What kibana means
A kibana is the decorated end of a horizontal member, such as a head tie, a rainbow beam or a through-tie, where it passes through a post and projects beyond it. The end is carved into scrolls or leaf forms or into the head of an animal. It both finishes the end of the timber and ornaments the top of the post.
Kibana are said to have spread with the Daibutsuyō and Zen styles in the Kamakura period. Early examples were mostly simple scrolls and mouldings, but in the early modern period many shrines and temples were given elaborate kibana carved in the round as lions, elephants or baku. Those in elephant form are sometimes called zōbana and those in lion form shishibana.
Because they project outside the posts, kibana are most noticeable at the corner posts of buildings and on small structures whose posts stand exposed, such as gates, purification pavilions and bell towers.
Reading the records and the building
Records name the member that carries the kibana. The purification pavilion of the Kotohira shrine at the Mogi Shichirōemon house has four posts leaning slightly inward, tied at the top with a head tie fitted with kibana. The bell tower of Yutenji has intermediate brackets with kibana, and the purification pavilion of Oka Shrine has a head tie in the form of a rainbow beam with kibana.
Records sometimes describe the carving. The record for the purification pavilion of Ryukoji notes kibana carved with turtles among waves, citing it as an example of late Edo craftsmanship. The subject and depth of the carving help date a building.
On site, look at the ends of horizontal members projecting from the tops of the posts. Scrolls or animal carvings at the ends are kibana.
References
- 茂木七郎右衛門家住宅琴平神社手水舎｜国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012124
- 祐天寺鐘楼｜国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00012304
- 乎加神社手水舎｜国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00003254
- 龍口寺手水舎｜国指定文化財等データベース（文化庁）
- https://kunishitei.bunka.go.jp/bsys/maindetails/101/00013699
Last verified: 2026.09.26