NATIONAL COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT
BS ARCHITECTURE
HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 3
BSARCH-31E1

Japanese Architecture
Introduction
Japanese architecture (Nihon kenchiku) has
traditionally been typified by wooden structures,
elevated slightly off the ground, with tiled or
thatched roofs. Sliding doors (fusuma) were used
in place of walls, allowing the internal
configuration of a space to be customized to
different occasions. People usually sat on cushions
or otherwise on the floor, traditionally; chairs and
high tables were not widely used until the 20th
century. Since the 19th century, however, Japan
has incorporated much of Western, modern, and post-modern
Kinkaku-ji,architecture
Kyoto, originally builtinto
in 1397
(Muromachi Period)
construction and design, and is today a leader in cutting-edge architectural
design
and technology.
The earliest Japanese architecture was seen in prehistoric times in simple pit-houses
and stores that were adapted to a hunter-gatherer population. Influence from Han
Dynasty China via Korea saw the introduction of more complex grain stores and
ceremonial burial chambers.
The introduction into Japan of Buddhism in the sixth century was a catalyst for large
scale temple building using complicated techniques in wood. Influence from the
Chinese T'ang and Sui Dynasties led to the foundation of the first permanent
capital in Nara. Its checkerboard street layout used the Chinese capital
of Chang'an as a template for its design. A gradual increase in the size of buildings
led to standard units of measurement as well as refinements in layout and garden
design. The introduction of the tea ceremony emphasized simplicity and modest
design as a counterpoint to the excesses of the aristocracy.
During the Meiji Restoration of 1868 the history of Japanese architecture was
radically changed by two important events. The first was the Kami and Buddhas
Separation Act of 1868, which formally separated Buddhism
from Shinto and Buddhist temples from Shinto shrines, breaking an association
between the two which had lasted well over a thousand years and causing, directly
and indirectly, immense damage to the nation's architecture.
Second, it was then that Japan underwent a period of intense Westernization in
order to compete with other developed countries. Initially architects and styles from

abroad were imported to Japan but gradually the country taught its own architects
and began to express its own style. Architects returning from study with western
architects introduced the International
Style of modernism into Japan. However,
it was not until after the Second World
War that Japanese architects made an
impression on the international scene,
firstly with the work of architects
like Kenzo Tange and then with
theoretical movements like Metabolism.

General features of Japanese traditional

architecture
Much in the traditional architecture of Japan is not native, but was imported from
China and other Asian cultures over the centuries. Japanese traditional architecture
and its history are as a consequence dominated by Chinese and Asian techniques
and styles (present even in Ise Shrine, held to be the quintessence of Japanese
architecture) on one side, and by Japanese original variations on those themes on
the other.
Partly due also to the variety of climates in Japan and the millennium encompassed
between the first cultural import and the last, the result is extremely
heterogeneous, but several practically universalThe
features
can nonetheless
be Japanese
found.
roof is the dominant
feature of traditional
architecture.
First of all is the choice of materials, always wood in various forms
(planks, straw,
tree bark, paper, etc.) for almost all structures. Unlike both Western and some
Chinese architecture, the use of stone is avoided except for certain specific uses, for
example temple podia and pagoda foundations.
The general structure is almost always the same: posts and lintels support a large
and gently curved roof, while the walls are paper-thin, often movable and in any
case non-carrying. Arches and barrel roofs are completely absent. Gable and eave
curves are gentler than in China and columnar entasis(convexity at the center)
limited.
The roof is the most visually impressive component, often constituting half the size
of the whole edifice. The slightly curved eaves extend far beyond the walls,
covering verandas, and their weight must therefore be supported by complex
bracket systems called toky, in the case of temples and shrines. Simpler solutions
are adopted in domestic structures. The oversize eaves give the interior a
characteristic dimness, which contributes to the building's atmosphere. The interior
of the building normally consists of a single room at the center called moya, from
which depart any other less important spaces.
Inner space divisions are fluid, and room size can be modified through the use of
screens or movable paper walls. The large, single space offered by the main
hall can therefore be divided according to the need. To the contrary, some walls can

