Shibi (roof tile)

A shibi (鴟尾, shibi^?) is a Japanese ornamental tile set on both ends of the ridgepole that tops a shingled roof. The kanji for the word mean "kite" and "tail" respectively. Because it resembles a shoe, it is sometimes also called a kutsugata (沓形, kutsugata^?), meaning "shoe shape".

Shibi often take the form of a shachihoko.

Much of the content of this article comes from the equivalent Japanese-language version (accessed April 1, 2006).

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