Although kara (唐) can be translated as meaning "China" or "Tang", this type of roof with undulating bargeboards first appeared in Japan during the late Heian period.[1] It was named thus because the word kara was associated by the Japanese with any type of ornate architecture regardless of origin.[2] The karahafu developed during the Heian period and is shown in picture scrolls to decorate gates, corridors, and palanquins. The oldest existing karahafu is found at Hōryū-ji temple.[1]
Initially, the kara-hafu was used only in temples and aristocratic gateways, but starting from the beginning of the Azuchi–Momoyama period, it became an important architectural element in the construction of a daimyō's mansions and castles. The kara-mon entrance was reserved for the shōgun during his onari visits to the retainer, or for the reception of the emperor at shogunate establishments. A structure associated with these social connections naturally imparted special meaning.[3]
Kara-mon would later become a means to proclaim the prestige of a building and functioned as a symbol of both religious and secular architecture.[4] In the Tokugawa shogunate, the kara-mon gates were a powerful symbol of authority reflected in architecture.[5]
Mukai-kara-mon (向唐門) is the most common form of kara-mon, and features two kara-hafu at the front and back of the gate. This type of gate may incorporate a kara-hafu in the middle of the roof, or the entire gable itself may be a curved structure.[6]
Hira-kara-mon (平唐門) are distinguished with two kara-hafu on the left and right sides of the gate. This type of gate was originally used at palaces, and was once called miyuki-mon (御幸門).[7]
Kara-yotsu-ashi-mon
Yōmeimon, a kara-yotsu-ashi-mon at Nikkō Tōshō-gū
Kara-yotsu-ashi-mon (唐四脚門, "Four-legged gate") is an ornate style of kara-mon that features four undulating gables on all sides of the gate. A good example of this type of gate can be found at Nikkō Tōshō-gū. This kara-mon is decorated with 611 sculptures, including the Seven Lucky Gods and the Eight Immortals.[8]
Coaldrake, William. (1996). Architecture and Authority in Japan. London/New York: Routledge. ISBN0-415-05754-X.
Sarvimaki Marja. (2000). Structures, Symbols and Meanings: Chinese and Korean Influence on Japanese Architecture. Helsinki University of Technology, Department of Architecture. ISBN0-521-36918-5.