be removed and different rooms joined temporarily to make space for some more
guests. The separation between inside and outside is itself in some measure not
absolute as entire walls can be removed, opening a residence or temple to visitors.
Verandas appear to be part of the building to an outsider, but part of the external
world to those in the building. Structures are therefore made to a certain extent part
of their environment. Care is taken to blend the edifice into the surrounding natural
environment.
The use of construction modules keeps proportions between different parts of the
edifice constant, preserving its overall harmony.
Even in cases as that of Nikk Tsh-g, where every available space is heavily
decorated, ornamentation tends to follow, and therefore emphasize, rather than
hide, basic structures.
Being shared by both sacred and profane architecture, these features made it easy
converting a lay building into a temple or vice versa. This happened for example
at Hry-ji, where a noblewoman's mansion was transformed into a religious
building.

Prehistoric Period
The prehistoric period includes the Jmon, Yayoi and Kofun periods stretching
from approximately 5000 BCE to the beginning of the eighth century CE.
During the three phases of the Jmon period the population was primarily huntergatherer with some primitive agriculture skills and their behaviour was
predominantly determined by changes in climatic conditions and other natural
stimulants. Early dwellings were pit houses consisting of shallow pits with tamped
earth floors and grass roofs designed to collect rainwater with the aid of storage
jars. Later in the period, a colder climate with greater rainfall led to a decline in
population, which contributed to an interest in ritual. Concentric stone circles first
appeared during this time.
During the Yayoi period the Japanese people began to interact with the Chinese Han
Dynasty, whose knowledge and technical skills began to influence them. The
Japanese began to build raised-floor storehouses as granaries which were
constructed using metal tools like saws and chisels that began to appear at this
time. A reconstruction in Toro, Shizuoka is a wooden box made of thick boards
joined in the corners in a log cabin style and supported on eight pillars. The roof is
thatched but, unlike the typically hipped roof of the pit dwellings, it is a simple Vshaped gable.
The Kofun Period marked the appearance of many-chambered burial mounds
or tumuli (kofun literally means "old mounds"). Similar mounds in Korean
Peninsula are thought to have been influenced by Japan. Early in the period the
tombs, known as "keyhole kofun" or zenp-ken kofun, lit. square in front, circular in

back old tomb-mound), often made use of the existing topography, shaping it and
adding man-made moats to form a distinctive keyhole shape, i.e. that of a circle
interconnected with a triangle. Access was via a vertical shaft that was sealed off
once the burial was completed. There was room inside the chamber for a coffin and
grave goods. The mounds were often decorated with terracotta figures
called haniwa. Later in the period mounds began to be located on flat ground and
their scale greatly increased. Among many examples in Nara and Osaka, the most
notable is the Daisen-kofun, designated as the tomb of Emperor Nintoku. The
tomb covers 32 hectares (79 acres) and it is thought to have been decorated with
20,000 haniwa figures.
Towards the end of the Kofun period, tomb burials faded out as Buddhist cremation
ceremonies gained popularity.

Reconstructed dwellings
in Yoshinogari

Reconstructed raisedfloor building

in Yoshinogari
Asuka and Nara Architecture
Reconstructed grain storehouse in
Toro, Shizuoka

The most significant contributor to architectural changes during the Asuka

period was the introduction of Buddhism. New
temples became centers of worship with tomb burial
practices slowly becoming outlawed. Also, Buddhism
brought to Japan and kami worship the idea of
permanent shrines and gave to Shinto
architecture much of its present vocabulary.
Some of the earliest structures still extant in Japan are
Buddhist temples established at this time. The oldest
surviving wooden buildings in the world are found at Hry-ji, to the southwest of
Nara. First built in the early 7th century as the private temple of Crown Prince
Shtoku, it consists of 41 independent buildings; the most important ones, the
main worship hall, or Kon-d (Golden Hall), and the five-story pagoda), stand in the
centre of an open area surrounded by a roofed cloister (kair). The Kon-d, in the

