It made its way to Japan, along with the art of Temple construction, in the latter half of the 6th century from a place on the Korean Peninsula cailed Kudara.
The first roof in Japan to be covered with roof tiles was the roof of Asukadera, a temple that still stands in Asuka, Nara Prefecture.
But tiling roofs wasn't limited to temples.
Tiles were eventually used on the roof the Fujiyama lmpertal Palace in Kashihara, Nara Prefecture...
Roof tiles not only protect buildings from wind and rain, they also perform an aesthetic function.
This is especially ture in the designs on the tiles that decorate caves.
A lotus blossom design was used to decorate round eaves tiles or nokimarugawara.
And a creeping vine design was used to decorate flat eaves tiles or nokihiragawara.
These designs differed...
From place to place...
And as fashions changed with time.
This display shows a wide variety of roof tile designs and how they evolved trough time.
