Katsuogi predate buddhist influence and is an architectural element endemic to japan.
Katsuogi roof decorations at ise shrine.
They are often placed on the roof with chigi a forked ornamentation used on shinto shrines.
Its point of origin is usually straddled in the first case by a shinto torii in the second by a buddhist sanmon gates which mark the beginning of the shrine s or temple territory there can also be stone lanterns and other decorations at any point along its course.
The shrine s main hall closely resembles that of the inner shrine at ise including the ten katsuogi roof logs and the jewel shaped decorations suedama on its railings not seen at any other shrines besides motoise kono shrine and ise jingu.
At first temples resembled those in china closely in features such as having wide courtyards and symmetrical layouts.
The slope of the kohai extending frontward is not steep and forms an elegant curve.
Chigi ornamental crossbeams on the gable of a shinto shrine and katsuogi ornamental logs arranged orthogonal to the ridge of a shinto shrine are provided for decorative purposes.
At the grand shrines of ise shrine buildings dedicated to male kami are traditionally given an odd number of katsuogi and the ends of chigi are cut perpendicular to the ground while shrines to female kami have an even number of katsuogi and chigi are cut parallel to the ground.
The sandō is the road approaching either a shinto shrine or a buddhist temple.
Many other shrines have subsequently copied this design practice.
Decorative elements of the shrine include gold plated caps on the post ends and 33 suedama or flaming orbs along the veranda railings.
Temples came along with the import of buddhism from china around the 6th century.
Katsuogi or kasoegi are short decorative logs found on japanese and shinto architecture.
Katsuogi roof decorations at ise shrine temples.
Usually if the tops are cut vertically the enshrined kami is a male otherwise a female.
Today katsuogi and chigi are used exclusively on shinto buildings and can be used to distinguish them from.
The ise grand shrine 伊勢神宮 ise jingū located in ise mie prefecture of japan is a shinto shrine dedicated to the sun goddess amaterasu officially known simply as jingū 神宮 ise jingū is a shrine complex composed of many shinto shrines centered on two main shrines naikū 内宮 and gekū 外宮.
More ornate chigi such as at ise shrine are cut with one or two kaza ana or wind slots and a third open cut at the tip giving it a forked appearance.
There can be more than one sandō in which case.
They are placed at a right angle along the ridge of roofs and are usually featured in religious or imperial architecture.
The roof is made from thatch using kaya grass and the poles chigi of the sloping roof extend beyond the ridgepole to form a row of external v forms.
Gold metal coverings serve both protective and ornamental purposes.