style of Chinese worship halls, is a two-story structure of post-and-beam

construction, capped by an irimoya, or hipped-gabled, roof of ceramic tiles.
Heij-ky, modern day Nara, was founded in 708 as the first permanent capital of
state of Japan. The layout of its checkerboard streets and buildings were modeled
after the Chinese capital of Chang'an. The city soon became an important centre of
Buddhist worship in Japan. The most grandiose of these temples was Tdaiji, built
to rival temples of the Chinese T'ang and Sui Dynasties. Appropriately, the 16.2-m
(53-ft) Buddha or Daibutsu (completed in 752) enshrined in the main hall is a
Rushana Buddha, the figure that represents the essence of Buddhahood, just
as Tdai-ji represented the centre for imperially sponsored Buddhism and its
dissemination throughout Japan. Only a few fragments of the original statue survive,
and the present hall and central Buddha are reconstructions from the Edo period.
Clustered around the main hall (the Daibutsuden) on a gently sloping hillside are
a number of secondary halls: the Hokke-d (Lotus Sutra Hall), the Kfuku and
the storehouse, called the Shs-in. This last structure is of great importance as an
art-historical cache, because in it are stored the utensils that were used in the
temple's dedication ceremony in 752, as well as government documents and many
secular objects owned by the Imperial family.

pagoda at Hry-ji, Ikaruga, Nara

Built in 7th century

Pagoda at Yakushi-ji,Nara,
Nara
Originally built in 730

Pagoda at Hokki-ji,Ikaruga, Nara

Built in 706

Golden Temple atTshdai-ji, Nara,

Nara
Built in 8th century

Heian Period
Although the network of Buddhist temples across the country acted as a catalyst for
an exploration of architecture and culture, this also led to the clergy gaining
increased power and influence. Emperor Kammu decided to escape this influence
by moving his capital first to Nagaoka-ky and then to Heian-ky, known today
as Kyto. Although the layout of the city was similar to Nara's and inspired by
Chinese precedents, the palaces, temples and dwellings began to show examples of
local Japanese taste.
Heavy materials like stone, mortar and clay were abandoned as building elements,
with simple wooden walls, floors and partitions becoming prevalent. Native species
like cedar (sugi) were popular as an interior finish because of its prominent grain,
while pine (matsu) and larch (aka matsu) were common for structural uses. Brick
roofing tiles and a type of cypress called hinoki were used for roofs. It was sometime
during this period that the hidden roof, a uniquely Japanese solution to roof
drainage problems, was adopted.
The increasing size of buildings in the capital led to architecture reliant on columns
regularly spaced in accordance with the ken, a traditional measure of both size and
proportion. The Imperial Palace Shishinden demonstrated a style that was a
precursor to the later aristocratic-style of building known as shinden-zukuri. The
style was characterized by symmetrical buildings placed as arms that defined an
inner garden. This garden then used borrowed scenery to seemingly blend with
the wider landscape.

The chief surviving example of shinden-zukuri architecture is the H--d (Phoenix

Hall, completed 1053) of Byd-in, a temple in Uji to the southeast of Kyto. It
consists of a main rectangular structure flanked by two L-shaped wing corridors and
a tail corridor, set at the edge of a large artificial pond. Inside, a single golden image
of Amida (circa 1053) is installed on a high platform. Raigo (Descent of the Amida
Buddha) paintings on the wooden doors of the H--d are often considered an
early example of Yamato-e, Japanese-style painting, because they contain
representations of the scenery around Kyto.
The priest Kkai (best known by the posthumous title Kb Daishi, 774835)
journeyed to China to study Shingon, a form of Vajrayana Buddhism, which he
introduced into Japan in 806. At the core of Shingon worship are the
various mandalas, diagrams of the spiritual universe which influenced temple
design. The temples erected for this new sect were built in the mountains, far away
from the court and the laity in the
capital. The irregular topography of
these sites forced their designers to
rethink the problems of temple
construction, and in so doing to choose
more indigenous elements of design.
At this time the architectural style of
Buddhist temples began to influence
that of the Shint shrines. For
example, like their Buddhist
counterparts the Shint shrines began to paint the normally unfinished timbers
with the characteristic red cinnabar color.
During the later part of the Heian Period there
were the first documented appearances of
vernacular houses in the minka style/form. These
were characterized by the use local materials and
labor, being primarily constructed of wood, having
packed earth floors and thatched roofs.

