Railing - Koran

Japanese: 高欄 - こうらん

〘noun〙① A balustrade installed around palaces and buildings, on both sides of bridges and corridors. A curved balustrade. ※Engishiki (927), vol. 4 "The furnishings of _{the new} Jo-jingu Shrine, vol. ₁ , (omitted) The balustrade torii, round beams and ends of gold , ten pieces" [Emperor Yuan of the Liang Dynasty - Later Lin Jingzhou Poems]② An armrest for a chair. ※Iwasehon Daikyo (early 12th century ) , vol. 1 "As he was wrestling with Middle Captain Narihira in front of the Imperial chair, he was thrown against the chair and his arm broke."③ The name of a part of an ox carriage . A low partition board stretched across the front and rear openings of the carriage. Tojikimi . [Engishiki (927)] [Essay] (1) It can also be written as “koran,” but originally it was thought to have been “koran” meaning a railing to prevent falls, or “takaran” meaning a high railing.
(2) In China, "kouran" is more common, but in Japan before the Middle Ages, "kouran" was the most common, and it is written in kana as "kauran." Since the early modern period, when the pronunciation of "kau (high)" and "kou (rectangle)" became indistinguishable, "kouran" has become more common in Japan under the influence of Chinese literature.

Source: The Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary About the Selected Edition of the Japanese Language Dictionary Information

Japanese:

〘名〙① 宮殿、堂舎などのまわりや橋、渡り廊下などの両側などに設けた欄干。勾欄。※延喜式（927）四「修_二餝神宮調度_一、〈略〉高欄鳥居丸桁端金十管」〔梁元帝‐後臨荊州詩〕② 椅子のひじかけ。※岩瀬本大鏡（１２Ｃ前）一「殿上の御椅子(ごいし)の前にて、業平の中将と相撲(すまひ)とらせ給けるほどに、御椅子に打ちかけられて、かうらむ折れにけり」③ 牛車(ぎっしゃ)の部分の名称。車の前後の口に、下に張り渡した低い仕切り板。軾(とじきみ)。〔延喜式（927）〕[語誌](1)「勾欄」とも書くが、本来は、転落を防ぐ欄干の意で「勾欄」、高い欄干の意で「高欄」といったと思われる。
(2)中国では「勾欄」が多いが、中世以前の日本では「高欄」がほとんどで、仮名では「かうらん」と表記されている。「かう（高）」と「こう（勾）」の発音が区別されなくなった近世以降、中国の文献の影響を受けて日本でも「勾欄」が多くなった。

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