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or are short, decorative logs found on Japanese and Shinto architecture. They are placed at a right angle along the ridge of roofs, and are usually featured in religious or imperial architecture. ''Katsuogi'' predate Buddhist influence and is an architectural element endemic to Japan.〔Fletcher (1996), page 724〕 They are often placed on the roof with ''chigi'', a forked ornamentation used on Shinto shrines. Today, ''katsuogi'' and ''chigi'' are used exclusively on Shinto buildings and can be used to distinguish them from other religious structures, such as Buddhist temples in Japan. == Origin == The original purpose of the ''katsuogi'' is uncertain. A theory is that the wooden logs were initially used to weigh down the thatch roofing seen in early Japanese structures.〔Lucas (2002), page 5〕 As construction techniques improved, the need for weights disappeared, and the logs remained only for ornamental value. Their existence during the Jōmon period (250–538) is in any case well documented by numerous artifacts. Like the ''chigi'', the ''katsuogi'' was initially reserved only for the powerful nobility. It was first described in the ''Kojiki'', a 7th-century Japanese text, where it seemed to be something accessible only to the emperor. In the excerpt, Emperor Yūryaku (418-479) sees an official's house laden with ''katsuogi'' on the roof. Angered by this, he pronounces the official a knave and a scoundrel for building a house in imitation of the imperial palace.〔Chamberlain (2005), Vol. 3, Section 152〕 Later in history, emperors granted families such as the Nakatomi clan and the Mononobe clan permission to use ''katsuogi'' on their houses. As these clans were fervent supporters and administrators of Shinto, the ''katsuogi'' would eventually come to decorate Shinto shrines.〔"(katsuogi 堅魚木 )." JAANUS. Retrieved on May 05, 2009.〕 By the 6th century, ''katsuogi'' were beginning to be used on the homes of powerful families, along with ''chigi''. After the Meiji restoration (1868) their use in new shrines was limited to the honden. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Katsuogi」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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