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Zen Architecture - Katomado

Thu, October 18, 2012, by Muza-chan

At some Japanese Zen Buddhist temples, you will see an architectural element of great beauty: the Katōmado window. According to the original kanji writing, 火灯窓 katōmado means “fire light window". However, because it was considered bad to have a name that implies the presence of fire for a wooden building element, the kanji writing was changed to 花頭窓 or 華頭窓, both meaning “flower head window". Indeed, we can say now that the katōmado looks like a tulip flower…

Usually, like in this photo of the Kaizando Hall from the Kodaiji Temple from Kyoto, the window is made of dark colored wood and it is mounted on a white wall, creating, as you can see, a beautiful effect…

Click on photo for higher resolution:
Kaizando Hall, Kodaiji Temple, Kyoto
Kaizando Hall, Kodaiji Temple, Kyoto
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EXIF Info:

Nikon D90
Lens: 8-16mm F/4.5-5.6G
Focal Length: 8mm
Aperture: F/5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/400s
ISO Sensitivity: ISO 200
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Yesterday’s Japan Photo:

Shinjuku Green Peas Pachinko



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