nakabashira　中柱

KEY WORD :　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 akamatsu 赤松, chinquapin shii 椎, cedar sugi 杉, bamboo take 竹, cherry sakura 桜 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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