ogami karakusagawara　拝唐草瓦
KEY WORD :　architecture / roofing tiles
　
The roof tiles positioned like hands joined in prayer covering the triangular framework of a Japanese roof structure. Broad, concave, eave-end tiles, nokihira karakusagawara 軒平唐草瓦, placed along the pitch of the gable on a gable roof *kirizuma yane 切妻屋根, or hip-and-gable roof *irimoya yane 入母屋屋根, of which the uppermost tiles meet at the peak. The pitch of the tile must conform to the pitch of the gable. Semi-cylindrical tiles *marugawara 丸瓦, also called *ogamidomoe 拝巴, are set over the seam where the two broad concave tiles meet at the top. The earliest extant example is found on the aisle *hisashi 廂, of Houryuuji *Daikoudou 法隆寺大講堂 (990) in Nara. The incline of the roofs was gentle. Ordinary broad, concave, eave-end tiles *karakusagawara 唐草瓦; *nokihiragawara 軒平瓦, could be aligned along the sloping edge above the bargeboard quite easily because the incline of the bargeboard was much the same as that of the roof itself.
With the construction of a hidden roof *noyane 野屋根, over the entire building in the late 10c, the roof and the bargeboards not only curved differently, but on many buildings, the bargeboard was lower than the roof, requiring a transitional area called a drooping verge *minokou 箕甲. The bargeboard also became steeper than in earlier centuries creating the need to increase the height and incline of the broad, concave tiles on either side of the gable peak. These tiles are really the same as hanging, broad, concave eave-end tiles *kake karakusagawara 掛唐草瓦, except for their position and shape which conforms to the angle of the peak. The hanging semi-cylindrical cover tile, kakemarugawara 掛丸瓦, also had to be heightened to cover the joint made by the ogami karakusagawara.
　

a) *ogamidomoe 拝巴　b) ogami karakusagawara 拝唐草瓦
Houryuuji Touin Eden 法隆寺東院絵殿 (Kyoto)

　
REFERENCES:
*kerabagawara 螻羽瓦
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