Lit. stirrup tile. An ancient name for *nokimarugawara 軒丸瓦. Also called…

Also called *hire 鰭 or *hiregawara…

Lit. Sanskrit motif. A Sanskrit character, bonji 梵字, that decorates pendants *…

1　Abbreviation of botan karakusagawara 牡丹唐草瓦. A roof tile, often an eaves-end tile, whose pendant…

Also abbreviated to *budō karakusa 葡萄唐草. A grape-patterned arabesque used…

Roof tiles used to make the offspring ridge *chigomune 稚児棟, a short…

The central, circular part of a round, eave-end, pendant tile *gatō 瓦当…

Also kazunemaru 重ね丸. An interjacent tile. A section of a semi-cylindrical roof tile laid between the first broad…

Lit. torso, trunk, cylinder, or barrel. The main body of the half-round or semi-cylindrical part of a cover tile, *…

An archaic term for tiles of low quality used in Edo (now Tokyo) during the Edo period to roof tenement houses *…

Also called *gatō 瓦当. The circular pendant tiles attached to semi-circular…

The length of the visible surface of an ordinary broad, concave roofing tile, *…

A motif which consists of a double-stylized lotus petal with a leaf seedling in each petal. Found on the pendant, *…

Also written 複弁蓮花文. A double-lotus-petal motif applied to the pendant tiles, *gatō…

Also called *ogawara 男瓦 (male tile).

1　A semi…

Also written 衾瓦; also called *kanmurigawara 冠瓦 or *…

The section of a pendant *gatō 瓦当, outside the lotus flower motif, on a semi…

Also called *kanmurigawara 冠瓦, *…

Patterns, motifs, designs applied to the circular antefixes *gatō 瓦当 on semi…

1　Eave-end tiles with a circular or semi-circular ornamental pendant. Gatō were brought to Japan…

A type of smooth, lipless, semi-cylindrical cover tile that tapers from its broader front end to a narrower back end.…

A decorative stylized lotus-flower pattern, *rengemon 蓮華文, found on eaves…

1　The second layer of tiles that is curved and set at a same angle to the first layer of tiles, …

Rectangular ridge tiles with half the width of an ordinary ridge tile *noshigawara…

Also hashigawara 端瓦. Lit. flower tile. An edge or border tile originally, the word came to replace the more…

A broad, concave end tile that alternates with an eave end semi-circular tile surmounted with a circular pendant *…

An old name for semi circular eave end tiles *nokimarugawara 軒丸瓦. Also…

A semi-circular convex tile with a pendant *gatō 瓦当, attached to…

An asymmetric arabesque pattern. Most arabesque patterns have a centrally positioned motif *…

Also called hira karakusa 平唐草. A broad concave eave-end tile *…

Also called *megawara 女瓦 (female tile). One of the basic…

Also sekigai sodekakugawara 積蓋袖角瓦. Lit. stacked, broad-sleeved angular cover tiles. The broad, concave pendant…

Also sekigai sodegawara 積蓋袖瓦. A broad, rectangular type of concave roof tile *…

Lit. fish tile. The lower parts of ogre tiles *onigawara 鬼瓦 which extend…

Also *unmon 雲文, ryūunmon 流雲文. The flowing cloud motif on…

A general term for three basic tiles: irakadomoe 甍巴, a tile decorated with a comma shaped pattern *…

A general term for a tile roof, especially one which is composed of relatively flat, broad, concave tiles *…

1　Also read hossōge, an abbreviation of hōsōgemon 宝相華文. Lit. precious flower. Hōsōge…

1　Abbreviation of hōsōge karakusamon 宝相華唐草文. A type of Chinese arabesque design *…

The ogre-face tile *onigawara 鬼瓦, placed at the ends of offspring ridges *…

1　Also called ichimonji nokigawara 一文字軒瓦; ichimonji karakusagawara 一文字唐草瓦. A type of…

1　A general term for the special tiles used at the base of a roof ridge.

2　A name…

Also called irakamune 甍棟; hon irakagawara 本甍瓦. The roof tiles that form the lowest part of the stack of…

The smallest semi-circular tile, with a diameter of 7.5 cm. An eave end tile of this size decorated with a comma pattern is…

The traditional method of laying or setting tiles on the sheathing *noji 野地 of…

A roof tile style with a lotus pattern with double layered petals. The additional petals are placed between the leaf sprout…

A layered petal motif with one or more petals superimposed one on top of another. It is found on some pendants *…

A pattern composed of concentric circles on a pendant *gatō 瓦当 and parallel…

A pattern of parallel lines decorating the pendant *gatō 瓦当 of a broad,…

The band of lotus petals *renji 蓮子 which encircles the seed pod *…

Often abbreviated kake domoe 掛巴. The semi-cylindrical eave-end cover tiles, noki kakedomoe marugawara…

A common term for the broad, concave eave-end pendant tiles that are placed along the gable overhang *…

A general term for tiles used to cover the bargeboard *hafu 破風 on a gable roof *…

Also kanimendo 蟹面戸. Lit. crab filler tile. A crab-shaped tile used to cover the gap created by the junction of two…

Roof tiles stacked up on the ridge of a temple or castle roof. Also called *…

Lit. arabesque roof tile. Also *hanahiragawara 端平瓦.

