Varieties of Round Roof-edge Tiles
Asukadera
Toyuradera
Asukadera
Sakatadera
Hinokumadera
Yamadadera
Jikooji
Kawaradera
Moto Yakushiji
Kidera
Daikandaiji
Fujiwara-no-miya
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Curved roof-edge tiles and Rafter-end tiles
Okadera
Okadera
Fujiwara-no-miya
Fujiwara-no-miya
Daikandaiji
Asukadera
Asukadera
Yamadadera
Hinokumadera
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Onikawara
(ornamental tile fitted above ridge-end)
Okuyama
Kumedera
Yamadadera
Yamadadera
Fujiwara-no-miya
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Roofs of temples and palace buildings were covered with "round roof tiles" (marugawara, curved downward) and "curved roof tiles" (hiragawara wider with a slight upward curve), arranged in alternate rows. Row ends were ornamented with "round roof-edge tiles" (noki marugawara) and "curved roof-edge tiles" (noki hiragawara), both of which bore designs on their outward-facing surfaces.
Round roof-edge tiles primarily made use of lotus flower designs (rengemon). The majority of such tiles from the end of the 6th century and the first half of the 7th century have simple "individual petal" (tanben) designs of Paekche (southwest Korean) inspiration. However, there are also some tiles of Koguryo (north Korean) inspiration, having vertical ridges (see illustration "d", page 86), as well as tiles running down the middle of each petal which have Silla (southeast Korean) affinities, ShoWing animal or demon faces.
After around the middle of the 7th century, a new type of tile made its appearance. As in the case of the round roof-end tiles from the Yamadadera, there came into popularity a "layered individual petal" (juben) pattern characterized by smaller petals decoratively superimposed on the larger ones. On some tiles from this period, additional geometric designs concentrically arranged around the circumference of the lotus pattern had begun to appear. Then, during the latter part of the 7th century, from the time of the building of the Kawaradera onward, the most commonly used basic pattern, influenced by Tang Chinese tiles, came to be the "composite-petal" (fukuben) pattern, with the larger petals arranged in pairs, and two smaller petals superimposed on each pair. Round roofedge tiles developed elaborate design modifications such as sawtooth patterns around the outer rims.
Curved roof-edge tiles (noki hiragawara) first appeared during the first half of the 7th century. The curved roof-edge tiles of the Sakatadera have arabesque patterns (karakusamon) incised by hand. Around the middle of the 7th century, "layered arc patterns" (Jukomon) were in vogue. but by the. latter part of the century, arabesque patterns again comprised the mainstream of noki hiragawara decorative art. Temples vied with one another in devising original designs for their round and curved roof-edge tiles, seen as forming a set.
Roof of the Asukadera
The tiles which ornamented the roof of the Asukadera date from the end of the 6th century and are the oldest roof tiles known in Japan. They were made under the direction of tile craftsmen dispatched from the southwestern Korean kingdom of Paekche (Kudara). The round roof-edge tiles (noki maru-gawara) , as well as the "rafter-end tiles" (tarukisaki-gawara) added later in the 7th century,are identical to similar roof tiles used during the same period in Korea. Curved roof-edge tiles (noki hiragawara) had not yet been developed,so ordinary curved tiles (hiragawara) were employed,faute de mieux.
Roof of the Fujiwara Palace
Most modern-day researchers believe that roof tiles were used on palace buildings only after the end of the 7th century, beginning with the Fujiwara-no-miya. In order to cover the roofs of palace buildings, enormous quantities of tiles were needed. Production of such large quantities of tiles became possible only' after the appearance of the government-operated workshops (kobo) administered as a part of the ritsuryo governmental system which was becoming established toward the end of the 7th century. It is thought that in the case of the Fujiwara-no-miya and later palaces, only a part of the palace buildings were covered with ti]e. the majority being thatched with Japanese cypress bark (hihada).
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