| Lit. plate-like bearing block. A relatively flat,
wooden block set beneath the large bearing block *daito
大斗, on top a pillar *hashira
柱. The earliest extant example is at Houryuuji *Kondou 法隆寺金堂,
late 7c, in Nara. During the medieval period with
the introduction of the new daibutsu styles *daibutsuyou
大仏様, from China, the sarato and the large bearing block were hewn as one
piece and the edges were given a concave molding. From the 17c onward, the plate-like
block became large in proportion to the bearing block with an exaggerated top
edge, that looked like pudding spilling over the edges of a dish. |