Phoenix Hall at Byd-in,Uji,

Kyoto
Built in 1053

Ujigami Shrine, Uji,

Kyoto
Built in 1060

Kamakura and Muromachi Periods

Pagoda of Ichij-

During the Kamakura period (11851333)

the following Muromachi
ji,and
Kasai,Hygo
period (13361573), Japanese architecture Built
made
technological advances that
in 1171
made it somewhat diverge from its Chinese counterpart. In response to native
requirements such as earthquake resistance and shelter against heavy rainfall and
the summer heat and sun, the master carpenters of this time responded with a
unique type of architecture, creating the Daibutsuy and Zenshy styles.
The Kamakura period began with the transfer of power in Japan from the imperial
court to the Kamakura shogunate. During the Genpei War (11801185), many
traditional
buildings
in Nara
and Kyoto were damaged. For example, KfukuTypical
minka-style
gasshzukuri
farmhouse
ji and Tdai-ji
were
burned down by Taira no Shigehira of the Taira clan in 1180.
Many of these temples and shrines were later rebuilt by the Kamakura shogunate to
consolidate the shogun's authority.
Although less elaborate than during the Heian period, architecture in the
Kamakura period was informed by a simplicity due to its association with the
military order. New residences used a buke-zukuri style that was associated with
buildings surrounded by narrow moats or stockades. Defense became a priority,
with buildings grouped under a single roof rather than around a garden. The
gardens of the Heian period houses often became training grounds.
After the fall of the Kamakura shogunate in 1333, the Ashikaga shogunate was
formed, having later its seat in
the Kyoto district of
Muromachi. The proximity of
the shogunate to the imperial
court led to a rivalry in the
upper levels of society which
caused tendencies toward
luxurious goods and lifestyles.
Aristocratic houses were
adapted from the simple bukezukuri style to resemble the
earlier shinden-sukuri style. A
good example of this
ostentatious architecture is
the Kinkaku-ji in Kyto, which is
decorated with lacquer and gold leaf, in contrast to its otherwise simple structure
and plain bark roofs.
In an attempt to rein in the excess of the upper classes, the Zen masters introduced
the tea ceremony. In architecture this promoted the design of chashitsu (tea

houses) to a modest size with simple

detailing and materials. The style
informed residential architecture with
lighter, more intimate buildings relying on
slender rafters and pillars with sliding
inner partitions fusuma and outer sliding
walls shji. Although woven grass and
straw tatami mats first began to appear in the Kamakura period, they were often
thrown all over the floor. In the Muromachi period they began to have a regular size
and be closely fitted together. A typically sized Chashitsu is 4 1/2 mats in size.
In the garden, Zen principles replaced water with sand or gravel to produce the dry
garden (karesansui) like the one at Ryan-ji.

Shfuku-ji, Tokyo, Completed in 1407

Danjogaran Fudo-d in Mt.

Kya, Wakayama
Built in 1197.

Ryan-ji dry garden in

Kyoto

Ginkaku-ji, Kyoto
Built in the 15th century

Garden of Tenry-ji in Kyoto

Pagoda of Negoro-ji in
Iwade, Wakayama
Built in 1547.

