Orange tiled roof with small figures along the apex
Architecture,  Asia,  Lens-Artists,  Themed galleries

Gallery: on the edge of the roof

October 3, 2023 / 51 Comments

Being on the edge isn`t as safe, but the view is better

Ricky Gervais

I have long been fascinated by the roofs of the far east. The ornate figures that line the top edges if a Chinese roof. The intricately carved end tiles of a Japanese temple roof. The delicately painted beams that hold them up. And the steep temple roofs of Indochina.

For Patti’s Lens Artists challenge theme this week, On the Edge, I considered sharing all kinds of edges. Cliffs, water, buildings. Finally I decided to focus solely on these roofs, selecting some of my favourites from different countries in that region.

China

We first visited China back in 1994 but it was on our much more recent visit to Beijing, on route to Pyongyang in 2019, that I really noticed the details on these roofs. My selection below comes from the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven and the Lama Temple. My feature photo is also from Beijing and is a detail of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City. Click on any image to see the captions and locate each shot (likewise in the galleries below).

Orange tiled roof with small figures along the apex
Detail of figures on a tiled roof
Small green glazed figures on a roof
Round glazed blue tile decorated with a dragon
Colourfully painted beams

Japan

In Japan it was more than anything else the round intricate kawara, the clay tiles that adorn the eaves, that caught my eye. Many feature mythical creatures, others stylised leaves or flowers, or Japanese characters. Below I showcase roofs from several Kyoto temples and a couple from elsewhere, Matsumoto and Nikko.

Point of a dark tiled roof with decorative roundels
Dark tiled roof with elaborate gold decorations
Steep dark tiled roof with fish sculptures at the top of the gables
Dark tiled roof with bright red supporting beams
Point of a dark tiled roof with decorative roundels
North Korea

There are relatively few historical buildings in North Korea as many were lost during the heavy bombing of the Korean War. A few still stand however, especially in the south, and elsewhere some have been restored. In addition, some new buildings have been built in this traditional style, usually buildings of great importance to the country’s Kim dynasty regime. You can see the Japanese influence in the end tiles and the Chinese in the beautifully painted beams.

Dark tiled roof with intricately painted supporting beams
Moss covered roof with intricately painted supporting beams
Dark tiled roof with intricately painted supporting beams
Dark tiled roof with intricately painted supporting beams
Indochina

Sweeping rooftops and highly decorative trims characterise the roofs of this region. From the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh to the temples of Luang Prabang, there are gorgeous roof details wherever you look. The finials at the point of the roofs are known as chofa, meaning ‘sky tassel’. They are thought to represent the mythical creature Garuda, half bird and half man, the vehicle of the Hindu god Vishnu, and are intended to catch any evil spirits that might fall on the structure from above. The decorative feature at the central point of the roof is known as the dok so fa. They consist of a line of mini pagodas, usually in gold. The number of pagodas and overall level of detail signifies the relative importance of the temple.

Elaborate roof with gold ornamentation and coloured tiles
Intricate gold ornament
Slender dragon-like figure at the point of a roof

You might also enjoy

Street of traditional Japanese houses

Gallery: the merchant houses of Takayama

September 23, 2020
Modern building with strong diagonal lines

Gallery: scenes from the Musée Albert Kahn

October 13, 2023
Large wooden curved structure

Gallery: Seville’s mushrooms, art or architecture?

December 4, 2021

51 Comments

Do share your thoughts, I'd love to hear from you!