1…

Coping tiles. Tiles used to cover the top of a fence or wall to prevent weathering. The fences may be made of wood, bamboo…

Lit. tile. The roofing material made of fired clay introduced to Japan from Korea (Paekche Kingdom, Jp: *…

Also kawarabuki yane 瓦葺屋根, kawarayane 瓦屋根. Tile roofing. A roof covered with fired clay tiles usually…

A craftsman who tiles roofs, especially in the area of Kawachinagano 河内長野, and in the vicinity of Osaka.

Also pronounced kawarabisashi. A tiled pent roof. The term is especially common in Hyōgo Prefecture where a smaller…

A floor that consists of tiles placed over hard-pack earthen floor, especially common in Zen temples. When the tiles are set…

Lit. the tail of a tile. The tail or upper end of a broad concave roof tile *…

Nails used to secure broad concave tiles *hiragawara 平瓦 and semi-…

Lit. roof tiles that wrap around. Roof tiles used to cover the ridge of a farmhouse with a thatched roof, or a merchant's…

A tiled ridge on the roof of thatched vernacular houses *minka 民家. …

A ceremony to celebrate the completion of a tiled roof in the area of Ōita City, Ōita Prefecture. The senior craftsman, …

1　A structure with a tile roof. See *kawarabuki 瓦葺.

Roofing material made of fired clay tiles, first introduced with the advent of Buddhism from the Paekche Kingdom (Jp: *…

1　A tile seat. A long timber rail on the sheathing which covers the rafters and eave support of a roof. The…

Lit. sword tip motif. Also kentomoemon noki hiragawara 剣巴文軒平瓦. Also kenbishimon 剣菱文. The pendant *…

Also called *kake domoegawara 掛巴瓦; *…

Also pronounced kogawara. Wooden strips shaped to resemble traditional tile roofing *…

A stylized chrysanthemum pattern derived from the imperial crest used on the pendant *gatō…

Also called kikumaru 菊丸, kikumarugawara 菊丸瓦, or kogiku 小菊. A tile decorated with a…

A perfectly balanced design around a symmetrical central motif. A type of arabesque found on the pendants *…

Also called komarugawara 小丸瓦. Eave-end, semi-cylindrical tiles *…

Also called sen kyoshimon 線鋸歯文. Saw-tooth pattern. Kyoshimon includes the zigzag pattern *…

Also written 円瓦. Also called *ogawara 男瓦, especially in the 6th-…

1　A flat, rectangular roof tile with a small, semi-cylindrical tile attached. This combined tile is placed…

Lit. "female tile." Also called migawara. Also written 雌瓦, or 牝瓦. A 7-12th century term for a broad concave roof…

Tile fragments used to strengthen earthen kilns and mud fences.

Filler or gap-fill tiles used to close or plug the openings along the base of the main ridge *…

Roof tiles that are placed along the drooping verges; that is, tiles that extend beyond edges of the gables.

A small edge raised slightly to the left of the right edge an eave-end tile *…

The barrel part *dō 胴, of a half-round roofing tile *…

The lower or front end of the barrel part *dō 胴, of a half-round…

Tile with a motif composed of kanji 漢字 characters that usually form the name of a temple. The use of character…

A general term for the rows of decorative tiles used along the ridge of a structure. The tiles have many patterns, for…

Also read munagawara. Lit. "ridge tiles." A generic term for the tiles used to cover the apex of the roof.…

Lit. "tiles at the corners of the ridge." A generic term for the ogre tile *onigawara…

Longer than standard semi-cylindrical roof tiles used as coping tiles *kasagawara…

The smallest of three standard sizes of roof tiles yanegawara 屋根瓦, used during the 17th-19th century. The…

The inner section of the pendant *gatō 瓦当, attached to a semi-…

An ogre tile with a wave pattern descending from its base to form legs ashimoto 足元, that divide over the gable of…

Also suikazura karakusamon; also nindō karakusa 忍冬唐草. Lit. "honeysuckle arabesque pattern." A pattern used…

Broad, concave, roof tiles set directly above and slightly back from the broad, concave, pendant tiles *…