped tenon, which is cut into the end of a beam. The top of the tenon is flush with the top surface of the beam. The…

Architecture, Joints
nejigumi 捻組

Lit. "twisted construction." A bevelled, wooden, angled joint, sogi mokuzō shiguchi 殺木造仕口, commonly used to connect…

Architecture, Joints
nimaihozo 二枚ほぞ ✓

Double tenons. Double tenons take many forms including individual, rectangular tenons of the same size placed side by side…

Architecture, Joints
nogetsugi 芒継 ✓ Also called kayaoi kamatsugi 茅負鎌継. A joint used to join sections of an eave support *kayaoi… Architecture, Joints
ōire ariotoshi 大入蟻落 ✓

Also called kageire ariotoshi 陰入蟻落; ōire arikake 大入蟻掛. A joint made to connect a purlin *…

Architecture, Joints
ōire 大入 ✓

Also written 追入 or 尾入. A dadoed or housed, angled T-joint, which is used to join beams to posts. A shallow square or…

Architecture, Joints
okkake daisentsugi 追掛大栓継 ✓

An oblique, housed (dadoed) and rabbeted scarf joint. The upper and lower pieces are exactly the same but reversed. The…

Architecture, Joints
otoshikama 落鎌 ✓

Also called sagekama 下鎌. A commonly used half-blind, gooseneck tenon *kama…

Architecture, Joints
rantsugi 乱継

Lit. "random joints." Various types of architectural joints that can be either dovetail *…

Architecture, Joints
ryakukama 略鎌

Lit. "abbreviated gooseneck joint." An elongated halving joint. The desired length of timber is cut in half lengthwise. The…

Architecture, Joints
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
saobiki dokko 竿引独鈷 ✓

A long, lapped, rod-type tenon cut in the end of a rainbow beam *kōryō 虹梁, or…

Architecture, Joints
saobuchi 竿縁

A batten used to make a board and batten ceiling *saobuchi tenjō 竿縁天井.…

Architecture, Joints
saoshachitsugi 竿車知継 ✓

Also saotsugi 竿継. Joint with long, rather slender tenons called saohozo 竿ほぞ (rod or pole tenons) and…

Architecture, Joints
sashikomihozo 差込ほぞ

A generic term meaning to insert, usually a tenon *hozo ほぞ into a mortise *…

Architecture, Joints
shachi 車知 ✓

An abbreviation of shachisen 車知栓. A draw pin, key or cotter made of hard wood, usually zelkova or oak. The pin is…

Architecture, Joints
shakushi hozo 杓子ほぞ ✓

Lit. "dipper or ladle tenon." A flat tenon *hozo ほぞ that is attached to the end…

Architecture, Joints
shiguchi 仕口

An angled joint. There are two general types of shiguchi.

1 watashigake shiguchi…

Architecture, Joints
shihō ari 四方蟻 ✓

A dovetail splicing joint *aritsugi 蟻継, made in such way that the dovetails…

Architecture, Joints
shikimen 敷面 ✓

Also called *koshikake 腰掛.
A bench joint. A flat surface in…

Architecture, Joints
shintsugi 真継 ✓

The junction of two lengths of a purlin that are set into the top of a post. The line of the joint is centered to coincide…

Architecture, Joints
shippasami tsugi 尻挟継 ✓

Also called shiribasami tsugi 尻挟継 or obasami tsugi 尾鋏継. A blind, stubbed, housed, rabbeted, oblique, scarf…

Architecture, Joints
shitaki 下木 ✓

Also pronounced shitagi or kaboku. The lower of two or more joined timbers. Shitaki is the…

Architecture, Joints
sogi 殺

A basic bevelled scarf. A timber with a slanted cut, usually at an approximately 30 degree angle. To form a joint, a scarf…

Architecture, Joints
sogitsugi 殺継 ✓

Also called suberihatsugi 滑刃継; hauchitsugi 羽打継. A scarf joint. A simple butt joint made stronger by…

Architecture, Joints
suitsuki arizan 吸付蟻桟 ✓

Also arizan 蟻桟, suitsukizan 吸付桟 or suitsukiari 吸付蟻. A long, narrow dovetail tenon *…

Architecture, Joints
tōshihozo 通しほぞ

Also called tōshi hozosashi 通しほぞ差; uchinukihozo 打抜ほぞ. A through tenon and mortise angle joint. A…

Architecture, Joints
tsugite 継手 ✓

Also written 接手.

1 A generic term for joinery including spliced and angled joints. When used as a…

Architecture, Joints
tsukitsuke 突付

A simple, basic butt joint. To butt two or more cut timbers end to end. The joint is called dōzuki 胴付 when a cut…

Architecture, Joints
ususoko 臼底

Also written 臼当; also called dōzuki 胴付. The recessed surface of a wooden member that surrounds a protruding tenon…

Architecture, Joints
uwaki 上木

Also pronounced uwagi.

1 The uppermost timber of two joined structural elements. Often…

Architecture, Joints
wanagi hozo 輪薙ほぞ

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

Architecture, Joints
wanagikomi 輪薙込

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

Architecture, Joints
warihada 割肌

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

Architecture, Joints
warikusabi 割楔

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

Architecture, Joints
watariago 渡腮

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

Architecture, Joints
yatoi-ari 雇蟻

A right-angled joint with a dovetail spline tenon *hozo ほぞ that resembles a…

Architecture, Joints
yatoihozo 雇ほぞ

Also called sashiki 差木, yatoiki 雇木, or machihozo 待ほぞ.

1 A spline tenon. A…

Architecture, Joints
yonmaihozo 四枚ほぞ ✓ The four tenons cut into the crosscut of a beam. Quadruple tenons. The same principle is used in making double tenons *… Architecture, Joints
yose-ari hikidokko 寄蟻引独鈷

A right angle joint used to attach a horizontal member to a pillar. It combines a type of dovetail joint *…

Architecture, Joints
yose-ari 寄蟻

Also called okuri-ari 送蟻. A right angle joint *shiguchi 仕口 used to…

Architecture, Joints
yotsutome 四留

Also pronounced yotsudome. An angled joint *shiguchi 仕口, composed of…

Architecture, Joints

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JAANUS is the on-line Dictionary of Japanese Architectural and Art Historical Terminology compiled by Dr. Mary Neighbour Parent.

Originally built by the Atsumi International Scholarship Foundation, it is now hosted and maintained by the Media Center for Art History at Columbia University