What harima means
Harima is the direction at right angles to the ridge of a building, or the length of the building measured that way. It is the direction in which beams span from the front posts or walls to the back, which gives the word its name, and it is also written hariyuki. It pairs with Ketayuki, the direction along the ridge, and records give the two together, as three bays by two bays, to state the size of the plan.
Harima governs the structure of a building's depth. Each beam joins front and back posts in a single piece, so the greater the harima, the longer and heavier the beams must be. Large farmhouses, temples and shrines with a deep harima often reduce the length of each span by setting posts partway across or by adding lean-to roofs, the Geya, and eaves extensions around the core.
It is counted in the same two ways as ketayuki: as a number of bays between posts, or as a measured length such as 4.0 metres. When bays are counted, the Ken refers to intervals between posts and need not equal the length unit of the same name.
Reading the records and the building
Two spellings appear in records with the same meaning. The records for the storehouses of the Iida family use the form 梁間, while the record for the Tanaka family house uses 梁行 and gives four and a half bays. Articles can follow whichever form the record uses. A count such as four and a half bays means that the layout includes a half-width interval.
On a gabled building the harima side is the gable end, where the triangular wall is visible. On a hip-and-gable or hipped building it is the short end of the ridge. Once the direction of the ridge has been seen on site, it is clear which face's bays give the harima figure.
Harima is not simply the shorter side. In deep or near-square buildings it can match or exceed the ketayuki figure. The commentary on the main hall of Kamosu Shrine singles out the fact that the hall is slightly longer along the ridge than across it, an example of the proportion between the two dimensions serving as evidence of a building's form.
References
- 飯田家住宅米蔵｜国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005174
- 田中家住宅主屋｜国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00005638
- 神魂神社本殿｜文化遺産オンライン
- https://online.bunka.go.jp/heritages/detail/146648
- 田中家住宅長屋門｜国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00007648
Last verified: 2026.09.26