Azuchi-Momoyama Period
During the AzuchiMomoyama period (1568
1600) Japan underwent a process of unification after a long period of civil war. It was
marked by the rule of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, men who
built castles as symbols of their power; Nobunaga in Azuchi, the seat of his
government, and Hideyoshi in Momoyama. The nin War during the Muromachi
period had led to rise of castle architecture in Japan. By the time of the AzuchiMomoyama period each domain was allowed to have one castle of its own. Typically
it consisted of a central tower or tenshu (lit; heaven defense) surrounded by

gardens and fortified buildings. All of this was set within massive stone walls and
surrounded by deep moats. The dark interiors of castles were often decorated by
artists, the spaces were separated up using sliding fusuma panels and bybu folding
screens.
The shoin style that had its origins with the chashitsu of the Muromachi period
continued to be refined. Verandas linked the interiors of residential buildings with
highly cultivated exterior gardens.Fusuma and bybu became highly decorated with
paintings and often an interior room with shelving and alcove (tokonoma) were used
to display art work (typically a hanging scroll).
Matsumoto, Kumamoto and Himeji (popularly known as the White Heron castle)
are excellent examples of the castles of the period, while Nijo Castle in Kyto is an
example of castle architecture blended with that of an imperial palace, to produce a
style that is more in keeping with the Chinese influence of previous centuries.

Above Left: Himeji Castle in Himeji, Hyogo.

Completed in 1618
Above Right: The Main Tower (Great
Matsumoto
Matsumoto, Nagano,
Tenshu) Castle
of the in
castle
Completed in 1600.

Dry stone walls of Kumamoto Castle,

Completed in 1600.

Ninomaru Palace within Nijo Castle,

Kyoto

Edo Period
The Tokugawa Shogunate took the city of Edo (later to become part of modern
day Tky) as their capital. They built an
imposing fortress around which buildings
of the state administration and residences
for the provincial daimys were
constructed. The city grew around these
buildings connected by a network of
roads and canals. By 1700CE the
population had swollen to one million
inhabitants. The scarcity of space for
residential architecture resulted in houses
being built over two stories, often
constructed on raised stone plinths.
Although machiya (townhouses) had been
around since the Heian period they began to be refined during the Edo
Upperplots
residence
of Matsudaira
Tadamasa
as depicted
period. Machiya typically occupied deep, narrow
abutting
the street
(the
in the Edo-zu bybuscreens (17th century)
width of the plot was usually indicative of the wealth of the owner), often with a
workshop or shop on the ground floor. Tiles rather than thatch were used on the roof
and exposed timbers were often plastered in an effort to protect the building
against fire. Ostentatious buildings that demonstrated the wealth and power of the
feudal lords were constructed, such as the Kamiyashiki of Matsudaira
Tadamasa or the zone Shimoyashiki.
Edo suffered badly from devastating fires and the 1657 Great Fire of Meireki was
a turning point in urban design. Initially, as a method of reducing fire spread, the

government built stone embankments in

at least two locations along rivers in the
city. Over time these were torn down and
replaced with dz storehouses that were
used both as fire breaks and to store
goods unloaded from the canals.
The dz were built with a structural
frame made of timber coated with a
number of layers of earthen plaster on
the walls, door and roof. Above the
earthen roofs was a timber framework
supporting a tiled roof. Although Japanese
who had studied with the Dutch at their
settlement in Dejima advocated building
with stone and brick this was not
undertaken because of their vulnerability
to earthquakes Machiya and storehouses from the later part of the period are
characterised by having a black coloration to the external plaster walls. This colour
was made by adding India ink to burnt lime and crushed oyster shell.
The clean lines of the civil architecture in Edo influenced the sukiya style of
residential architecture. Katsura Detached Palace and Shugaku-in Imperial
Villa on the outskirts of Kyto are good
Typical machiya in Na
examples of this style. Their architecture
ra
has simple lines and decor and uses wood
in its natural state.
In the very late part of the period sankin
ktai, the law requiring the daimys to
maintain dwellings in the capital was
repealed which resulted in a decrease in
population in Edo and a commensurate
reduction in income for the shogunate.

