East Asian Hip-and-gable Roof

The East Asian hip-and-gable roof (''Xiēshān'' (歇山) in Chinese, ''Irimoya'' (入母屋) in Japanese, and ''Paljakjibung'' (팔작지붕) in Korean) also known as 'resting hill roof', consists of a hip roof that slopes down on all four sides and integrates a gable on two opposing sides. It is usually constructed with two large sloping roof sections in the front and back respectively, while each of the two sides is usually constructed with a smaller roof section.

The style is Chinese in origin, and has spread across much of East and Continental Asia. The original Chinese style and similar styles are not only found in the traditional architectures of Japan and Korea but also other Continental Asian countries such as India, Vietnam, Mongolia, Tibet, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Kalmykia. It also influenced the style of the bahay na bato of the Philippines.

Etymology

It is known as () in Chinese, in Japanese, and () in Korean.

East Asia

''Xieshan'' in China

In China, the hip-and-gable roof style, also known as the ''xieshan roof'' style, originated in the Eastern Han dynasty as an adaptation of the hip roof. It was mainly applied in the construction of palaces, temples, gardens and other buildings with official functions. In contemporary times, it is still widely used in Buddhist and Taoist temples and shrines in China.

The style is generally characterized by the presence of nine ridges and a hipped roof encircled with a peristyle. The nine ridges typically consists of one horizontal ridge on the top, known as the main ridge, which is connected to four vertical ridges and four diagonal ridge. 

There are typically two types of eaves associated with the x''ieshan'' style: single eaves (单檐) and double eaves (重檐). Single eaves refer to the edges of a basic x''ieshan rooftop'', while double eaves consist of an additional layer of eaves below the basic x''ieshan rooftop''. Examples of the double eave type can be found on the x''ieshan roofs'' of structures such as Cining Palace, the Gate of Supreme Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony in the Forbidden City, as well as the Grand Hotel in Taipei. Examples of the single eave type can be found on buildings such as Zhihua Temple, the shanmen of Miaoying Temple, and the North Gate of the Walls of Taipei.

''Irimoya'' in Japan

''Irimoya'' arrived from China to Japan in the 6th century. The style was originally used in the main and lecture halls of a Buddhist temple compound. It started to be used for the ''honden'' at shrines and also in palaces, castles, and folk dwellings later during the Japanese Middle Ages. Its gable is usually right above the '' moya'', or core, while the hip covers the '' hisashi'', a veranda-like aisle surrounding the core on one or more sides.

It is still in wide use in the construction of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in Japan. It is also often called . Another variant of Japanese hip-and-gable roof is the Shikorobuki.

South Asia

''Kandyan roof'' of Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, a style known as the ''kandyan roof'' bears many similarities to the original East Asian hip-and-gable roof. The ''kandyan roof'' is primarily used for religious, and historically, royal buildings. Its roots however lie in the traditions of the "Sri Lankan village".

Gallery

File:Fuzhou Hualin Si 20120304-21.jpg, ''Xieshan roof'' with single eaves on Hualin Temple in Fujian, China
File:Wutai 2009 408.jpg, ''Xieshan roof'' with multiple eaves on the Mahavira Hall of Xiantong Temple on Mount Wutai, Wutai County, Shanxi, China
File:Suzhou Xuanmiao Guan 2015.04.23 17-53-51.jpg, ''Xieshan roof'' with single eaves on the Hall of the Three Pure Ones in Xuanmiao Temple in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China
File:Guanyin Pavilion of Dule Temple.JPG, ''Xieshan roof'' with double eaves on the Guanyin Pavilion in Dule Temple in Tianjin, China
File:Nanchan Temple 1.JPG, One of the oldest existing structure exhibiting a ''Xieshan'' roof — The Great Buddha Hall in Nanchan Temple on Mount Wutai, Wutai County, Shanxi, China, dating back to the Tang dynasty (618-907).
File:Forbidden City Gate of Heaven 2.jpg, A hip-and-gable is seen in the Tiananmen, Beijing.
File:National Concert Hall (Taiwan).jpg, National Concert Hall in Taipei, Taiwan
File:Copy of 1.7-Nan Tien Temple.jpg, Nan Tien Temple in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
File:Chua Mot Cot.jpg, One Pillar Pagoda in Hanoi
File:Yakushiji daikodo.jpg, Yakushi-ji's (Dai)''kō-dō''
File:Kamomioya-jinja hashidono.jpg, A hip-and-gable roof at Shimogamo Shrine
File:Shikoroyane.svg, A ''shikoro-yane''
File:Shitennoji main gate.jpg, Shitennō-ji main gate and its ''shikoro-yane''
File:Tamamushi Shrine.JPG, The Tamamushi Shrine has a ''shikoro-yane''
File:Ebisu Shrine and torii of Taga Shrine.JPG, A ''haiden'' of Shinto shrine in East Asian Hip-and-Gable roof style architecture.
File:Byodo-In Temple in Hawaii.jpg, The Byodo-In Temple on Oahu island in Hawaii, United States
File:Sri Lanka - 029 - Kandy Temple of the Tooth.jpg, The ''Kandyan roof'' style of the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, Sri Lanka
File:Great Drigung Kagyud Lotus Stupa.JPG, The Great Drigung Kagyud Lotus Stupa in Lumbini, Nepal
File:Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery Polgahawela.jpg, The Mahamevnawa Buddhist Monastery in Polgahawela, Sri Lanka
File:Bahay Na Bato Cebu.jpg, A Bahay na bato in Cebu, Philippines
File:PaulDahlkeHaus.jpg, Das Buddhistische Haus in Berlin
File:Iringol Kavu Temple Perumbavur Kerala India DSC 5418.jpg, Iringol Kavu Temple, Kerala, India
File:Mannar Thrikkuratti Mahadev Temple, Mannar, Kerala.jpg, Mannar Thrikkuratti Mahadeva Temple, Kerala, India
File:Padmanabhapuram Palace, roof works.jpg, Padmanabhapuram Palace, Kerala, India
File:Sree Madiyan koolom Temple kasaragod kerala.jpg, Sree Madiyan Koolom Kshethrapalaka Temple, Kerala, India

See also

*Gablet roof

References

{{Sri Lankan Architecture

Roofs
Architecture in Taiwan
Chinese architectural styles
Japanese architectural features
East Asian architecture
Architecture in Korea
Shinto architecture