Shibi (roof tile)
Appearance
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.
See also
References
Much of the content of this article comes from the equivalent Japanese-language version (accessed April 1, 2006).