Lintel - Kamoi

A horizontal member that divides the top of an opening. In Japanese-style houses, it is usually about 4 centimeters thick and its width is usually 6/7ths (from the Muromachi period to the Momoyama period) or 9/10ths (in the Edo period) of the pillar's thickness. When erecting a sliding door, a groove was made by hammering in a thin batten called a hibata. At first, even for sliding doors, there were cases where a single groove was made with two hibata, but it became common to make a groove for each sliding door except for thin fittings such as shoji screens for transoms. In the early Edo period, grooves came to be dug directly into the lintel. A lintel without a groove, used when no fittings are placed underneath, is called a mume, a horizontal piece of wood of the same thickness attached to the same height as the lintel of a sliding door in a wall is called a tsuke lintel, a horizontal piece of wood with a back such as a dozashi with a groove carved into it is called a sashi lintel, and a lintel for rain shutters that has a single groove and is attached to the outside of the lintel is called a hitosuji.

[Hirai Sei]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

開口部の上部を区画する横材。和風住宅では厚さ4センチメートル程度、幅は柱の太さの7分の6（室町時代から桃山時代）あるいは10分の9（江戸時代）が普通である。引き戸をたてる場合には樋端(ひばた)とよぶ細い桟を打って溝をつくった。初め、引き違いの場合にも樋端2本で一筋の溝をつくる場合もみられたが、欄間の障子のように厚さの薄い建具以外は引き戸1本ごとに溝をつくるのが普通になる。江戸初期には、鴨居に直接溝を掘るようになる。下に建具を入れないときに用いる溝のない鴨居を無目(むめ)、壁の部分の襖(ふすま)などの鴨居と同じ高さにつけた同じ厚さの横材を付(つけ)鴨居、胴差(どうざ)しなど背のある横材に溝を掘ったものを指(さし)鴨居、一本溝で幅が狭く、鴨居の外面に取り付けた雨戸の鴨居を一筋(ひとすじ)とよんでいる。

［平井　聖］

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