The rounded windows are amongst the most beautiful elements of traditional Japanese architecture. Besides the katomado “flower head” windows, which are specific to the Zen Buddhist temples, the traditional houses and the chashitsu tea rooms are also using perfectly round windows called marumado (or yoshinomado).

There are several types of marumado, some are made to admire the garden, with shoji screens, others are just for light and ventilation, with lattice inserted into the wall, like in this photo taken inside an old samurai house from Kurashiki.

Ohashi House, Kurashiki

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: Japanese Garden technique, Wara-maki