nakabashira　中柱
CATEGORY:　architecture / tea houses & folk dwellings
　
1　Also *daimebashira 台目柱. A small pillar which stands at the front edge of the host's mat *temaedatami 点前畳, at the corner of the hearth *ro 炉, in a tea ceremony room *chashitsu 茶室. Found in the arrangement known as *daimegiri 台目切 or *mukougiri 向切. The pillar is wooden, often of red pine, chinquapin shii 椎, cedar, bamboo, cherry or camellia, tsubaki 椿. On some pillars the bark is retained, whilst others are worked with an adze to give variety to the surface. A crooked piece of wood is usually chosen, often bent in a bow shape. The nakabashira is therefore also known as the curved pillar *magaribashira 曲柱 or crooked pillar *yugamibashira 歪柱. At about the point where the post curves, about 60cm from the bottom, a stalk of bamboo or wood is inserted, and the area above this is enclosed to form a side wall *sodekabe 袖壁. The lower part remains open. A so-called a bag hanging nail *fukurokakekugi 袋掛釘, is hammered into the nakabashira and a hanging shelf *tsuridana 釣棚, is hung on this nail, facing the host's mat. The invention of the nakabashira is attributed to Sen Rikyuu 千利休 (1522-91). A good example can be seen in the Houan 蓬庵, Myoushinji Tenkyuuin 妙心寺天球院 (1856), Kyoto.

2　Another name for the main pillar *daikokubashira 大黒柱, in vernacular dwellings *minka 民家, on the Oga 男鹿 peninsular in Akita prefecture.

3　The inner pillars of a building as opposed to the outer pillars, sotogawabashira 外側柱, that are placed on the perimeter of a structure.
　

　
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