JAANUS / saru 猿

saru　猿

KEY WORD :　1　art history / sculptures　2　architecture / general terms

1　Monkey. The monkey is represented in kyougen 狂言 by a masked and costumed figure. The monkey mask has a round or oval face with a large jutting-out jaw. The wide mouth is usually shut, and sometimes appears to smile; other masks have a cleft lip, open to reveal the teeth. The eyes are almond shaped with large round pupils, and are often bordered by a series of parallel lines. Monkey masks may look young and perky, or old and sad. There are masks representing male and female monkeys of different ages, and even a 'father-in-low monkey' and a 'froom monkey', who appear in the play The Monkey Groom SARUMUKO 猿婿. 'Child monkey ' masks are used in the plays The Monkey Skin Quiver UTSUBOZARU 靱猿 and The Blind Man and the Monkey SARUZATOU 猿座頭.
See *kyougenmen 狂言面, *noumen 能面.

2　Lit. monkey. A monkey or cat bar or bolt, so named because of its ability to keep a door securely closed. Myth has it that once a monkey grasps an object, it will never release it. Thus, the name for one type of bar or bolt. A long, slender wooden bar attached to the stile *tatezan 竪桟, or rail san 桟, of a door. The most common saru, called yokozaru 横猿, are designed to slip into a catch horizontally. Others, called agezaru 上げ猿, can be moved up and down vertically from the top rail and inserted into a groove made on the head jamb *kamoi 鴨居 of sliding doors or rain shutters *amado 雨戸. Sagezaru 下げ猿 or otoshizaru 落し猿 are attached to a bottom rail and are pushed down into a groove on the threshold. The crosspiece provided to secure the bar is called yosezaru 寄猿. When the doors *shouji 障子, are flush, the bolt is called horikomizaru 彫込猿 or flush bolt. See *sarudo 猿戸.

a) agezaru 上げ猿　b) yokozaru 横猿　c) sagezaru 下げ猿（otoshizaru 落し猿）


left：agezaru 上げ猿　right：yokozaru 横猿 Old Andou 安藤 house (Yamanashi)

sagezaru 下げ猿（otoshizaru 落し猿）

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