Nakazonae (中備・中具) is a Japanese classification of several intercolumnarstruts of different origin installed in the intervals between bracket complexes (斗拱tokyō) at wooden architectures in East Asia.[1]
In origin they were necessary to help support the roof; however, at the end of the 10th century the invention of thehidden roof[note 1] made them superfluous.[2] They remained in use, albeit in a purely decorative role, and are typical of theWayō style. TheZenshūyō style used byZen temples has instead bracket complexes even between posts.
The simplest of these struts are thekentozuka (間斗束,lit. interval block strut; see photo above) composed of a short post and a bearing block.[3]
Similar to thekentozuka is the fan-shaped strut calledminozuka (蓑束; lit. straw raincoat strut) (see gallery), which can have decorations on the two sides called 笈形 (oigata) or a collar-like decoration between post and bearing block. The name comes from its shape, similar to that of a traditional straw raincoat calledmino.[4]
A variant of thehijiki (肘木) ortimu (替木) is thehana-hijiki (花肘木), composed by either one or two horizontal series bearing blocks standing over an elaborately carved floral pattern.[1]
The人-shapeddougong (Chinese: 人字栱)warizuka (割束) strut consists of a wooden inverted V topped by a bearing block.[3]
Thekaerumata (蛙股・蟇股,lit. frog legs) ortuofeng (駝峰) was named after its shape, resembling a frog's splayed legs.[1]
Its origins are not known with certainty, but it may be an evolution of thewarizuka.[1] Invented during the 12th century, it became gradually more and more elaborate, to the point where in theEdo period the strut itself would be hidden behind the decorations.[1]
Two basic types exist. In the case of thesukashi-kaerumata (透蟇股), the space above and between the frog legs is either empty or carved. In the case of theita-kaerumata (板蟇股), the space between the legs has completely disappeared, leaving behind a solid board with an external frog-leg profile.[5]
Elements ofJapanese architecture | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Styles |
| |||||||||
| Types of building |
| |||||||||
| Roof styles | ||||||||||
| Structural and spatial | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
| Rooms | ||||||||||
| Furnishings | ||||||||||
| Partitions | ||||||||||
| Outdoor objects | ||||||||||
| Measurements | ||||||||||
| Organizations | ||||||||||
| Related topics |
| |||||||||