Inside the Shokintei at Katsura Imperial Villa,

Kyoto Built in 17th century

Tenshu of Matsue Castle in Matsue, Shimane

Prefecture Built in 1607

Hondo of
Kiyomizu-dera,Kyoto, Built in 1633
Japanese Buddhist
Architecture

Japanese Buddhist architecture is the architecture of Buddhist temples in Japan,

consisting of locally developed variants of architectural styles born
in China. After Buddhism arrived the continent via Three Kingdoms of Korea in
the 6th century, an effort was initially made to reproduce original buildings as
faithfully as possible, but gradually local versions of continental styles were
developed both to meet Japanese tastes and to solve problems posed by local
weather, which is more rainy and humid than in China. The first Buddhist sects
were Nara's six Nanto Rokush (Nara six sects), followed during the Heian period
by Kyoto's Shingon and Tendai. Later, during the Kamakura period,
in Kamakura were born the Jdo and the native Japanese sect Nichiren-sh. At
roughly the same time Zen Buddhism arrived from China, strongly influencing all
other sects in many ways, including architecture. The social composition of
Buddhism's followers also changed radically with time. In the beginning it was the
elite's religion, but slowly it spread from the noble to warriors, merchants and finally
to the population at large. On the technical side, new woodworking tools like the
framed pit saw and the plane allowed new architectonic solutions.
Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines share their basic characteristics and often
differ only in details that the non-specialist may not notice. This similarity is
because the sharp division between Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines is
recent, dating to the Meiji period's policy of separation of Buddhism
and Shinto (Shinbutsu bunri) of 1868. Before the Meiji Restoration it was
common for a Buddhist temple to be built inside or next to a shrine, or for a shrine
to include
Buddhist subtemples. If a
shrine housed a
Buddhist temple,
it was called ajingji (lit. shrine
temple).
Analogously,
temples all over
Japan used to
adopt
tutelary kami (chi
nju) and built
shrines within
their precincts to
house them. After
the forcible
separation of
temples and shrines
ordered by the
new government,

the connection between the two religions was officially severed, but continued
nonetheless in practice and is still visible today.
Buddhist architecture in Japan during the country's whole history has absorbed
much of the best available natural and human resources. Particularly between the
8th and the 16th centuries, it led the development of new structural and ornamental
features. For these reasons, its history is vital to the understanding of not only
Buddhist architecture itself, but also of Japanese art in general.

(Ishiyama-dera)

Usa Hachiman-g is now a Shinto shrine, but

Common
Temple
Features
used to be also a temple

Butsuden or Butsu-d lit. "Hall of Buddha".

A Zen temple's main hall. Seems to have two stories, but has in fact
only one and measures either 3x3 or 5x5 bays.

Any building enshrining the statue of Buddha or of a bodhisattva and

dedicated to prayer.

chinjusha a small shrine built at

a Buddhist temple and dedicated to
its tutelary kami.
chzuya see temizuya.

chmon in a temple, the gate

after the naindaimon connected to
a kair.

d Lit. hall. Suffix for the name

of the buildings part of a temple.

The prefix can be the name of a deity associated with it (e.g. Yakushi-d, or
Yakushi hall) or express the building's function within the temple's compound
(e.g. hon-d, or main hall).

garan see shichi-d garan.

hatt lit. "Dharma hall". A building dedicated to lectures by the chief priest
on Buddhism's scriptures (the h).
hj the living quarters of the head priest of a Zen temple.
Hokke-d lit. "Lotus Stra hall". In Tendai Buddhism, a hall whose layout
allows walking around a statue for meditation. The purpose of walking is to
concentrate on the Hokekyand seek the ultimate truth.

honb residence of the jushoku, or head priest, of a temple.

