Mokoshi
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Mokoshi_Moya_and_Hisashi.jpg/300px-Mokoshi_Moya_and_Hisashi.jpg)
In Japanese architecture mokoshi (
Origin and purpose
The name derives from the fact that it surrounds and hides the main building like the cuff (
Another name for a mokoshi is yuta (
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 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.[3]
The butsuden (main hall) of a Zen temple usually has a mokoshi, and therefore looks like a two-story building (see photo above and gallery), although in fact it is not.[citation needed]
Gallery
The following structures all have a mokoshi.
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Hōryū-ji's kon-dō
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Yakushi-ji's three-storied east pagoda
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Myōshin-ji's butsuden
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Tōdai-ji's Daibutsuden
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c d "Mokoshi". JAANUS - Japanese Architecture and Art Net User System. Retrieved 2009-11-21.
- ^ a b Iwanami Kōjien (
広辞苑 ) Japanese dictionary, 6th Edition (2008), DVD version - ^ a b c d Shogakukan's Nihon Daihyakkasho, Mokoshi, accessed on November 27, 2009 (in Japanese)