Japanese architecture has been typified by wooden structures, elevated slightly off the ground, with tiled or thatched roofs. Sliding doors ('' fusuma'') and other traditional partitions were used in place of walls, allowing the internal configuration of a space t ...

, 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 temples and

pagodas A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist ...

(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 is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Its full name is , or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law, the complex serving as both a seminary and monastery. The temple ...

'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 Japanese dictionaries, dictionaries, literature, comics (manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are to ...

'
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 ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...

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 A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoi ...

Yakushi-ji is one of the most famous imperial and ancient Buddhist temples in Japan, and was once one of the Seven Great Temples of Nanto, located in Nara. The temple is the headquarters of the Hossō school of Japanese Buddhism. Yakushi-ji is one of the ...

National Treasure The idea of national treasure, like national epics and national anthems, is part of the language of romantic nationalism, which arose in the late 18th century and 19th centuries. Nationalism is an ideology that supports the nation as the fundam ...

, 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,

, see gallery) two stories at

has a ''mokoshi'', which was added in the

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

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 is the building within a Japanese Buddhist temple compound ('' garan'') which enshrines the main object of veneration.Kōjien Japanese dictionary Because the various denominations deliberately use different terms, this single English t ...

'' (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 Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Japan. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year 752 CE. The temple has undergo ...

's ''Daibutsuden''

Notes

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

Origin and purpose

Significant examples

Gallery

See also

Notes