gatou　瓦当
CATEGORY:　architecture / roofing tiles
　
1　Eave-end tiles with a circular or semi-circular ornamental pendant. Gatou were brought to Japan from China and the Korean peninsular. Han-dynasty gatou were often decorated with auspicious characters. Japanese examples are decorated with the comma shape *tomoemon 巴文, arabesque *karakusamon 唐草文, or other designs. Round gatou are called *engatou 円瓦当, and semi-circular gatou are called hangatou 半瓦当. Sometimes pendant tiles are called by the name of the pattern decorating them. For example, round gatou decorated with a comma pattern *tomoegawara 巴瓦, are often referred to as eaves commas *nokidomoegawara 軒巴瓦. The pendant tiles not only apply a decorative finish to the edge of the eaves but also serve to deflect the rain as they have a slightly outward slant.

2　The term gatou is sometimes used to refer only to the decorative pendant disk of the tiles described in one above.　
　

　
REFERENCES:
, *marugawara 丸瓦, *rengemon 蓮華文, *gatou mon'you 瓦当模様
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