Kair a long and roofed portico-like passage connecting two buildings.

kaisan-d founder's hall, usually at a Zen temple. Building enshrining a

statue, portrait or memorial tablet of the founder of either the temple or the sect
it belongs to. Jdo sect temples often call it miei-d.
karamon generic term for a gate with an arched roof.

karesansui lit. Dry landscape. It is a Japanese rock garden, often present in

Zen temples, and sometimes found in temples of other sects too.

katmado a bell shaped window originally developed at Zen temples in

China, but widely used by other Buddhist sects as well as in lay buildings.

kon-d lit. "Golden Hall", it is the main hall of a garan, housing the main
object of worship. Unlike a butsuden, it is a true two-story building (although the
second story may sometimes be missing) measuring 9 x 7 bays.

konr covered corridor between two buildings

kor or kur tower housing a drum that marks the passing of time. It used
to face the shr and lie next to the k-d, but now the drum is usually kept in
the rmon.

Kuin kitchen/office of a Zen garan. A building hosting the galleys, the

kitchen, and the offices of a temple. Usually situated in front and to the side of
the butsuden, facing the s-d. Also called kuri.

Kuri see kuin

ky-d see kyz.

kyz lit. "Scriptures Deposit". Repository of stras and books about the
temple's history. Also called kyd.

miei-d lit. "Image Hall". Building housing an image of the temple's

founder, equivalent to a Zen sect's kaisan-d.

mi-d a generic honorific term for a building which enshrines a sacred

statue.

Miroku Nyorai Japanese name of Maitreya.

Mon a temple's gate, which can be named after its position (nandaimon: lit.
"Great Southern Gate"), its structure (nijmon: "two storied gate"), a deity
(Nimon: lit. "Nio gate"), or its use (onarimon: lit. "Imperial visit gate", a gate
reserved to the Emperor). The same gate can therefore be described using more
than one term. For example, a Nimon can at the same time be anijmon.

Nandaimon the main southern gate of a temple, in particular that

at Nara's Tdai-ji.

nijmon a two-storied gate with a roof surrounding the first floor.

Nimon a two-storied or high gate guarded by two wooden guardians
called Ni.

Noborir a covered stairway at Nara's Hasedera.

Pagoda see stupa and t.

sai-d the refectory at a Zen temple or monastery.

sand - the approach leading from a torii to a shrine. The term is also used
sometimes at Buddhist temples too.

sanmon the gate in front of the butsuden. The name is short for
Sangedatsumon, lit. Gate of the three liberations. Its three openings
(kmon musmon and muganmon symbolize the three gates to
enlightenment. Entering, one can free himself from three passions (ton, or
greed, shin, or hatred, and chi, or "foolishness"). Its size depends on the
temple's rank.

Sanr small buildings at the ends of a two-storied Zen gate containing the
stairs to the second story.

Sekit a stone pagoda (stupa).

shichid garan a double compound term literally meaning "seven halls" and
"(temple) buildings". What is counted in the group of seven buildings,
or shichid, can vary greatly from temple to temple and from school to school. In
practice, shichid garan can also mean simply a large complex.

Nanto Rokush and later non-Zen schools: The shichid garan in this
case includes a kon-d, a t, a k-d, a shr, a jiki-d, a sb, and a kyz.

Zen schools: A Zen shichid garan includes a butsuden or butsu-d,

a hatt, a ku'in, a s-d, a sanmon, a tsu and a yokushitsu.

shoin originally a study and a place for lectures on the sutra within a
temple, later the term came to mean just a study.

shr a temple's bellfry, a building from which a bell is hung.

Sb The monks' living quarters in a non-Zen garan

s-d Lit. "Monk Hall". A building dedicated to the practice of Zazen. It used
to be dedicated to all kinds of activities, from eating to sleeping, centered on
zazen.

smon the gate at the entrance of a temple. It precedes the bigger and
more important sanmon.

srin a spire reaching up from the center of the roof of some temple halls,
tiered like a pagoda.
sotoba or sotba transliteration of the Sanskrit stupa.

A pagoda. Tower with an odd number of tiers (three, five, seven nine,
or thirteen).

Strips of wood left behind tombs during annual ceremonies (tsuizen)

symbolizing a stupa. The upper part is segmented like a pagoda and carries
Sanskrit inscriptions, sutras, and the kaimy (posthumous name) of the
deceased.