In Japanese architecture , literally "skirt storey" or "cuff storey", is a decorative pent roof surrounding a building below the true roof. Since it does not correspond to any internal division, the ''mokoshi'' gives the impression of there being more floors than there really are. It is usually a '' ken'' deep and is most commonly seen in

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...

s and pagodas (see for example the article '' tahōtō''). The ''mokoshi'' normally covers a '' hisashi'', a walled aisle surrounding a building on one or more sides, but can be attached directly to the core of the structure (the '' moya''), in which case there is no ''hisashi''. The roofing material for the ''mokoshi'' can be the same or different (see for example's Hōryū-ji's ''kon-dō'') as in the main roof.

Origin and purpose

The name derives from the fact that it surrounds and hides the main building like the of a pair of pants.

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of comics, magazines, light novels, dictionaries, literature, non-fiction, home media, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but ...

'
Nihon Daihyakkasho, ''Mokoshi''
accessed on November 27, 2009 (in Japanese) Its purpose was in fact to hide the thick sustaining pillars of the structure, making it look lighter and simpler. It has been used extensively by the

Zen Zen (; from Chinese: ''Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka phil ...

sects in various structures of its temple complexes. Another name for a ''mokoshi'' is , hence the name given to the style of a building featuring it.Iwanami Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version This name started being used during the Middle Ages, and stems from the idea that its presence offered protection from snow.

Significant examples

The three storied east pagoda of Yakushi-ji (a National Treasure, see gallery) seems to have six stories because of the presence of a ''mokoshi'' between each story. The first of the '' kon-dō's'' (main hall, National Treasure, see gallery) two stories at Hōryū-ji has a ''mokoshi'', which was added in the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the capita ...

with extra posts. These were needed to hold up the original first roof, which extended more than four meters past the building. Hōryū-ji's is the oldest extant example of ''mokoshi''. The '' butsuden'' (main hall) of a

temple usually has a ''mokoshi'', and therefore looks like a two-story building (see photo above and gallery), although in fact it is not.

Gallery

The following structures all have a ''mokoshi''. File:Horyu-ji11s3200.jpg, Hōryū-ji's ''kon-dō'' File:Yakushiji Nara11s5bs4200.jpg, Yakushi-ji's three-storied east pagoda File:Myoshinji-M9719.jpg, Myōshin-ji's ''butsuden'' File:Toudaiji Daibituden.jpg,

Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Nanto Shichi Daiji, Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Nara, Nara, Japan. The construction of the temple was an attempt to imitate Chinese temples from the much-admir ...

's ''Daibutsuden''

Notes

{{Buddhist temples in Japan Architecture in Japan Roofs Traditional East Asian architecture

Origin and purpose

Significant examples

Gallery

See also

Notes