karasuodori　烏踊り

KEY WORD :　architecture / folk dwellings

Lit. crow dance. A widely used term for a range of elements used to decorate the ridge of the roof in thatched vernacular houses *minka 民家 of the Edo period, particularly west of the Japanese Alps. Its use is recorded in Gifu, Wakayama, Tottori, Shimane, Okayama and Ehime prefectures. Often used for thick rolls of straw set astride the crest of the roof at intervals to cover the seams in the material encasing the ridge. In other cases it may refer to crossed timber members set astride the ridge at intervals to hold it down. In parts of Shimane prefecture, it refers to a longitudinal member cradled by the forked finials and helping to brace them. In Wakayama prefecture, too, it refers to a member laid along the ridge of the roof, usually a length of thick bamboo. In Gifu prefecture, it refers to short transverse timber stakes passing through the ridge of the roof at intervals, with ends projecting on both sides, and helping to hold it down.

REFERENCES:

*karasutobi 烏鳶, *karasudomari 烏止まり, *chigi 千木, *munekazari 棟飾り

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